1st Edition
Shaking the Foundations of Geo-engineering Education
This book comprises the proceedings of the international conference Shaking the Foundations of Geo-engineering Education (NUI Galway, Ireland, 4-6 July 2012), a major initiative of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) Technical Committee (TC306) on Geo-engineering Education. SFGE 2012 has been carefully crafted to showcase a diversity of effective and engaging approaches to geo-engineering education while raising awareness of how crucial this effort is to the future development of the engineering profession.
The five keynote papers were chosen to prompt delegates to debate geo-engineering education issues in the context of best practice in engineering education. A further 36 high quality peer-reviewed papers present valuable insights and experiences in the following key areas:
• What topics should be taught in geo-engineering courses?
• The use of case histories in geo-engineering
• Laboratory work and fieldwork in geo-engineering
• Computing and technology in geo-engineering
• Research on geo-engineering education and teaching experiences
• Student-centred learning in geo-engineering
Shaking the Foundations of Geo-engineering Education is an essential reference for university lecturers, academics and professionals involved in the education and training of geo-engineers. Readers of this text are guaranteed to discover many new inspirational ideas and techniques to “shake the foundations” of their teaching
Preface
Organisation
Keynote Lectures
What should geotechnical professionals be able to do?
J. Atkinson
Engineering education: A tale of two paradigms
R.M. Felder
Quandary in geomaterial characterization: New versus the old
P.W. Mayne
Using questioning to enhance student engagement
S.J. Ressler
Equilibrium, strength, strain, dilation and superposition
B. Simpson
What topics should be taught in geo-engineering courses?
Key skill sets for use in geotechnics – a contractor’s view
M.J. Baldwin
Will this be on the final exam? Learning objectives for an introductory geotechnical engineering course
G.L. Fiegel
Geotechnical-structural integration in US foundation engineering curricula
W.A. Kitch & D.P. Coduto
Geotechnical engineering education – removing the barriers
D. Muir Wood
Geo-engineering: A co-production of applied earth sciences and civil engineering – 2nd phase
D.J.M. Ngan-Tillard, J. Dijkstra,W. Broere &T. Heimovaara
Rethinking aspects of theory and tradition in soil mechanics teaching
L.D.Wesley
The use of case histories in geo-engineering education
The use of case histories to encourage reflection by civil engineering design students
K.G. Gavin
Teaching the importance of engineering geology using case histories
R. Jimenez & S. Senent
Use of case studies in geotechnical courses: Learning outcomes and suitable cases
T.L.L. Orr & M. Pantazidou
Laboratory work in geo-engineering
The use of online resources to support laboratory classes in soil mechanics
D.W. Airey, P. Cafe & H. Drury
Soil mechanics laboratory classes as an integral part of the learning process
W. Hachich
Interactive learning modules in geotechnical engineering
M.B. Jaksa
Reinventing geotechnical engineering laboratory classes
M.B. Jaksa, D.W. Airey, J.K. Kodikara, M.A. Shahin & S.T.S. Yuen
Activities to enhance students’ understanding of pore water pressure, seepage and total head
D.F.T. Nash
Fieldwork work in geo-engineering
The BMG ignimbrite quarry: Case study of an undergraduate field exercise in engineering geology
S.G. Fityus & J.H. Gibson
The use of field visits in graduate geotechnical teaching
R. Jimenez &W. Martin-Rosales
TU Delft Spain fieldwork and other outdoor activities
D.J.M. Ngan-Tillard, L.A. van Paassen, P.M. Maurenbrecher, A. Concha & M. Gonzalez
Computing and technology in geo-engineering
Dunmore Bridge case study: An introduction to geotechnical engineering via finite element analysis
A.J. Abbo, S.G. Fityus & S. Mackenzie
Integrating a major Excel exercise in an introductory soil mechanics course
D.W. Airey, N. Balaam, P. Cafe &A. El-Zein
The use of electronic voting systems to enhance deep learning
D. Barreto
Implementation of the use of computing and software in undergraduate Soil Mechanics courses
M. Pinho-Lopes
Learning issues related to basic concepts in geotechnics: A teacher’s perspective
V. Szavits-Nossan
Geo-engineering research and teaching experiences
The LARAM School: teaching, “LAndslide Risk Assessment and Mitigation” to PhD students
L. Cascini, G. Sorbini, M. Calvello & S. Cuomo
Challenges in teaching engineering to the next generation: Some data from a geo-engineering perspective
S.G. Fityus
Lecturers’ perceptions of students’ learning needs in geo-engineering in Spain
R. Monroy, F.J. Torrijo-Echarri & F. Hernández-Pina
A tour through education sites for an engineering instructor: Major stops and impressions
M. Pantazidou & J.D. Frost
Intellectual synergy in the education of geo-engineering
R. Ray, P. Scharle & R. Szepesházi
Student-centred learning in geo-engineering
Teaching geotechnical engineering with theory-practice integration: Group project approach
C.-M. Chan
Use of project based learning to teach geotechnical design skills to civil engineering students
K.G. Gavin
Experiences from revising a course to promote significant learning
T. Kunberger
Promoting active learning in geotechnical engineering
C.F. Leung
Sport and soil mechanics – analogies to aid student learning
B.A. McCabe & M.B. Jaksa
Integrating professional geotechnical practice into the curriculum
D.F.T. Nash
Context, rigour and enjoyment in geotechnical education
D.T. Phillips
Some reflections on the use of a cooperative learning model in Soil Mechanics courses
M. Pinho-Lopes
Learning through doing: Using geotechnical research to prepare undergraduates for graduate school
N.W. Trombetta, G.L. Fiegel & H.B. Mason
Author index
Biography
Bryan McCabe, Marina Pantazidou, Declan Phillips
"…this book should be seen as a source of reference information and a reminder of what can be done — the difficult bits can be tackled when needed. Each chapter ends with a collection of problems for the reader to solve. Many of these ask for the derivation of equations that have been merely stated in the preceding text. The book ends with a collection of potted biographies of some 82 scientists and engineers who have in some way contributed to the analysis or modelling of geomaterials. Some are still living — others come from across the past 400 years. The author suggests that it is inspiring to learn a little of the human and social context within which developments in applied mechanics have taken place."
- Canadian Geotechnical Journal, August 2013
"This book is strongly recommended for its wide-ranging discussion on all aspects of geotechnical engineering education."
- David Muir Wood, University of Dundee, in: Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 2013, 50(8): 906, 10.1139/cgj-2013-0222
