Activity-Based Learning Module for Human Factors in the Introductory Transportation Engineering Course

There is increasing pressure on transportation engineers to consider the broader implications of their work. Concerns for encouraging economic vitality, protecting the environment, and enhancing quality of life have motivated a pervasive call for sustainable transportation that fosters livable communities. However, traditional undergraduate transportation engineering textbooks lack the content and learning activities necessary to prepare students for this new paradigm. This project will develop a new framework for teaching the fundamentals of transportation engineering under the paradigm of sustainable and livable communities. The framework will serve for any topic within a semester-long course. This project will further develop the framework…

There is increasing pressure on transportation engineers to consider the broader implications of their work.  Concerns for encouraging economic vitality, protecting the environment, and enhancing quality of life have motivated a pervasive call for sustainable transportation that fosters livable communities. However, traditional undergraduate transportation engineering textbooks lack the content and learning activities necessary to prepare students for this new paradigm.  This project will develop a new framework for teaching the fundamentals of transportation engineering under the paradigm of sustainable and livable communities. The framework will serve for any topic within a semester-long course.  This project will further develop the framework by creating activity-based learning materials for traffic operations that elicits critical thinking about the broader impacts on society. 

This educational development activity leverages approximately two years of work conducted by the National Transportation Curriculum Project, which consists of a group of transportation educators from nine major U.S. universities, who are proposing to develop a set of activity-based learning modules for the introductory course in transportation engineering. The specific learning activities will cover the following topic areas:

- traffic operations and highway capacity,
- geometric design, traffic safety,
- transportation planning and land development,
- finance and economics,
- public transportation and non-motorized modes,
- transportation systems, asset management, pavements, and
- human factors/user behavior.

Educational materials will be developed (pre-class, in-class, and post-class) for each of the topic areas. This work will include a literature review of existing educational and professional materials in the specific areas covered by the topics in order to leverage existing resources. The educational materials will include a detailed description of the problem and sub-problems addressed in the module, student learning materials, the instructor support materials, and a document defining the learning environment. Materials may include readings, internet resources, animations, videos, podcasts, presentations, handouts, exercises, and other references. Efforts will include developing materials using the latest technology tools that can be adapted for use anywhere.

Ultimately, this proposal will focus on the development of the material for the behavior and human factors component of the introduction to transportation class. The other modules mentioned above will be compiled by other team members of the National Transportation Curriculum Project who are currently submitting similar proposals to UTCs around the country. In this way a large team of professional educators working together will make tremendous strides in advancing on of the most critical and commonly taught transportation classes in the country.