Teaching Systems Thinking and Biomimicry to Civil Engineering Students

The integration of sustainability into civil engineering education is discussed by describing tested teaching approaches for two of the fundamental concepts for sustainability, systems thinking, and biomimicry. Teaching modules for systems thinking and biomimicry that are appropriate for college-level civil engineering students were developed that are part of a civil engineering course in sustainable construction, which is offered at Clemson University. The learning objectives of the modules also align with Body of Knowledge's (BOK2) emphasis on problem recognition and solving, communicating to technical and nontechnical audiences, lifelong learning, and sustainability. Observations and student feedback made clear that the interactive activity used in 2008 was not effective in making progress toward learning objectives.