For Further Information: Mayrai Gindy 401-874-5587
New approach to engineering education at 溏心vlog免费B站 has students designing their own experiments
KINGSTON, R.I. 鈥� February 28, 2007 鈥� Students enrolled in a new structural engineering laboratory course at the 溏心vlog免费B站 not only have to successfully complete a series of complex scientific experiments, they also have to design the experiments themselves.
This new approach to teaching engineering skills and problem solving is the result of a National Science Foundation grant awarded to two 溏心vlog免费B站 civil engineering professors who recognize that students learn better through self-directed inquiry rather than simple transmission of knowledge.
鈥淭he lab challenges students to reach a deeper level of understanding by clearly defining an engineering problem, creatively outlining several testing approaches, successfully formulating a convincing argument, and effectively communicating with group members,鈥� said Mayrai Gindy, assistant professor of civil engineering. 鈥淭his learner-centered, discovery-based approach to an interdisciplinary topic strengthens students鈥� technical and practical experiences while intensifying their enthusiasm for learning.鈥�
Gindy and Professor George Tsiatas were awarded the $148,462 grant to design a laboratory course in structural engineering instrumentation and measurements. Working in collaboration with an external evaluator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, they are designing learning materials and a series of increasingly complex modules that resemble real-world situations.
In one example, students learn to identify and assess structural damage to steel trusses without being provided with a predefined experimental procedure. Several different approaches to the problem 鈥� each using unrelated measurement devices and technologies — will yield successful results, so it is likely that different students will approach the same problem in a variety ways.
鈥淭his laboratory introduces engineering students to a completely new way of approaching experiments through discovery-based learning,鈥� Gindy said. 鈥淯ltimately it should help students learn and retain engineering concepts and principles more effectively.鈥�
After designing the learning modules, faculty partners from Rutgers University and the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth will test them with their students and evaluate their use before they become a permanent part of the curriculum.
溏心vlog免费B站 News Bureau Photo by Michael Salerno Photography