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In traditional mechanics-oriented classes, experience and the literature have shown that students are often challenged with conceptualizing complex three-dimensional behavior. Within the context of structural engineering and mechanics, the challenges manifest in scenarios related to linking this three-dimensional behavior with member response such as elastic buckling of columns and critical locations for shear and moment. While solutions such as props and videos have been used as examples in the past with some success, these tools do not spatially represent complex structural behaviors and are also limited to one-way interaction where the learner receives the information but cannot interact with the tools. This project leverages mobile augmented reality (AR) designed to help students visualize complex behaviors (deformation, strain, and stress) structural components with various loading and boundary conditions. The tool, STRUCT-AR utilizes finite element models pre-loaded into a mobile AR application that allows users to interact and engage with the models on their mobile device or tablet. Our vision of this technology is to provide a complementary teaching tool for enhancing personalized learning wherein students can leverage the technology as a learning companion both within the classroom and outside to better understand structural behaviors and mechanisms that are challenging to convey in a traditional 2D learning environment. This study uses a pilot study to evaluate how undergraduate and graduate students who have previously taken an introductory course on structural system design perceived the app. The purpose of this pilot study is to evaluate the usability of the app, its ability to improve spatial visualization ability, and to collect feedback on the app functionality. Study participants were asked to complete a pre and post-survey and the IBM Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire after engaging with the AR app on an iOS tablet. Results discuss how participants viewed the app in terms of its usability and usefulness and recommendations for tool refinement. Future work will be focused on conducting another pilot study after tool refinement before app deployment in a classroom setting. 

Previous studies have convincingly shown that traditional, content-centered, and didactic teaching methods are not effective for developing a deep understanding and knowledge transfer. Nor does it adequately address the development of critical problem-solving skills. Active and collaborative instruction, coupled with effective means to encourage student engagement, invariably leads to better student learning outcomes irrespective of academic discipline. Despite these findings, the existing construction engineering programs, for the most part, consist of a series of fragmented courses that mainly focus on procedural skills rather than on the fundamental and conceptual knowledge that helps students become innovative problem-solvers. In addition, these courses are heavily dependent on traditional lecture-based teaching methods focused on well-structured and closed-ended problems that prepare students to plug variables into equations to get the answer. Existing programs rarely offer a systematic approach to allow students to develop a deep understanding of the engineering core concepts and discover systematic solutions for fundamental problems. Without properly understanding these core concepts, contextualized in domain-specific settings, students are not able to develop a holistic view that will help them to recognize the big picture and think outside the box to come up with creative solutions for arising problems. The long history of empirical learning in the field of construction engineering shows the significant potential of cognitive development through direct experience and reflection on what works in particular situations. Of course, the complex nature of the construction industry in the twenty-first century cannot afford an education through trial and error in the real environment. However, recent advances in computer science can help educators develop virtual environments and gamification platforms that allow students to explore various scenarios and learn from their experiences. This study aims to address this need by assessing the effectiveness of guided active exploration in a digital game environment on students’ ability to discover systematic solutions for fundamental problems in construction engineering. To address this objective, through a research project funded by the NSF Division of Engineering Education and Centers (EEC), we designed and developed a scenario-based interactive digital game, called Zebel, to guide students solve fundamental problems in construction scheduling. The proposed gamified pedagogical approach was designed based on the Constructivism learning theory and a framework that consists of six essential elements: (1) modeling; (2) reflection; (3) strategy formation; (4) scaffolded exploration; (5) debriefing; and (6) articulation. We also designed a series of pre- and post-assessment instruments for empirical data collection to assess the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The proposed gamified method was implemented in a graduate-level construction planning and scheduling course. The outcomes indicated that students with no prior knowledge of construction scheduling methods were able to discover systematic solutions for fundamental scheduling problems through their experience with the proposed gamified learning method. 

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Previous studies have convincingly shown that active and collaborative instructions, coupled with effective means to encourage student engagement, invariably lead to better learning outcomes. However, despite significant potentials for experiential learning, standard educational programs in construction engineering and management are rigid systems that offer little opportunity for students to engage in active learning that can help them gain first-hand experience and guide them toward discovering solutions. This study aims to address this need by designing and empirically assessing the performance of a novel gamified pedagogical method that teaches construction scheduling through guided active exploration in a digital game environment. The proposed pedagogical approach and its game are designed based on the constructivism learning theory. A scenario-based interactive game, called Zebel, was developed using the Unity game engine. Using a series of pre- and post-assessment instruments, the proposed method was implemented and evaluated in a graduate-level course for construction planning and scheduling to collect empirical data. The outcomes indicated that the proposed pedagogy was able to successfully guide students with no background and prior knowledge in construction scheduling to discover the fundamental concepts and systematic solutions for the problems. 

Engineering education in the early 21st century is being transformed in many ways to meet the technological challenges of the future. In particular, the role of the humanities and social science in engineering coursework is under new scrutiny, as educators attempt to strengthen students’ proficiencies in aspects of the profession including interpersonal and intercultural skills, assessment of broader impacts of technical work, and especially ethics. These developments are often framed as responses to the demands of employers and institutions, who view these ‘soft’ skills as increasingly relevant to the work life of technical professionals. In this concept paper, we wish to pursue a somewhat different line of thought: We will examine arguments from the philosophy of science and technology, and from the social sciences, about the value of teaching engineers (as well as other technical professionals) to think through humanistic, social, and cultural lenses. We will review a range of perspectives supporting educational reform along these lines, with a particular focus on work in the recent pragmatic tradition (including Sellars, Mitcham, and others). Having established a range of theoretical defenses for educational reform along these lines in engineering fields, we will then consider the distinctions among them and how these insights might be applied most effectively in engineering curricula. We will conclude by reviewing available evidence for the practical utility of such interventions. We hope, by situating current reforms more firmly within a principled framework of ideas, to provide deeper support for positive change in the education of future engineers.