Enhancing capstone design education in civil engineering: The potential synergies between academics and practitioners

The trend toward increasing design component in civil engineering curricula is part of an effort to better prepare graduates for the practice. While some design projects are still of the “made up” type; majority of projects today deal with “real-world problems” and are usually conducted by student´s teams. The paper begins first by briefly reviewing the design as a “thought” process, focusing on “design thinking” and how “design thinking” skills are acquired. Second, the paper reports on the development, implementation, and subsequent evaluation of a senior design course at an international university, where practitioners from the Region have played a major role in teaching the capstone course. The restructured design course has met its objectives and exposed students to design practice. This industry-driven experience has also provided information on curricular content and capabilities of graduates. Outputs from the course can be used to provide guidance into: curricular changes, teaching methods, and civil engineering practice in the Region. Also, helps in establishing enduring connections with the industrial sector.