2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

At [University Name], Engineering Economics is a compulsory course for Civil Engineering students at the sophomore level. One of the main objectives of this course is to introduce the concepts of microeconomics in civil engineering projects. However, most of the topics may seem to be abstract and difficult to digest for the students since they have little to no background in economics. In addition, narrowly focused, textbook-style problems typically provide an interest rate to be used in the solution, neglecting the very real-world issue of identifying a reasonable time-value-of-money for a given context. To address these issues as well as to enhance engagement and collaboration, some game-based extra-credit activities were introduced to supplement the course. The students were divided into teams of two to three individuals and were issued an initial sum of virtual money. Then, throughout the semester, events that mimic real-life situations occurred that would require the students to decide what they would want to do with the virtual money. At the end of the semester, the group of students with the most virtual money won the game. Actively managing opportunity costs, liquidity, and risk in a low-stakes yet competitive setting provided a new dimension to the conventional course. These activities were shown to be well-received by the students, enhancing the relevance of regular coursework, and broadening the students’ perspective.