1. Stephen Nash, Bryan McCabe, Jamie Goggins and Mark Healy Civil Engineering, College of Engineering & Informatics National University of Ireland, Galway Presenter: Dr Stephen Nash

2.  Introduction  Civil engineering at NUI Galway  programme ethos  accreditation criteria  Examples of the digital resource use  videos + animations  software + databases  learning technologies  the Engineering building  Evaluation of digital resource use  Summary and conclusions Courtesy: http://ownlocal.com/newspaper-support-group/the- term-digital-natives/

4.  it is clear that digital resources have enormous potential as teaching resources  commonly argued that it is necessary to use digital resources to properly engage today’s technology-savvy students – no empirical evidence to support this to date  not all digital resources make for useful teaching tools - even those that are can be misused  proliferation presents its own problems  one should ask:  why is the resource being utilised?  how will it be integrated? To help achieve a learning outcome. To enhance the student learning experience Courtesy: www.dell.com Courtesy: www.lg.com

6.  Discipline of Civil Engineering (est. 1849)  BE (Bachelor of Engineering) in Civil Engineering  4 year Level 8 degree  structures, soils, hydraulics, transport, environment  class sizes have fluctuated  Celtic Tiger years: >100 students per class  Post-Celtic Tiger: 22 (2 nd yr); 61 (3 rd yr); 51 (4 th yr)  educational ethos  maths + physical sciences in first two years  computing and engineering graphics  discipline-specific design  substantial practical and laboratory work  use of industry-standard software  gain professional experience  ethics; social responsibility; communications; lifelong learning; team work

7.  professional body - Engineers Ireland  all Level 8 degrees must be accredited  six programme outcomes (a) the ability to derive and apply solutions from a knowledge of sciences, engineering sciences, technology and mathematics (b) the ability to identify, formulate, analyse and solve engineering problems (c) the ability to design a system, component or process to meet specified needs, to design and conduct experiments and to analyse and interpret data (d) an understanding of the need for high ethical standards in the practice of engineering, including the responsibilities of the engineering profession towards people and the environment (e) the ability to work effectively as an individual in teams and in multidisciplinary settings together with the capacity to undertake lifelong learning (f) the ability to communicate effectively with the engineering community and with society at large HARDHARD SOFTSOFT

9.  wide variety of digital resources deployed across a range of subject areas  structures, soil mechanics, hydraulics, environment, transportation Four categories: 1. videos + animations  explaining/demonstrating engineering concepts 2. software + databases  use of industry-standard software; design exercises 3. learning technologies  used to support / enhance learning 4. the Engineering building – a digital data repository  engineering in practice, data source for labs

10. 2 nd Yr - Elementary Hydraulics:  Newton’s cradle  demonstrates conservation laws  momentum + energy are transferred through balls  submarine demo  practical application of density and buoyancy  submarine dives or rises based on average density  ballast tank used to alter average density  provide excellent visual demonstrations of engineering concepts and their applications  Programme Outcomes (a, b)  engaging  students can ‘do the math’ Courtesy: www.wikipedia.org Courtesy: www.howstuffworks.com

11. 1 st Yr - Fundamentals of Civil Engineering:  Bridge Design Group Project  students must design + build bridges using only spaghetti pasta and glue  required to use Bridgebuilder TM software – a computer game  Bridgebuilder TM  engaging and fun to use - competitive  improves understanding of basic structural mechanisms  helps students identify strengths and weaknesses of bridge designs  helps achieve Programme Outcomes (b, c, d) Courtesy: Bridgebuilder TM

12. 2 nd Yr – Elementary Hydraulics:  classroom response system - clickers  allow student participation in class  used to pose concept questions and facilitate peer instruction Improved student understanding  PO(b) Explain concept Pose question Display results Peer Instruction Pose question Display results Answer question Consider + answer

13.  new Engineering building opened in 2011  two key design aims - sustainability and education  100’s of sensors + gauges produce ‘live’ data to create a ‘living building’  structural performance ▪building movement and foundation settlement  energy performance ▪water, heating, cooling and electricity requirements ▪monitoring internal and external environments  data used in lectures and laboratories (also used by ‘BMS’ to manage interior environment)  Programme Outcomes (a, c, d)

15.  to use or not to use? 1.does it help achieve a learning outcome? 2.does it enhance the student learning experience?  the second might be achieved without the first  the first should never be achieved in the absence of the second  these questions should provide the metrics used to evaluate the impact of digital resources: 1.Evidence of contribution to achievement of learning outcomes 2.Evidence of enhancement of the student learning experience

16. Feedback from students.... "the use of YouTube clips helped (us) to understand the topic“ (Soil Mechanics) " The Blackboard quizzes were effective in encouraging me to study the notes and understand the concepts at an early stage” (Soil Mechanics) 78% of students rated the usefulness of Bridgebuilder TM to their learning as 4 or 5 (1being ‘of no use’ and 5 being ‘very useful’) (n=64, Fund. Of Civil Eng.) 98% of students agreed that the concept questions helped improve their understanding of the course material (n=25; Elementary Hydraulics) 100% of students rated the instructional value of the animations/videos as 4 or 5 (1 being ‘of no value’, 5 being ‘of great value’) (n=25; Elementary Hydraulics)

17.  digital resources help students achieve particular learning outcomes which can then be mapped onto the accreditation criteria Resource Type Examples of ResourcesModule Programme Outcomes Videos + Animations Video of land slide Video of 'Kentledge' collapse Animation - Newton's Cradle Videos of wastewater treatment technologies CE312 Soil Mechanics CE414 Geotechnical Eng. CE217 Elementary Hydraulics CE307 Environmental Eng. (a) (d) (a) (c), (d) Software + Databases MS Excel finite difference model Bridgebuilder TM game Environmental databases CE414 Geotechnical Eng. CE107 Fund. of Civil Eng. CE307 Environmental Eng. (a), (b), (c) (b), (c), (d) (c), (d) Learning Technologies Online quizzes via Blackboard TM Concept questions via clickers CE312 Soil Mechanics CE217 Elementary Hydraulics (a), (b) New Engineering building Structural, energy and environmental datasets CE107 Fund. of Civil Eng CE202 Principles of Building CE454 Sustainable Energy and Energy in Buildings (a), (c), (d)

18. Feedback from students.... “the use of the Engineering building data was one of the most interesting features of (our) lectures” (Soil Mechanics) “The new Engineering building has really enhanced my learning experience... the building has sensors all over the place so we can monitor and analyse how the building is working using software in our labs” (3 rd year civil engineer) 100% of students answered 'yes' when asked if they enjoyed using the clickers and 100% of students answered 'yes' when asked if the clickers improved their engagement with the course (n=25; Elementary Hydraulics) In response to the statement: “The use of Blackboard enhances my learning experience" the average annual rating for the last 5 years has ranged from 4.2 to 4.45 (1 being 'strongly disagree' and 5 being 'strongly agree') (n=50+ annually; Soil Mechanics) 84% of students gave a rating of 4 or 5 when asked to rate lectures on a scale of 1 being 'very boring' and 5 being 'very interesting‘ (n=25; Elementary Hydraulics)

20. In summary:  A variety of digital resources are used successfully in the teaching of a broad range of undergraduate civil engineering modules  helping students to achieve accreditation criteria  engaging and stimulating students In conclusion:  digital resources can play a useful role in the classroom  two key metrics for evaluation: 1. evidence of contribution to achievement of learning outcomes 2. evidence of enhancement of the student learning experience  digital resources can facilitate more student-focussed teaching  peer instruction  small group teaching  problem-based learning