2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Body of Knowledge recommends one of the important learning outcomes for civil engineering is Professional Attitudes. University X adopted a Professional Attitudes student outcome in its program. The program is assessing affective learning in a number of outcomes. The depth and breadth of knowledge for civil engineers is beyond the limits of a baccalaureate degree, so development of positive affective learning can facilitate stronger long-term learning.

The program examined twenty-four professional attitudes identified by ASCE. The twenty-four attitudes were sorted into six groups and then prioritized by the program. The top four priority groups were subsequently identified for adoption in the program.

Affective learning about professional attitudes is already an important part of learning in the program, but assessment of that learning was not present despite the availability of instruments for doing so. Assessment was thus first prioritized so the program could then improve what was already present. The paper provides a summary of the selection of attitudes, development of assessment tools, and an examination of current student learning in the selected attitudes. The early results over the past two years suggest a need to consider refinement of the some of the assessment tools but also unveiled some areas in which significant program improvements could be made.

The paper includes examples for how programs could approach assessment of affective learning and develop improvements to affective learning of professional attitudes.