Instruction and Assessment of Mohr’s Circle Concepts in Undergraduate Geotechnical Engineering Courses
- Conference
- Location
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Minneapolis, MN
- Publication Date
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August 23, 2022
- Start Date
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June 26, 2022
- End Date
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June 29, 2022
- Conference Session
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Civil Engineering Division - Mechanics Applied and the Best in Five... Get Ready!
- Page Count
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19
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--41316
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/41316
- Download Count
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384
Paper Authors
James Kaklamanos Merrimack College
Dr. James Kaklamanos is Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts. Jim received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, and a B.S. in Civil Engineering, from Tufts University. He specializes in geotechnical engineering, and his published work has included research on earthquake site response analyses; ground-motion models; uncertainty in earthquake engineering; and engineering education, focusing on undergraduate geotechnical engineering courses. At Merrimack, Jim has taught courses in geotechnical engineering, foundation engineering, earth slopes and retaining structures, earthquake engineering, mechanics of materials, and engineering probability and statistics.
Simon Ghanat The Citadel
Dr. Simon T. Ghanat, P.E. is an Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Citadel. He received his Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Arizona State University. His research interests are in seismic site response studies, engineering characteristics of strong ground motions, probabilistic seismic hazard analyses and engineering education. He previously taught at Bucknell University and Arizona State University. He also teaches NHI training courses on seismic design of foundations and geotechnical features of highway systems for the Federal Highway Administration.
Craig Shillaber Northeastern University
Craig M. Shillaber is an associate teaching professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northeastern University. He earned a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Virginia Tech in 2016, an M.S. in civil engineering from Virginia Tech in 2009, and a B.S. in civil engineering from the University of New Hampshire in 2008. His research interests include teaching and learning in geotechnical engineering, sustainability education in civil engineering, geotechnical subsurface characterization, developing and improving methods for assessing life-cycle embodied energy and carbon emissions for the geotechnical profession, and sustainable geotechnics. Dr. Shillaber is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI), where he has served on the Sustainability Committee since 2013.
Tanya Kunberger Florida Gulf Coast University
Dr. Tanya Kunberger is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering and Construction Management in the U.A. Whitaker College of Engineering at Florida Gulf Coast University. Dr. Kunberger's educational research interests are in self-efficacy, persistence, and effective learning approaches in engineering and the development of an interest in STEM topics in K-12 students.
Brock Barry United States Military Academy
Dr. Brock E. Barry is the Director of Civil Engineering and Professor of Engineering Education in the Department of Civil & Mechanical Engineering at the United States Military Academy, West Point where he has been part of the faculty since 2009. Dr. Barry holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Rochester Institute of Technology, a Master of Science degree from University of Colorado at Boulder, and a PhD in Engineering Education from Purdue University. Prior to pursuing a career in academics, Dr. Barry spent 10 years as a senior geotechnical engineer and project manager on projects throughout the United States. He is a licensed professional engineer. Dr. Barry's passion is teaching the Army's future engineers. He was recognized for his remarkable teaching with the American Society for Engineering Education 2020 National Outstanding Teaching Award.
Shawn Griffiths University of Wyoming
Shawn Griffiths is an Associate Instructional Professor at the University of Wyoming. His interests include helping students fulfill their dreams to become Engineers and he strives to inspire students to become lifelong learners.
Corrie Walton-Macaulay Saint Martin's University
Suresh Immanuel University of Evansville
Suresh Immanuel is a professor of civil engineering, a licensed professional engineer, and the associate dean for the school of engineering and computer science at the University of Evansville. He holds a PhD degree from Auburn University. Along with his engineering degrees, he has a master of science degree in leadership with a focus in higher education. His research interests are in engineering education, pavement design and analysis, pavement management, and pavement instrumentation. At the University of Evansville, he has been teaching a variety of courses such as transportation engineering, soil mechanics, geotechnical engineering, advanced pavement design and management, construction management and surveying.
