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Enhancing the Undergraduate Civil Engineering Experience through 3D-Printing, Problem-Based Learning Opportunities

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Conference

2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Minneapolis, MN

Publication Date

August 23, 2022

Start Date

June 26, 2022

End Date

June 29, 2022

Conference Session

Civil Engineering Division - Changing How We Teach: Flipping, Project-Based Learning, and More!

Page Count

15

DOI

10.18260/1-2--41238

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/41238

Download Count

434

Paper Authors

biography

Philip Harvey University of Oklahoma

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Dr. P. Scott Harvey Jr., P.E., S.E.(OK) is an Associate Professor in the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at the University of Oklahoma. He received his B.S.E., M.S., and Ph.D. in civil (structural) engineering from Duke University in 2009, 2012, and 2013, respectively. Since joining the University of Oklahoma in 2014, he has taught courses on the analysis and design of structural and nonstructural systems with a focus on dynamic behavior. Dr. Harvey has an active research group, which integrates undergraduate and graduate students from a range of disciplines. Dr. Harvey regularly organizes outreach activities with area schools and student groups, and he is the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER award.

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Chase Hibbard University of Oklahoma

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Abstract

The relatively recent advent of additive manufacturing (or 3D printing) is an exciting opportunity to rapidly fabricate and test scale prototypes for undergraduate research and classroom demonstrations. 3D printing has already revolutionized the teaching of mechanical engineering, but applications in civil engineering have been somewhat limited to date. To leverage this emerging technology and provide a problem-based learning experience to students, a semester-long 3D-printing Dynamics Design (3D3) Competition was developed in conjunction with the undergraduate dynamics course. A select group of competition participants (or “3D3 Scholars”), who are concurrently enrolled in the junior-level course, completed four 3–4 week long challenges that are synchronous with concepts covered in the class, including rigid body kinematics and structural dynamics. By the end of the semester, each student will have designed, constructed, and tested a single-story building structure excited by a functional shake table, both of which are primarily fabricated out of 3D-printed components.

This paper focuses on the inaugural semester of the 3D3 Competition (Fall 2021). Four female undergraduate students—two civil engineers and two architectural engineers—were recruited in Spring 2021 to participate. To ensure that these students are benefitting and learning from the hands-on activities, the design competitions are used to evaluate the students’ understanding of the concepts, as well as their ability to apply them in practice. The 3D3 Scholars were given post-competition surveys to determine in what ways they benefitted from these exercises, with results indicating high self-efficacy. Feedback provided by the students will indicate directions for improvements in the competition to continuously improve it in subsequent years.

Harvey, P., & Hibbard, C. (2022, August), Enhancing the Undergraduate Civil Engineering Experience through 3D-Printing, Problem-Based Learning Opportunities Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41238

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