Bridging the Gap Between Software and Engineering Curriculum

Invited Workshop Recommended citation: Gilbertson, C., & Van Portfliet, J. (2025). Bridging the Gap Between Software and Engineering Curriculum. In Kangaslampi, R., Langie, G., Järvinen, H.-M., & Nagy, B. (Eds.), SEFI 53rd Annual Conference. European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI), Tampere, Finland. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17632084. This Conference Paper is brought to you for open access by the 53rd Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI) at Tampere University in Tampere, Finland. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License. BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN SOFTWARE AND ENGINEERING CURRICULUM C Gilbertson a,1, J Van Portfliet b a Michigan Tech University, Houghton, Michigan, USA b Bentley Education, USA Conference Key Areas: Curriculum Development and Emerging Curriculum Models in Engineering; Digital Tools and AI in Engineering Education; Engineering Skills, Professional Skills, and Transversal Skills Keywords: Curriculum, Engineering Skills, Digital Tools ABSTRACT In many U.S. civil engineering design courses, an emphasis is placed on background theory, specification standards, and understanding the design process through handcalculations. Software may be incorporated, but mastery of the software is generally deferred to employers to provide as on-the-job training. Employers, however, value graduates who have software experience. Michigan Tech University and Bentley Education are bridging the gap between classroom theory and real-world application by integrating practical, software-based design experiences into undergraduate and graduate courses. Bentley Education offers an extensive library of training materials, but for students just starting out, it can be overwhelming. That’s where our collaboration comes in. This session will highlight Michigan Tech’s innovative approach to developing opensource lessons that complement traditional lectures with engaging, hands-on activities. These activities not only deepen students' understanding of course content but also introduce them to industry-standard tools used by professionals every day. Lesson modules have been designed to integrate seamlessly into existing curricula, guiding students through software-based approaches as part of a class project, homework, or computational laboratory activities. Students can work through these lessons at their own pace without taking time away from the course lectures. These modules serve as a crucial first step, giving students the confidence and foundational skills to continue exploring Bentley’s tools as they prepare for successful careers. 1 BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE 1.1 Section 1 Our society and the engineering industry is facing a significant global skills shortage, digital skills in particular. Engineering organizations have been impacted in terms of growth and innovation due to skills needed to implement digital transformation initiatives. Many factors contribute to skills shortage: rapidly changing technology, increasing demand for skills, and the number of people seeking an education in a skilled area. Another factor that may contribute to a skills shortage is a mismatch between university curriculum and industry needs. Gross mismatches are corrected through industry advisory boards within university departments. However, a more subtle mismatch can exist with regards to use and mastery of computer software. Industry would like to hire students already familiar with common industry software, but universities often do not have the classroom time available to teach the fundamentals of a subject along with how to use a specific software program. Course schedules are usually focused on fundamentals; providing students with a deeper level of understanding of the subject with the expectation that future employers will provide training on specific software used by the employer. As software gets more complex this becomes a greater burden on the employer. 1.2 Section 2 To support students learning real-world applications, software companies like Bentley Systems offers extensive library of training materials, but for students just starting out, it can be overwhelming. This workshop will overview engaging, hands-on activities created by Michigan Tech faculty that are intended to help bridge this gap by introducing students to industry standard software in a way that reinforces the fundamental material learned in the classroom without taking extra classroom time. Students are then able to enter the workforce with an introduction to the software they will use in their jobs. Students may choose to further increase their software skills by pursuing additional software training available from Bentley Education. 2 WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES 2.1 Target audience The primary target audience will be educators, researchers and PhD students in civil, environmental, and geospatial engineering education. This workshop will overview lessons applicable to transportation, construction, geotechnical, and bridge design classes, however, we will also discuss lesson development which is transferable to other engineering disciplines and classes. 2.2 Expected learning outcomes By the end of the workshop attendees will see how they can incorporate hands-on activities that introduce students to industry-standard software without having to significantly change existing course syllabi. Attendees who currently teach in the areas of transportation, geotechnical, or bridge design and construction will be introduced to lesson material they can incorporate into their classrooms or customize as desired to better fit their unique needs. 3 WORKSHOP DESIGN 3.1 Time plan The workshop will overview the module lesson design process for introducing students to industry standard software and then showcase lesson modules that integrate seamlessly into existing curricula, guiding students through software-based approaches to class projects—at their own pace, and outside the classroom. Table 1. time plan Run time Activity Notes 8 min Introduction Introduction of speakers 15 min Discussion Discuss problem and partnership between MTU and Bentley to introduce students to industry standard software while in college. 7 min Overview of Modules/Lessons Detailed overview of the software and corresponding learning modules that are available for instructors to adapt and include in their courses. 20 min Think-Pair-Share Activity Attendees will form small groups of three to discuss how they might adapt a module into one of their courses or how they might take a similar approach to introduce students to another piece of software. Small groups will then share an overview of their discussion with the workshop attendees. 10 min Conclusion and Questions 3.2 Interactivity After introducing the material the audience will gather into small groups of three (those they are sitting near) to discuss how they might add a specific module to their class, modify a module, or create something new based on the process presented and then share their ideas with the group. Fig. 1. Modules designed to bring hands-on educational curriculum into the classroom 4 WORKSHOP RESULTS The expected learning outcomes for this workshop are for attendees to see how they might be able to introduce students to industry-standard software to reinforce the fundamentals taught in the course without significantly impacting the course schedule. Faculty teaching in the areas of transportation, geotechnical, or bridge design and construction will have access to already developed lessons that they can incorporate or modify to suit the needs of their course. The lessons can be incorporated into homework, computational laboratory exercises, or as part of course projects. The Think-Pair-Share activity will help to further increase ideas on how this kind of learning material can be introduced to university students. REFERENCES Webpage: The Center for Technology & Training. (n.d.). Hands-on activities for Transportation/Engineering courses. https://ctt.mtu.edu/hands-activitiestransportationengineering-courses