2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

A Continous Evaluation System for a Challenge-Based Structural Engineering Courses

Presented at Architectural Engineering Division (ARCHE) Technical Session 1

In this paper we present a teaching model for Structural Engineering Courses based on quick evaluations with quizzes within the framework of our Educational Model (Name Hidden for review).
During the five week of the intensive course, students learn about Solid Mechanics and Structural Mechanics in statically determinate structures associated with the solution of a challenge. Through the solution of this challenge, students apply the structural concepts and theory learned in several modules. The challenge consists of a bridge with different loading conditions.
The model developed by the professors of this course included the design of an evaluation system using LMS Canvas so that students could have immediate feedback of their marks in each designed quiz. It is important to mention that the quizzes contained different questions for every student, with parametric equations, so that every student would have different data for a certain problem. By using a system like LMS Canvas, students and professors could have immediate results of the level of understanding of certain topic. The quizzes were applied to the group at the beginning of every session and not taking more than fifteen minutes each.
The results of this strategy show that the levels of attention and the comprehension of each topic improved throughout the five week period with a better and uniform distribution of the marks and allowing the students to solve the given challenge. We present this methodology as it can be applied to other courses were rigorous and progressive contents have to be taught in an intensive and short period of time.

Authors

Jose G. Rangel-Ramirez Tecnologico de Monterrey
Saul E. Crespo http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5093-0108 Tecnologico de Monterrey [biography]

Bachelor in Civil Engineering with a Master of Science in Structural Engineering and PhD candidate in Structural Engineering. From April 2011 to July 2017 he served as Senior Researcher of the "Structural Health Monitoring" group of the Mexican Institute of Transportation, directing and collaborating in monitoring and structural prognosis projects applied to special highway bridges, transportation infrastructure, historical monuments and structural systems. He has developed research projects in the area of structural deterioration of reinforced concrete bridges and in the development of damage detection techniques in structural systems based on Non Destructive Evaluation. He actively collaborated in the creation and development of the Monitoring Center for Intelligent Bridges and Structures, leading the analysis and structural evaluation of the systems. In the academic field, he has worked as a professor in the Civil Engineering career, in the area of structural engineering at the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) Campus Querétaro. He has directed research projects for undergraduate and master's degree students. He has authored several technical publications of the Mexican Institute of Transportation, extensive publications in congresses, international and national symposiums, as well as in scientific journals. From 2017 to 2020 he served as Director of the Civil Engineering program at Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus Querétaro and as professor of the Structural Engineering area at the institution and since November 2020 he leads the Department of Sustainable Technologies and Civil Engineering at Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus Querétaro.
Prof. Miguel X. Rodriguez-Paz http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9975-9847 Tecnologico de Monterrey [biography]

Prof. Rodriguez-Paz got his B.Sc. In Civil Engineering from Tecnologico de Oaxaca in 1993. He studied a M.Sc. In Structural Engineering at Tecnologico de Monterrey and got his Ph.D. from the University of Wales at Swansea in 2003 where he did research on Numerical Methods. Since 2004 he is a professor of Structural Mechanics at Tecnologico de Monterrey. He has over 70 Scopus indexed publications. Prof. Rodriguez-Paz is also an educational youtuber with nearly 50,000 subscribers worldwide.
Ing. Luis Horacio Hernandez Carrasco P.E. Tecnologico de Monterrey [biography]

Civil Engineer
Master degree in Structural Engineering
Master in Business Administration
Full time professor at (Tec de Monterrey) ITESM
Professional Registered Engineer in Structural Design

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