Physical Artifacts in Introductory-level Reinforced Concrete Design Instruction

Incorporating physical models and demonstrations in the introductory-level reinforced concrete design course has shown to be beneficial for students in clarifying and engraining fundamental concepts. The research study conducted at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign during Spring 2015 involved the design, fabrication, and implementation of models to supplement traditional lectures on topics that students have found challenging in prior offerings of the course. The paper includes details intended to enable other civil engineering educators to: fabricate the models, incorporate them in a large-lecture setting, as well as facilitate activities that encourage students to engage with the physical artifacts. The author also presents student feedback on the use of these physical models that was acquired through an IRB-approved human studies research study during Spring 2015. This includes results from midand end-term surveys with two class sections of over ninety undergraduate and graduate students. The overall objective of this paper is to provide educators with sample teaching tools to help students better visualize three-dimensional ideas and systems – a skill which is critical as students transition to design industry. In addition, it is intended to stimulate a dialogue with educators about further needs for physical models in reinforced concrete design education, and more generally, in the civil engineering design classroom.