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An Active Learning Case-Study Approach to Introduction to Civil Engineering

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Conference

2024 South East Section Meeting

Location

Marietta, Georgia

Publication Date

March 10, 2024

Start Date

March 10, 2024

End Date

March 12, 2024

Page Count

15

DOI

10.18260/1-2--45503

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/45503

Download Count

16

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Paper Authors

biography

Stephanie Laughton The Citadel Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-9443-2629

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Stephanie Laughton is an Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. She acquired a Bachelor's in Civil & Environmental Engineering with Honors from Duke University followed by Master's and Doctoral degrees in the same field from Carnegie Mellon University. Laughton’s research interests include engineering education and pedagogy, sustainability education, and environmental nanotechnology.

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biography

Timothy A Wood The Citadel Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-3926-7314

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Timothy A Wood is an Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Citadel. He acquired a Bachelor's in Engineering Physics Summa Cum Laude with Honors followed by Civil Engineering Master's and Doctoral degrees from Texas Tech University. His technical research focuses on structural evaluation of buried bridges and culverts. He encourages students through an infectious enthusiasm for engineering mechanics and self-directed, lifelong learning. He aims to recover the benefits of the classical model for civil engineering education through an emphasis on reading and other autodidactic practices.

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Abstract

Case studies are one method used to introduce first year students to the history of civil engineering and notable projects. The Introduction to Civil Engineering course at College X aims to teach students the civil engineering subdisciplines they will encounter in their future course work as well as foundational professional skills such as communication, independent learning, and time management. In Spring 2023, a new set of case study activities, were implemented in the course. These included a pre-read or video assignment, a student note-taking submission, and the use of live polling (via Plicker Cards) during class to facilitate discussion. This paper will discuss the case study selection, formatting of assignments, and measures of student engagement and retention of case study content with the goal that other institutions may adapt this model for their course needs.

Laughton, S., & Wood, T. A. (2024, March), An Active Learning Case-Study Approach to Introduction to Civil Engineering Paper presented at 2024 South East Section Meeting, Marietta, Georgia. 10.18260/1-2--45503

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