Exploring Potential Critical Content of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles for Transportation Engineering Courses: A National Survey

As technology advances, there is a growing demand for understanding the fundamental concepts of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) and their relative impact on different aspects of transportation engineering. Various transportation courses are regularly offered in civil engineering programs, including but not limited to an introduction to transportation engineering, transportation planning/modeling, highway design, transportation safety, traffic engineering, traffic simulation, and intelligent transportation systems. Instructors often face challenges in identifying critical CAV topics for these courses, making it necessary to explore critical course content related to CAVs. The objectives of this study are (1) to identify critical CAV topics for different transportation engineering courses and (2) to emphasize upcoming CAV topics crucial for a successful transition into the CAV system. To achieve these objectives, a national survey was conducted among transportation educators and practitioners. The survey was distributed with the assistance of Transportation Research Board Standing Committees to ensure broad participation. Among the 48 respondents from 33 states, faculty members who had already integrated CAV topics into their courses and practitioners were prioritized while estimating the weighted average of each topic. The findings of this research can serve as valuable resources for redesigning transportation engineering courses by incorporating CAVs. The identified high-priority CAV topics can play a crucial role in raising awareness among undergraduate and graduate students about the diversity of transportation engineering and motivating them to explore emerging CAV technologies and opportunities within the field.