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ABSTRACT
This paper describes an intervention to enhance students’ learning by involving students in brainstorming activities about sustainability concepts and their implications in transportation engineering. The paper discusses the process of incorporating the intervention into a transportation course, as well as the impact of this intervention on students’ learning outcomes. To evaluate and compare students’ learning as a result of the intervention, the Laboratory for Innovative Technology and Engineering Education survey instrument was used. The survey instrument includes five constructs: higher-order cognitive skills, self-efficacy, ease of learning subject matter, teamwork, and communication skills. Pre- and post-intervention surveys of student learning outcomes were conducted to determine the effectiveness of the intervention on enhancing students’ learning outcomes. The results show that the implementation of the intervention significantly improved higher-order cognitive skills, self-efficacy, teamwork, and communication skills. Involving students in brainstorming activities related to sustainability concepts and their implications in transportation proved to be an effective teaching and learning strategy.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes on contributors
Elham (Ellie) Fini, Ph.D., P.E. is the Director of the Sustainable Infrastructure Materials lab, Associate Professor, J. W. Fulbright Scholar at North Carolina A&T State University. She received her Ph.D. from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2008 on characterizing interfacial properties of adhesives and sealants. Her achievements were recognized via multiple awards including NSF CAREER award, 2017 BEYA STEM Innovation award, and nomination for 2017 BioNight Entrepreneurial Excellence Award. She has successfully incorporated project-based learning into her classroom, and guided numerous student teams to develop novel and sustainable solutions to our society's challenges in the areas of materials, construction and transportation.
Faisal Awadallah, Ph.D., P.E. is a Professor of Transportation Engineering at the Department of Civil Engineering at Birzeit University, Palestine. He obtained his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Maryland. He is a registered professional engineer in the State of Maryland. He was a visiting professor at Penn State University in 1997–1998 and at North Carolina A&T State University in 2011–2012. A consultant for many projects in the Middle East, Europe and USA. Dr. Awadallah supervised several master and Ph.D. theses and has numerous journal and conference publications in the areas of traffic engineering and urban planning.
Mahour Mellat Parast, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Technology Management at North Carolina A&T State University. His current research is focused on supply chain risk and resilience management, education and training in technological innovation, and process and product innovation, which are supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the US Department of Transportation. He teaches courses in supply chain management, new product development, and statistics. His scholarly works have appeared in several peer-reviewed journals such as Journal of Operations Management, International Journal of Production Research, International Journal of Production Economics, International Journal of Logistics Management, and Production Planning & Control. He is a member of Decision Sciences Institute (DSI), Production and Operations Management Society (POMS), and Academy of Management (AOM). Mahour received his Ph.D. in Industrial & Management Systems Engineering from University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Taher Abu-Lebdeh, Ph.D., P.E. is an Associate Professor with the department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, R&D Chair of the Advanced Manufacturing Consortium, and Associate Editor for the American Journal of Applied Sciences. He received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Louisiana State University in 1992. His endeavors in the area of teaching have earned him two teaching awards. His work and research involvement resulted in over $3.5 million of funding for educational research, and student mentoring funding. He has successfully incorporated project-based learning and research-based learning into his civil engineering courses.