2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This paper details the process of developing and adapting a narrative framework for teaching an introductory geotechnical engineering course (EGR 340) through a systematic iterative procedure that embeds conceptual learning into a story format and, over time, elaborates elements and interactions within the story using methods of transmedia storytelling. Although the tools are presented within the context of geotechnical engineering, the approach can be applied throughout engineering education.

The elaborative transmedia storytelling process we describe is based on the Imaginative Education (IE) teaching approach. Well-grounded in the learning sciences--but novel in engineering education--IE facilitates student engagement through the use of cognitive tools (such as extremes of reality, heroism, and the exploration of binaries). These tools are connected to types of understanding and serve to enhance a sense of mystery and wonder for topics that might not otherwise register as being immediately relevant to students. A significant benefit of this approach is that that it lends itself to modification and personalization through the inclusion of new features and methods of interaction at the level of the whole story and at the level of story elements.

Four types of understanding and their associated cognitive tools were used in EGR 340 and their application is described in this paper. They include:

• Mythic understanding using a fantasy narrative that played on the idea that geotechnical engineers refer to their field as the “dark arts of engineering.”
• Romantic understanding using heroic narratives that helped students put themselves in the place of Terzaghi and Casagrande as they developed the field. Extremes of reality was another Romantic tool used throughout the course. For example, students learned about soil stress by first solving the mystery of how quicksand works.
• Theoretic understanding using concept maps and narrative was used at both the course and unit level to organize concepts.
• Ironic understanding using discussion of the inadequacies of theoretic understanding to recognize the reference to “dark arts.”

Transmedia storytelling through extensive use of short video clips and other means was used to enhance the application of these tools. For example, students traveled virtually to Venice where they joined a noisy gondola tour to examine building foundations and learn about how poor water policies impacted the sinking of the city.

Course evaluation and lesson assessment data were collected in 2018, 2020, and 2022, with each year being associated with a different version of the course. Using these data, we present a mixed-methods analysis of learning outcomes that provides evidence for the effectiveness of this approach at different steps along the way. Non-parametric comparisons of student assessment data demonstrated that student conceptual learning was relatively stable across measures and versions, but that students in the fully transmedia iteration generally performed more strongly on assessments of project-based learning (Borrow/Fill; Atterberg; Dam). Thematic analysis of student responses to open-ended course evaluation prompts demonstrates that engagement was high across all versions of the course, and that students in the 2022 version discussed engineering topics in a manner that included personal connections and reflections.