2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Lessons Learned from a Game-Based Learning Intervention in Civil Engineering

Presented at Committee on Effective Teaching Presents: Teaching Mode Active-ated

The aim of our project is to create a scalable and sustainable educational model of mixed reality gaming in civil engineering education that provides practical experiences, develops engineering judgment competency, and engages a diverse student audience. Specifically, we have been building a game-based learning module focused on experiencing the field testing technique cone-penetration testing (CPT). As part of the module, students start a virtual internship at a fictional engineering company. After being briefed through a lecture on CPT, they enter a 3D (game) environment where they conduct CPTs. Students analyze CPT data extracted from the environment and submit a report. To assess student experience of this module, we collected pre/post surveys, game data (including in-game assessments), and student/faculty interviews. In this paper, we report the findings of implementing this CPT module in the initial three years of the project (2016-2019) at five institutions. Overall, we find that students are engaged, especially women and students from historically marginalized communities, increase their knowledge and confidence in the subject matter, and find the module valuable to gain much-needed (field) experience. More recently, we find that the game-based learning intervention seems resilient and, in fact, a solid solution to the disturbances caused by the pandemic, with many students providing positive remarks about being able to experience hands-on learning, which is key to quality engineering education and difficult to achieve through online education. Opportunities for improvement exist regarding access to technology, as well as the instructional design. While we demonstrate the scalability of this approach across multiple institutions and classrooms, open questions remain on how to transform institutions to embed game-based learning not as an intervention but as a key part of the curriculum.

Authors

Dr. Casper Harteveld Northeastern University [biography]

Dr. Casper Harteveld is an Associate Professor of Game Design at Northeastern University, has affiliated appointments in Computer Science, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, and with the School of Law, and works closely with faculty in Marine Science and Public Policy. His research focuses on using games to study and improve decision-making, and through these efforts both to advance our knowledge and to engage a broad cross-section of people globally about societal issues. He applies games especially in areas where it is challenging to study and educate in natural environments and collects detailed and expansive behavioral data in a controlled manner.

Working across disciplines, Dr. Harteveld has designed and evaluated games on flooding, urban heat islands, debris collection, and pro se litigants. He is a strong proponent of integrating research and education and a significant portion of his work is devoted to translating research outcomes to the classroom or informal settings, in order to make sure that the next generation is ready to deal with the societal challenges of the 21st Century.
Victoria Bennett Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Dr. Yevgeniya V. Zastavker http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7619-3422 Olin College of Engineering [biography]

Yevgeniya V. Zastavker, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Physics at Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering and a recent Director of the Research Institute for Experiential Learning Science at Northeastern University. She earned her B.S. degree in Phy
Dr. Usama El Shamy, P.E. Southern Methodist University [biography]

Dr. Usama El Shamy is an assistant professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Southern Methodist University. He received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2004. He is the Principal Investigator
Dr. Binod Tiwari California State University, Fullerton [biography]

Dr. Tiwari is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at California State University Fullerton. His research interest includes geotechnical earthquake engineering, soil behavior, slopes dams and embankment, natural hazard mitigation, and engine
Dr. Anirban De, P.E. Manhattan College
Xenia Wirth
Kejun Wen Jackson State University [biography]

Dr. Kejun Wen is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Civil an Environmental Engineering in Jackson State University
Dr. David A Saftner University of Minnesota Duluth [biography]

David Saftner is an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He received a BS in Civil Engineering from the United States Military Academy and MS and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan.
Prof. Beena Ajmera Iowa State University
Scott Brandenberg University of California, Los Angeles [biography]

Scott is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion for the Samueli Engineering School at UCLA.
Dr. Alison Rose Kennicutt http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2932-356X York College of Pennsylvania [biography]

Alison is an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at York College of Pennsylvania. She received her B.S. in Civil Engineering and her M. Eng. and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Her research interests are in drinking water treatment of emerging contaminants and the production of disinfection byproducts. At York College, Alison loves to use hands-on exploration, both in the field and the lab, to trigger curiosity and get students excited about engineering!
Surya Sarat Chandra Congress
Anthony Tessari
Mehdi Omidvar Manhattan College
Ashly Cabas

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