2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The increasing population in urban areas and the importance of sustainable cities have created new challenges for civil engineers, leading them into being proficient in Smart City (SC) technologies, including smart transportation, green buildings, energy efficiency and proper urban
planning. This paper explores ongoing efforts to integrate SC concepts into the Experimental-Centric Pedagogy (ECP) framework. This is to emphasize hands-on experiential learning, aiming to improve civil engineering education and learning outcomes. From literature reviewed, there is a lack of structured, practical approach to training future workforce at undergraduate level in SC concept especially in civil engineering educational programs. Active learning pedagogies like experiment-centric pedagogy has become a beacon of hope in engagement, motivation, and retention of students. This ongoing work is aimed at developing curriculum and modules that can incorporate the trainings in SC methods and technologies within 4 years civil engineering education at undergraduate level. Beside using a 3D modeling software, students will be engaged in experiments that involve modeling smart traffic systems, energy-efficient building simulations, and other concepts relating to civil engineering that can be experimental, using suitable low-cost tools, applications, and technologies. The impact of these pedagogical approached will be assessed using a pre and post-test survey design as the authors seeks to evaluate the change in student perception and knowledge on SC concept. By engaging students with real-world, data-driven tests, this study shall present quantitative evidence on how implementing SC through ECP will not only improve their technical skills but also develop critical thinking and innovation, preparing students for important roles in the development of sustainable urban areas.  In conclusion, this study will try to show the gap between undergraduate civil engineering education and knowledge of SC by presenting new ways to engage students in SC technologies. Previous works show positive impact on students, but additional effort is required to refine the curriculum and improve assessment approaches.