Active Learning Enabled by Information Technology:
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Dates

June 2000 — June 2003

Principal Investigator

Professor Herbert Einstein (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering)

Goal

Empower students to take active roles in developing complex engineering systems ranging from buildings and bridges to entire cities.

Overview

The Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) faculty have developed online modules that combine text, schematic figures, photographs, and simulations in the areas of solid mechanics and structural design. The modules introduce students to relevant principles, and then allow them to apply these principles in designing and analyzing structures through interactive simulations. Students manipulate the controls themselves to further explore the material. The group also developed intelligent tutoring environments as tools to support active learning of the structural behavior of mechanical systems.

These tools allow students to answer questions as they move through the modules, and to receive feedback on the accuracy of their answers. The tools also help instructors see where students are struggling to understanding the material.

The faculty have also developed surveys and journaling tools to investigate students' ability to work effectively in teams on collaborative engineering design projects. The tools allow team members to see what others are doing, to share their work, and to exchange feedback in real-time. Assessment of the students' performance, both individually and as a team, is considered vital and is being built into the collaborative environment.

There is a wide array of interactive learning modules in CEE. These modules accentuate basic skills and concepts brought forth in the undergraduate curriculum. The modules are specific enough to aid students enrolled in CEE courses, but robust enough to be used by any interested student.

More Project Details from the Principal Investigator

Active Learning is stimulated through the use of information technology-based learning modules, collaborative tools, and interactive learning procedures. Information technology facilitates the interaction of students with the learning instruments, with each other and with the instructors.

Regarding collaborative design, student design teams located at different universities interact and consult with remote experts via videoconferencing software, and sharpen their individual contributions to the team using surveys and journaling tools.

In interactive lectures, students equipped with handheld devices submit responses to lecturer questions to indicate their command of concepts in real-time. Lecturers can then revisit problem areas to maximize comprehension.

Module Details

• Sections — a computerized version of the "steel profile" tables. Students can select steel sections and then use the section characteristics in modules such as Trussworks and Frameworks.
• The Beam — a basic animation/simulation exercise introducing students to simple structural conceptualization, a simply supported beam, different types of supports, and equilibrium equations.
• Block — simulates sliding/toppling of a block or a vertical surface. Provides an understanding of the interaction of shape, sliding surface angle, and friction angle.
• Bmmnt — a bending moment exercise that allows the user to choose the position of the two supports of a beam as well as the number of unit loads, then attempts to distribute the loads along the beam such that the maximum bending moment does not exceed a prescribed limit.
• Reaction — an exercise which has the user estimate the reactions at the two ends of a simply supported truss bridge for different, randomly generated, load profiles over the span. Again, the user is scored on his/her performance.
• Frameworks and Trussworks — the major simulation tools. They allow students to design trusses or frames (using "Sections"), apply loads, and observe deformations. Students can test themselves.
• Roller — an exercise which gives the user a vector representation of forces needed to pull a roller over a step. The magnitude of the force required is plotted as a function of the step height as the user selects a new step height.
• Vector — an exercise which tests the users' knowledge of the principles of vector addition, (i.e., the resultant of two forces at a point). It is programmed as a game, where one gets more points for being more accurate in the answers, the objective being to get 100 points in as few trials as possible.

"The Active Learning Project embodies both the challenge and the benefits of iCampus: teams of students and faculty working in diverse areas interact using information technology, recognize its importance in education and, most importantly, recognize the importance of improving engineering education." —Herbert Einstein

Project Output

Publications

Aftias, M. 2001. Introducing Basic Structural Engineering Concepts Through Web Based Interactive Learning Environments, MIT, M.Sc. Thesis.

Sheperdson, E. 2001. Teaching Concepts Underlying Active Learning Computer Environments, MIT, Ph.D. Thesis.

Viteri, V. Experimental Learning Environments for Structural Behavior, MIT, Ph.D.Thesis.

Viteri, V., Connor, J. 2002. Teaching Structural Behavior: A Methodology for the Development of Exploratory Tutoring Learning Environments, submitted for publication in Computer Applications in Engineering Education.

Presentations

Active Learning Enabled by Information Technology, Presentation and Discussion at MIT, Sept. 25-27, covering: Engineering geology, BEAM animation, flight simulator, Limit Analysis, Truss structure simulations, and collaboration.

Links

Physical Geology Tutor