Program Planning Committee Report to the Provost
March 20, 2008
B.S. Civil Engineering (135-138 units)
M.S. Civil Engineering (30 units)
2002-2006 Program Planning Cycle
The Program Planning Committee (PPC) commends the B.S. and M.S. programs in the
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering for their very strong instruction,
highly qualified faculty, and inclusion of direct assessment data on undergraduate
learning in the detailed self-study. The self-study and external reviewers report discussed
the strengths among the faculty members, the commitment to quality teaching and
research, and the lack of major problems in the programs. The department, college, and
dean agreed with the recommendations outlined by the external reviewer, which focused
on student process, adjustments and development of the curriculum, assessment of
student learning, and faculty hiring.
The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department has laid an initial foundation for
its assessment activities for the B.S. program. At the time of the self-study, the M.S.
program needed to have in place a more comprehensive assessment process and include
results of the graduate program assessment in the self-study.
The WASC team in their March 2007 visit encouraged all programs to put greater focus
on program (rather than course) assessment and use data (course and other sources) to
evaluate the achievement of program outcomes at graduation. Should the Department of
Civil and Environmental Engineering need help with assessment activities, the Director
of Assessment is available to provide suggestions and support. In accordance with the
2006 Program Planning Guideline, the self-study for the next program cycle should
include program assessment plans, the university assessment reports, and an evaluation of
the results of assessment efforts with particular attention to modifications that have been
made to improve student achievement of learning goals and outcomes.
The final step in the program planning process is a meeting with the Provost (or her
designee), the Vice Provost for Academic Budgets and Planning, the AVP of
Undergraduate Studies, the AVP of Graduate Studies, the Dean, and the Department
Chair. The Department should contact Janette Pamintuan in the Office of Undergraduate
Studies to schedule the final meeting. The following topics for discussion are
summarized from the reports:
 Address undergraduate curricular issues such as the 2-unit statics course (CE 99)
and implement plans to enhance course offerings and content,
 Address graduate curricular issues such as the graduate writing requirement and
implement plans to improve course offerings and content,
 Enhance the assessment process for the B.S. program and implement a
comprehensive graduate program assessment in response to comments in the
submitted reports and the 2006 University Program Planning Guideline,
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Maintain strength of the programs is crucial as noted by the submitted reports
with discussions to hire new or additional faculty in areas of construction
management, water resources, and geotechnical engineering and by using
available resources such as the Davidson endowed chair of the Department,
The departments’ desire to upgrade laboratory equipment and hire a part-time
laboratory technician, and
Address the other recommendations of the external reviewer.
If the Department would like to propose other issues for the meeting, please discuss the
appropriateness of the topics with your Dean.
The Program Planning Committee recommends acceptance of the self-study. The selfstudy provided a good examination of the issues for subsequent reviewers. The next
program review for all programs in the Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering is scheduled for AY 2012-2013.
Program Planning Committee members:
Marina Aminy
Arlene Asuncion
Mary Calegari
Peter Chua
Elaine Collins
Bob Cooper
Thuy Le
Bill Nance
Dan Perales
Jacqueline Snell
Pam Stacks
Gary Stebbins
Patricia Stroh
Marlene Turner
Ashwini Wagle
CC:
Steven Vukazich, Chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Belle Wei, Dean, Engineering
Ahmed Hambaba, Associate Dean, Engineering
Michael Kaufman, Chair, Curriculum and Research
Bob Cooper, AVP Undergraduate Studies
Pam Stacks, AVP Graduate Studies
Bill Nance, Vice-Provost
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Appendix: Summary of Program Planning Reports
Overview of the Programs
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers B.S. and M.S. programs
in Civil Engineering. The specialties of the department faculty include construction
management, environmental, geotechnical, structural, transportation and water resources
engineering. The B.S. program consists of a total of 135-138 units. It requires 74 units in
engineering courses.
The Self Study: November 17, 2006
Student Experiences
The Department experienced a steady growth in undergraduate students from 244
students in Fall 2002 to 411 students in Fall 2006, with an undergraduate FTES of 187.5
in Fall 2006. Graduate student enrollment increased from 104 in Fall 2002 to 122 in Fall
2005, with a graduate FTES of 34.8 in Fall 2006. These trends are consistent with the
growth in civil engineering programs in the U.S. Most of the undergraduates are transfer
students.
Undergraduate and graduate students received advising from assigned faculty to ensure
academic progress and graduation. Starting 2004, one faculty became responsible to
advise all undergraduate students; the faculty received a partial release time for this
service. The Department monitored students’ progress as they complete core courses on
communication and mathematics and in the major. Routinely, students received
scholarship award from the Department.
Improving the B.S. Program Curriculum
The Department assessed in a comprehensive manner the program’s effectiveness in
promoting student learning and achievement. Its assessment planning, implementation
(with the collection of direct and indirect assessment data), and evaluation are
coordinated with its Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)
review process. Based on October 2006 analysis of available evidence, the faculty
members made the following recommendations:
 Implement a common final exam for the statics course (CE 99).
 Remove Geology 101 as a science elective.
 Upgrade lab-testing equipment.
 Redesign elective options.
 Add graphics prerequisite for CE courses
 Improve oral presentations skills through the concrete structure course (CE 162).
Improving the M.S. Program Curriculum
During Fall 2006, the Department began to expand program assessment and based on
available evidence on student learning made the following recommendations:
 Clarify definition of suitable minors and their course requirements.
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Create an approved faculty list of non-CE courses allows for the M.S. program.
