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An Engineering and Educational Technology Team Approach to Introducing New Unsaturated Soils Mechanics Material into Introductory Undergraduate Geotechnical Engineering Courses

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Conference

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Atlanta, Georgia

Publication Date

June 23, 2013

Start Date

June 23, 2013

End Date

June 26, 2013

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

NSF Grantees' Poster Session

Tagged Topic

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Page Count

25

Page Numbers

23.161.1 - 23.161.25

DOI

10.18260/1-2--19175

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/19175

Download Count

592

Paper Authors

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Arthur Ornelas Jr. Arizona State University

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Arthur Omelas is currently a PhD student in Educational Technology in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. He spent fifteen years teaching in the public school and has been an adjunct instructor since 2006.

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John Sadauskas Arizona State University

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John Sadauskas is a Ph.D. in Educational Technology with a concentration in Arts, Media and Engineering at Arizona State University. His research interests include social media, narrative storytelling, cyberlearning, embodied mixed-media learning, affective computing, and instructional design. He holds a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Arizona State University and is a former middle/high school English teacher. His work is steeped in a multi-disciplinary background including education, design, filmmaking, music, programming, sociology, literature and journalism. He is a member of ASU’s Advancing Next Generation Learning Environments (ANGLE) and Reflective Living research groups.

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Sandra Houston Arizona State University

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Dr. Sandra Houston is a member of the Geotechnical Engineering faculty in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment at Arizona State University.

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Wilhelmina C. Savenye Ph.D. Arizona State University

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Dr. Wilhelmina "Willi" C. Savenye is a professor and program leader in Educational Technology at Arizona State University. She previously taught at the University of Texas at Austin and San Diego State University. She earned her M.Ed. and Ph.D. in Educational Technology from ASU, and B.A/ in Anthropology from the University of Washington. Dr. Savenye focuses on instructional design and evaluation of technology-based and online learning systems, employing both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. She has published over 70 articles and book chapters; made over 140 conference presentations and workshops in the U.S., Europe and Asia; been awarded numerous grants, and has produced many digital learning programs. She serves as associate editor of the Journal of Applied Instructional Design. She has served on the editorial boards of journals including Educational Technology: Research and Development and the Quarterly Review of Distance Education, and reviews for additional journals. She serves on the editorial board for the Encyclopedia of Educational Technology and has held elected leadership positions.
Dr. Savenye’s instructional design and evaluation work has been conducted in such diverse settings as school districts, museums, botanical gardens, zoos, universities, corporations, and Army tank maintenance training.

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Eddy Ramirez

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Eddy Ramirez is a graduate research assistant and graduate student in the School of Sustainable Engineering at Arizona State University. Ramirez is fascinated in the geotechnical engineering discipline.

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Claudia E. Zapata Arizona State University

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Dr. Zapata is a recognized expert in the characterization and modeling of fluid flow and volume change behavior of arid and semi-arid (unsaturated) soil mechanics. She is the author of more than 40 technical publications and multiple research reports in the areas of unsaturated soil mechanics, environmental effects in pavement design, and unbound material characterization. While Dr. Zapata possesses an excellent analytical and theoretical background in these areas, she has also significant experience in laboratory testing and instrumentation of resilient modulus and unsaturated soil characterization. Her contributions to pavement design has allowed for practical implementation of novel and complex approaches to fluid flow theory on unsaturated porous materials.

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Abstract

An Engineering and Educational Technology Team Approach to Introducing New UnsaturatedSoils Mechanics Material into Introductory Undergraduate Geotechnical Engineering Coursesby Savenye, W., Houston, S., Zapata, C., Ornelas, A., Sadauskas, J., Ramirez, E.Arizona State UniversityAbstract:The undergraduate geotechnical engineering introductory course has not been significantlymodified in decades in U.S. universities, and to date, there is no significant coverage ofunsaturated soil mechanics. Meanwhile, 74% of US geotechnical faculty respondents to a recentsurvey indicate that unsaturated soils mechanic should be introduced at the undergraduate level.A student’s depth of understanding of soils as an engineering material would be greatly enhancedvia introduction of geotechnical principles for unsaturated (three phase) conditions, with thesaturated soil case being presented as a subset of the broader theory. Goals for this projectinclude the development, piloting, dissemination, and institutionalization of lecture andlaboratory modules for educating undergraduate students in the basic principles of unsaturatedsoils theory and the application of these principles to problems of movement of structuralfoundation systems. Engineering and educational technology team experiences in developmentof these modules and in implementation at home and partner institutions will be discussed, withan emphasis on updating STEM curriculum in an environment resistant to change.

Ornelas, A., & Sadauskas, J., & Houston, S., & Savenye, W. C., & Ramirez, E., & Zapata, C. E. (2013, June), An Engineering and Educational Technology Team Approach to Introducing New Unsaturated Soils Mechanics Material into Introductory Undergraduate Geotechnical Engineering Courses Paper presented at 2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Atlanta, Georgia. 10.18260/1-2--19175

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