Thesis
Embedded transportation engineering knowledge: comparing practicing engineers' and university instructors' context for understanding sight distance and stopping sight distance
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
2011
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/100793
Abstract
Educational theories of situated cognition suggest that knowledge is embedded in practice and tied to the ways in which it is applied. Substantial research in a diversity of fields suggests that being successful in a skilled profession requires ways of knowing and doing that are unique to the context of that profession, and present in practitioners. Similar research has not been conducted in transportation engineering. The purpose of this study is to characterize embedded knowledge of sight distance and stopping sight distance in instructors and engineers and similarly examine course materials. Individual interviews were conducted with 29 engineering practitioners and with 19 transportation engineering instructors. Course notes from a selection of instructors as well as three commonly used textbooks were analyzed. Although instructors and practitioners expressed similar content knowledge, there were significant differences in the context in which it was embedded. The engineering practitioners used and referred to a variety of resources, including software, local and state manuals, and specific experiences, while the instructors primarily spoke in a more abstract context, or referred to textbooks. Finally, engineers discussed methods of mitigating for the inability to meet minimum sight distance design criteria, but this was not found in course notes or textbooks. This research strongly suggests that context dependent embedded knowledge exists in transportation engineering and that efforts are necessary to integrate this knowledge in the curriculum. Recommendations are made to encourage the development of embedded knowledge, including direction of future research required to better understand how practicing engineers use their knowledge
Metrics
2 File views/ downloads
11 Record Views
Details
- Title
- Embedded transportation engineering knowledge
- Creators
- Shannon Davis
- Contributors
- Shane Brown (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; Pullman, Wash. :
- Identifiers
- 99900525149901842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis