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This course is part of ASCE's Sustainable Infrastructure Certificate.

Purpose and Background

Sustainable development requires engineers to educate the public about sustainability, as well as clients, partners and regulatory decision-makers. This course is enriched by real stories from engineers who have succeeded and struggled with stakeholder involvement. You will get to see them consider different approaches to various stakeholder groups and explain how the decisions impact their work. Their models and frameworks will help you make similar decisions in your career.

You will learn about the context in which the public views engineering, the different expectations among different types of stakeholders, the factors that might require more intensive techniques, the roles outside experts can play, and the methods for evaluating the effectiveness of stakeholder involvement. Your career success as an engineer in the 21st century will be directly related to your skill working with non-engineers, as well as your technical peers, to be a leader on sustainability. Managing projects over a lifetime will require sophisticated understanding of the social and political dynamics presented in this course.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course you will be able to:

1. Explain the critical role engineers have in educating diverse stakeholders, including the public, clients, partners, and regulatory decision-makers, about sustainability principles and practices.
2. Describe how to engage stakeholders in educational conversations regarding sustainability with the focus of the necessity of effective stakeholder involvement.
3. Apply the principles of community participation throughout the project life cycle to ensure effective stakeholder involvement.
4. Analyze real-world scenarios and stories from engineers to understand successful and challenging experiences with stakeholder involvement.
5. Demonstrate the ability to consider and employ various approaches to engage different stakeholder groups effectively.
6. Utilize models and frameworks to guide decision-making processes related to stakeholder involvement within engineering projects and teams.
7. Assess the context in which engineering is perceived by the public and recognize diverse stakeholder expectations.
8. Identify factors that may necessitate employing intensive stakeholder engagement techniques within engineering projects.
9. Implement methods for evaluating the effectiveness of stakeholder involvement strategies within engineering projects.
10. Explain the significance of collaboration with non-engineers and technical peers to lead sustainable initiatives effectively.

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed via a post-assessment (true-false, multiple choice and fill in the blank questions).

Course Outline

Module 1 – Introduction (50 minutes)
Module 2 - The community in community participation (60 minutes)
Module 3 - The participants in community participation (11 minutes)
Module 4 – Techniques (60 minutes)
Module 5 – Complexities (1 hour 32 minutes)
Module 6 - Evaluation and Learning (14 minutes)
Module 7 - Wrap Up (6 minutes)
Exam – (1 hour)

How to Earn your PDHs and Receive Your Certificate of Completion

To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 1 year of purchasing the course.