David Saftner University of Minnesota Duluth
Dr. David Saftner is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering. He earned a BS from the United States Military Academy and an MS and PhD from the University of Michigan. Prior to pursuing a career in academics, Dr. Saftner spent five years as an engineer officer in the US Army and serving in Missouri, Colorado, Kuwait, and Iraq. His areas of research include beneficial reuse of waste soil material, geotechnical site investigation and characterization, and teaching and learning in engineering education. He currently serves as his Department's Head, an American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Excellence in Civil Engineering Education (ExCEEd) Mentor, and the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Civil Engineering Division Freshman Director.
Chris Swan Tufts University
Chris Swan is Dean of Undergraduate Education in the School of Engineering and an associate professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) department. He also serves as the School of Engineering’s representative to the Tufts University Cabinet on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (TUCDEI). This latter appointment connects to his own education research on diversifying the audience for STEM education through service-learning efforts. Additionally, he has a faculty appointment in the Tisch College of Civic Life and serves on its diversity and inclusion committee as the faculty representative. Previously, he has served as the Associate Dean of Tisch College (2016), Associate Dean of Undergraduate Curriculum Development in the School of Engineering (2012-2015) and as CEE department chair (2002-2007). He received a Doctor of Science (ScD) degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from MIT in 1994 and both Bachelor (BS) and Master (MS) of Science degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1984 and 1986, respectively.
Abstract
Mohr’s circle, the graphical representation of the plane-stress transformation equations, is a critical engineering concept for quantifying normal and shear stresses on various planes and for determining the strength of materials. Within undergraduate civil engineering curricula at most institutions, Mohr’s circle is introduced in the sophomore-level Mechanics of Materials (or Strength of Materials) course. In the subsequent junior- and senior-level civil engineering curriculum, Mohr’s circle arguably receives the greatest emphasis in geotechnical engineering courses. Recent studies have shown that students struggle to retain fundamental Mohr’s circle concepts between the Mechanics of Materials course and upper-level geotechnical engineering courses. Due to the importance of Mohr’s circle in quantifying subsurface stresses and soil shear strength, an analysis of the effectiveness of various instructional styles on this topic could prove beneficial for increasing student learning. Nonetheless, the current pedagogical literature on Mohr’s circle instruction tends to be focused on mechanics courses rather than upper-level civil engineering courses. With this literature gap in mind, the purpose of this paper is to describe best practices for teaching and evaluating Mohr’s circle concepts in undergraduate geotechnical engineering courses.
Instructional strategies for Mohr’s circle as implemented by geotechnical engineering instructors from ten different U.S. institutions are described in this paper, along with methods of evaluating student knowledge in each instructor’s course. This paper delineates ready-to-implement techniques that may be useful in geotechnical engineering courses, as well as in Mechanics of Materials and other engineering courses. Student learning of Mohr’s circle concepts is assessed at different institutions, highlighting techniques that may lead to retention of concepts.
In this study, students’ understanding of Mohr’s circle was assessed via a three-question concept inventory at a subset of five of these institutions. This concept inventory, administered on or about the first day and last day of the semester in the introductory geotechnical engineering course, allows for the quantification of students’ knowledge gained in Mohr’s circle throughout the semester, and an evaluation of the pedagogical techniques employed. The same concept inventory was also employed at two institutions in a subsequent geotechnical engineering course (Foundation Engineering), allowing for an analysis of the retention of Mohr’s circle concepts after completion of the introductory geotechnical engineering course. The instruction and assessment strategies in this paper will contribute to a better understanding of the effectiveness of instructional methods on students’ understanding and retention of Mohr’s circle in geotechnical engineering courses.
Kaklamanos, J., & Ghanat, S., & Shillaber, C., & Kunberger, T., & Barry, B., & Griffiths, S., & Walton-Macaulay, C., & Immanuel, S., & Saftner, D., & Swan, C. (2022, August), Instruction and Assessment of Mohr’s Circle Concepts in Undergraduate Geotechnical Engineering Courses Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41316
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