2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Designing and Implementing Integrated Project Based Courses for First- and Second-Year Environmental Engineering Students

Engineering education researchers and engineering accreditation boards have long stressed the importance of preparing engineers for 21st-century challenges by integrating professional knowledge, skills, and real-world experiences throughout the curriculum. This holistic approach enables students to connect various disciplinary content, hone professional skills through practice, and apply their developing engineering competencies to relevant problems and communities. While engineering curricula often incorporate integrated content in final-year capstone courses, earlier integration is frequently lacking. In 2020, _ embarked on a five-year NSF-funded Revolutionizing Engineering Departments (RED) project aimed at transforming its environmental engineering program. This initiative supported the development of new integrated and project-based courses to be implemented in the first and second year of the curriculum. All tenure-track faculty in the environmental engineering program participated in a collaborative, iterative process to design project-based courses for first- and second-year students. EENV 102, Introduction to Environmental Engineering Design and Sustainability, introduces the field of environmental engineering, sustainability concepts, and engineering tools like Excel and GIS in a project-based learning format. EENV 202, Sustainable Waste Management, combines systems thinking concepts, an introduction to ethics and social justice topics, and technical content related to solid and hazardous waste management with a life-cycle assessment project on laboratory waste streams. The initial offering of these courses took place in the 2023-2024 academic year. This paper reviews the design and implementation of these two new project-based courses and shares lessons learned. The findings can guide other programs in collaboratively designing integrated project-based engineering courses for first- and second-year students.

Authors

Dr. Kathryn Plymesser Montana State University - Bozeman [biography]

Dr. Plymesser hold a B.S. (Case Western Reserve University ’01) and Ph.D. (MSU ’14) degrees in Civil Engineering. She began her academic career at Montana State University – Billings with a teaching and research tenure-track appointment. Dr. Plymesser joined the Civil Engineering Department at Montana State University in 2016. Her research is focused in ecohydraulics and fish passage with a particular fondness for the application of hydraulic and fluid dynamic models to answer research questions in natural settings. Dr. Plymesser currently teaches Introduction to Environmental Engineering Design and Sustainability, Open Channel Hydrualics, and River Modeling.
Adrienne Phillips http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3291-710X Montana State University - Bozeman [biography]

Dr. Adie Phillips is an associate professor in the Civil Engineering department at Montana State University. She teaches environmental engineering courses and does research in biofilms and engineering education.
Catherine M Kirkland http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3268-8570 Montana State University - Bozeman [biography]

Dr. Catherine Kirkland is an assistant professor of Environmental Engineering in the Civil Engineering Department at Montana State University. In addition to her background in environmental engineering, Catherine also holds a BA in Anthropology and Sociology from Rhodes College. Her research areas include beneficial biofilms, nuclear magnetic resonance, and engineering education.
Amanda Hohner http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7704-4464 Montana State University - Bozeman [biography]

Dr. Amanda Hohner is an Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering at Montana State University. She teaches courses in Environmental Engineering and conducts research on drinking water.
Susan Gallagher Montana State University - Bozeman [biography]

Susan Gallagher is the Education and Workforce Program Manager at the Western Transportation Institute (WTI), a transportation research center within Montana State University's College of Engineering.
Dr. Craig R Woolard P.E. Montana State University - Bozeman

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025