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From In-Person to Remote to Hybrid: Transitioning of an Undergraduate Design Event Due to COVID-19

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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 - The New Normal: Enduring Technology Improvements in the Classroom

Page Count

13

DOI

10.18260/1-2--41532

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/41532

Download Count

149

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Paper Authors

biography

Reza Abolhelm University of Waterloo

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Reza Abolhelm is a Graduate Student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada. His research encompasses reinforced concrete structures, nonlinear finite element analysis, shell structures, and high-performance materials. He has been teaching and supervising undergraduate students as a Teaching Assistant since 2020 and has been involved in several courses and Design Days projects at the University of Waterloo.

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Trevor Hrynyk

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Dr. Trevor Hrynyk is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo. His research encompasses the design, modelling, and assessment of concrete infrastructure and has taught numerous courses surrounding these topics. He led the Civil Engineering undergraduate design events at the University of Waterloo since 2019.

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biography

Rania Al-Hammoud University of Waterloo

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Dr. Al-Hammoud is a Faculty lecturer in the department of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Al-Hammoud has a passion for teaching where she continuously seeks new technologies to involve students in their learning process. She is actively involved in the Ideas Clinic, a major experiential learning initiative at the University of Waterloo. She is also responsible for developing a process and assessing graduate attributes at the department to target areas for improvement in the curriculum. This resulted in several publications in this educational research areas.
Dr. Al-Hammoud won the "Ameet and Meena Chakma award for exceptional teaching by a student” in 2014 and the "Engineering Society Teaching Award" in 2016 and the "Outstanding Performance Award" in 2018 from University of Waterloo. Her students regard her as an innovative teacher who continuously introduces new ideas to the classroom that increases their engagement.

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Abstract

Each year, second-year University of Waterloo Civil Engineering students participate in a bridge design project referred to as CivE Design Days. This two-day event was created to enhance student learning by promoting a friendly, mildly competitive, and student-led environment where second-year course concepts are applied to a comprehensive design activity. The project is split into four stages: preliminary design, bridge construction, bridge testing, and project reflection. The preliminary stage required students to apply their knowledge in highway design to propose a preliminary road between two locations which must cross a wide river. Students must draw from their mechanics courses to propose a bridge design that will support the traffic crossing the river. In the bridge construction and testing stages, students must demonstrate communication skills as they work together to build a scaled bridge model. After testing, students are asked to reflect on their designs and identify areas of improvement. Historically, all stages of the project were completed by in-person student teams, working in a design shop.

In 2020, obstacles arose due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which made gathering students for in-person events impossible. As a result, an online version of the CivE Design Days was developed with the primary goal being to achieve the same learning objectives in the online environment. In 2021, subsequent changes were made and a hybrid version of the design project was introduced, with in-person and remote participants working together and in parallel to accomplish project objectives. This paper discusses challenges encountered and methods used to manage them through the transition of the project activities from in-person to remote, and then subsequently to a hybrid format.

Abolhelm, R., & Hrynyk, T., & Al-Hammoud, R. (2022, August), From In-Person to Remote to Hybrid: Transitioning of an Undergraduate Design Event Due to COVID-19 Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41532

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