For Students, By Students: A Python Programming Manual for Structural Engineering Courses
- Conference
- Location
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Las Vegas, Nevada
- Publication Date
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April 18, 2024
- Start Date
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April 18, 2024
- End Date
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April 20, 2024
- Page Count
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20
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--46041
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/46041
- Download Count
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1012
Paper Authors
Anahid Behrouzi California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Anahid Behrouzi is an associate professor of architectural engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. She has been involved with STEM education beginning in 2003 as a volunteer and summer instructor with the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science. She has been engaged with undergraduate/graduate course delivery in the topic areas of engineering problem-solving and structural engineering at North Carolina State University (2008-2011), the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2012-2015), Tufts University (2015-2016), and Cal Poly - SLO (2016-present). She has a BS in civil engineering and BA in Spanish language & literature from North Carolina State University, and a MS/PhD in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Kennedy Angel Gomez California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Aaron Dewey California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Abstract
Learning to program is challenging enough for structural engineering students without the complexity of using a textbook with examples from unfamiliar engineering and scientific fields. Moreover, the open-source nature of Python means each library has a separate documentation website to navigate, discern what functions are useful, and how to implement them.
The idea of a senior project to develop a Python manual tailored to structural engineering students came from the authors’ experiences in three structural analysis/dynamics computing labs in Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo's architectural engineering curriculum. The team recognized the barriers, lack of confidence, and frustration that learners faced with existing programming resources. To determine the topics necessary to best support students in the labs and later in structural design industry, two surveys were conducted with upper class students and alumni practitioners respectively.
This led to a 24-chapter document on Python programming topics, including libraries for numerical and symbolic mathematics (NumPy, SciPy, SymPy) and creation of tabular and plot outputs for communicating results in technical reports (Pandas, Matplotlib). The manual includes explanations, graphics, and examples related to structural engineering for students to follow and apply to coursework, along with exposure to industry use. The manual debuted in the Fall 2023 offering of the first computing lab and students were surveyed on its value at the end of the quarter.
This paper summarizes the survey results, content of the Python manual, as well as the lessons learned by the senior project team that worked to educate and motivate their peers to program in Python.
Behrouzi, A., & Gomez, K. A., & Dewey, A. (2024, April), For Students, By Students: A Python Programming Manual for Structural Engineering Courses Paper presented at 2024 ASEE PSW Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada. 10.18260/1-2--46041
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