A major shake-up of undergraduate civil engineering in UCD is under way. The aim is to produce an elite group of civil engineers who will become industry leaders. According to UCD's professor of civil engineering, Dr Eugene O'Brien, civil engineers who have poor interpersonal skills can find themselves working as technical supporters rather than leaders.

The whole thrust of the revised programme is to make the study of civil engineering more relevant to students, who will be asked for feedback on course material and lecturers. Starting in spring 2001, third-year students on UCD's four-year civil engineering course will do industrial work placements from April to September and extra tutorials are to be offered to students who have difficulty with particular subjects. Although lecturing is the most effective way of delivering learning, according to O'Brien, in some subjects issues can best be dealt with through problem-based learning.

Further innovations include communications and business studies courses, weekly computer lab sessions and on-line exams.