Course Transformation Through The Use Of Instructional Technology

This paper documents the transformation of the Transportation Systems Engineering Course through the use of instructional technology. The course described is a junior/senior level Civil Engineering course that is required for all undergraduate Civil Engineering students at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The goal in the use of instructional technology is to enhance both the teaching infrastructure and instructional techniques. A course management tool named Blackboard 5 (BB5) was utilized to manage course logistics such as acting as the project data server, providing solutions, updating and personalizing grade reports, and posting announcements. A wireless Personal Address (PA) system worn by the instructor was utilized in laboratory sections to enhance the instruction in a team setting where discussions among group members were encouraged during class. Teaching techniques using computer laboratories completely transformed the course. Four projects, each requiring significant computer modeling and engineering, were implemented to replace and augment homework sets. The four projects were (1) geometric design with AutoCAD, (2) traffic flow analysis with CORSIM, (3) traffic signalization and control with Synchro, and (4) transportation planning with Simcity3k. The results from the mid-course and final student surveys from the Fall semester and the mid-course survey from the Winter semester indicated that BB5 has been useful in the course while not all of the students accessed all of the functions of BB5. Most students were ambivalent about the use of the PA system during the Fall semester even though the instructor felt it was helpful. The students overwhelmingly affirmed the usefulness of the computer laboratory and projects. However, the class was divided over the issue of preferring homework only over a combination of homework and computer projects.