Administer a consistent culminating experience for graduate students.
Faculty
In Fall 2006, the Department has six tenured faculty members and one additional tenured
faculty member on early retirement. The faculty members routinely and actively engaged
in experimental and analytical research and publish in peer-reviewed journals and
professional society conferences. They hold strong academic credentials and professional
licenses and have experiences in key industries. Lecturers are experienced practicing
engineers. The faculty members are very successful in obtaining external grants and
strong in teaching effectiveness. Members are using innovative pedagogical approaches
to promote classroom collaboration and increase active learning. The faculty members
maintained close contact with students through advising and extra-curricular activities.
Facilities
The programs hold lecture courses in ten classrooms with capacity from 35 to 100
students and five teaching laboratories with capacity from 50 to 100 students. The
Department rated the condition of teaching laboratories and equipment as generally good
to excellent. The Department also maintained a student clubroom, which is used by the
student chapters of American Society of Civil Engineers, Associated General
Contractors, and Chi Epsilon. The student chapter of the Institute of Transportation
Engineers was allocated space to maintain a lending library.
Institutional Support and Financial Resources
Routinely, faculty members in the Department received external grants, funds from
Continuing Education programs, and its College to support research and curricular
development. The Department received some external support for laboratory upgrades. It
is in the process of developing and implementing plans to increase external support from
local industries.
Interdependence of Programs
The Department serves majors in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and
Materials Engineering by offering them required courses. The Department also provides
courses for the Masters of Science Engineering (MSE) program.
ABET Accreditation Visit of B.S. Program: September 2006
The accreditors highlighted several areas for program improvement by making the
following recommendations:
 Formalize the review process for the program educational objectives.
 Use formal evidence as part of review and planning process.
 Address shortage of full-time faculty.
 Provide evidence of students meeting proficiency requirement.
Five-Year Plan, 2006-2012
The Department faculty members developed a strategic enhancement plan with the
following actions:
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Continually review program educational objectives and outcomes to maintain
ABET accreditation. (No additional cost.)
Continually review of program course and laboratory offerings and content and
faculty workload. (No additional cost.)
Hire and retain full-time faculty in the areas of (a) water resources engineering,
(b) geotechnical engineering, and (c) construction management and surveying
engineering. ($1,345,000 requested.)
Upgrade laboratory equipment including new computer equipment. ($240,000
requested.)
Hire half-time technician to oversee environmental labs, hazardous waste, and
computer facilities. ($135,000 requested.)
The External Reviewer’s Report: March 22, 2007
Reviewer: Dr. Ramzi Mahmood, Department of Civil Engineering, California State
University, Sacramento, visited February 13-14, 2007
The report of the external reviewer discussed the programs’ curriculum, student learning,
faculty, and resources. The reviewer noted B.S. and M.S. programs are comparable to
other civil engineering programs, their high quality, and reputation.
The reported noted that the SJSU programs are unique for their strengths and expertise in
civil engineering management. The students interviewed were very positive of the
programs. However, some graduate students indicated that the writing requirements were
not clear to them.
The reviewer offered several areas for improvement to the Department to consider in next
phrase of program planning and implementation:
Faculty:
 Fill three vacant positions to ensure in the long term there are two faculty
members for each of the six specialty areas.
Curriculum and Student Learning:
 B.S. Program: Make the statics course (CE 99) a 3-unit course.
 B.S. Program: Use of tutorial sessions for some courses, instead of hands-on labs.
 B.S. Program: Develop a single-unit Civil Engineering first-year undergraduate
seminar to expose students to the practice of professional civil engineers.
 B.S./M.S. Programs: Capitalize on the endowed chair to strengthen the area of
sustainable construction and design component.
 M.S. Program: Make the graduate writing requirement consistent with the college
by requiring ENGR 200W.
Assessment of Student Learning:
 B.S. Program: Continue activities regarding assessment of student learning.
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M.S. Program: Enhance assessment activities.
B.S./M.S. Programs: Survey employers as part of assessment.
B.S./M.S. Programs: Use the StudentVoice software to conduct surveys for
assessment.
The College Committee Report, Undated
The College Committee agreed with the external reviewer’s report and findings. The
Committee emphasized the following areas of improvement for the B.S. program:
 Strengthen employer and alumni participation in assessment.
 Maintain at least two faculty members in each specialty of civil and
environmental engineering as student enrollment increases.
 Revise the curriculum to improve lower division course offerings.
In addition the Committee highlighted the following recommendations for the M.S.
program:
 Develop assessment activities similar to the undergraduate program.
 Improve course offerings and find a better approach to assess students’
competency in graduate writing (and meet the GWAR requirement).
The Committee also suggested that both programs:
 Incorporate the changes discussed by the external reviewer into the current plan
for the program.
 Use the Davidson Endowed Chair as a resource to enhance the program.
The Dean’s Report, September 4, 2007
The Dean commended the CE programs for their top faculty, excellent curriculum, and
strong reputation with employers regionally. She commented on the major areas of
improvements recommended by the external reviewer. In particular, the Dean suggested
that the programs:
 Implement effective advising for students, giving them consistent and accurate
information.
 Consider improving their assessment by including employer feedback, using the
StudentVoice software, and developing surveys with the SJSU Survey Research
and Evaluation.
 Evaluate the B.S. program to address issues such as the 2-unit status of the statics
(CE 99) course and maintain curricular strengths in the construction management
and engineering.
 Address better the needs of students in the M.S. program such as issues involving
course offerings and scheduling.
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