A Course In Civil Engineering Projects Adapted To Abet'S Accreditation

The School of Civil Engineering at the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia has recently obtained the accreditation of its current M.Sc. program by the ABET accreditation body. This accreditation seeks to assure that a program meets the established quality standards. Regarding student's training, one of the objectives of the ABET accreditation is to ensure that graduates have acquired the competences required for working as an engineer. This paper gives an overview of one of the courses in the Civil Engineering program, already adapted to the ABET accreditation, entitled "Civil Engineering Projects". This course deals with the documentation needed in the civil engineering design project, the process of producing the bill of quantities, and the alternatives and procedure for contracting the design project as well as the construction works. The adaptation to the ABET accreditation of this particular course has affected both teaching and evaluation methods, seeking for a training based on competences (knowledge, skills or abilities). The teaching and evaluation method is defined in the paper, emphasizing a training based on knowledge, skills and abilities, in contrast to the traditional method, which is normally focused merely on knowledge.