The ASCE BOK, ABET Accreditation Criteria, and NCEES FE Exam - Are They Appropriately Aligned?

作者：Kenneth J. Fridley, W. Edward Back, Derek Williamson · 年份：2016 · DOI：10.18260/p.26089 · 被引用次数：8 · 研究领域：Engineering Education and Curriculum Development、Higher Education Learning Practices

Abstract Professional licensure is widely recognized as being critically important to the civil engineering profession. This is exemplified by the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge1 (BOK) being defined as the “knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for entry into the practice of civil engineering at the professional level,” which equates to the ability to attain professional licensure. The second/current edition of the BOK presents 24 foundational, technical and professional practice outcomes, including recommendations for fulfilling the outcomes through formal education, both at the baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate levels, and mentored pre-licensure experience. The first step for future civil engineers to fulfill the BOK is to achieve the outcomes related to the baccalaureate level. And the first step towards professional licensure is, in additional to earning an ABET-accredited engineering degree, to pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam. However, while acknowledging that pre-licensure education and experience are central themes of the BOK, passing the FE exam as an initial step towards licensure is not explicitly included in the BOK or any of its 24 outcomes. ABET accreditation2 is the primary mechanism to assure engineering programs and their graduates meet minimum academic standards and expectations. Considering curricular content and learning outcomes, the relevant ABET accreditation criteria are the General Criterion 3 Student Outcomes, General Criter...