These objectives are intended to provide a framework for expanding the use of distance engineering techniques in student projects completed at the regional scale, the national scale, and even the global scale through WPI's Global Studies Program. To investigate the impacts of remote communications on student project work, WPI's CEE developed a project-based freshman undergraduate civil engineering course to lay out a foundation for developing these skills as early as possible. The basic subject matter in the course includes an introduction to the various disciplines in civil and environmental engineering and how they are integrated in the completion of an engineering project. Students groups play the roles of engineering teams employed to complete various engineering projects required for the design of a hypothesized highway project. Students are introduced to the computer as a tool for completing engineering calculations and preparing effective reports and presentations.
Students also learn the importance of the computer as a tool for communications.
For selected projects, student groups are separated into home and field teams situated at different locations in the CEE Department, with the home teams playing the role of design engineers located in the office, and the field teams playing the role of a field engineers completing required field work. Effectiveness of communication is assessed by evaluating quizzes, group presentations, and project reports, and student perceptions regarding the impacts of communication technologies in their projects are assessed using student surveys.