Collaborative Research: Transforming Teaching of Structural Analysis through Mobile Augmented Reality

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Structural Analysis is an introductory core course that is taught in almost all civil engineering, architectural engineering, and construction undergraduate programs across the U.S. Previous research unveils students' deficits in understanding the behavior of structural elements in a three-dimensional (3D) context due to the shortcomings of traditional lecturing approaches. In particular, such approaches often put too much emphasis on the analysis of individual structural members, thereby falling short in providing a solid, easy-to-follow, and holistic approach to comprehending and analyzing complex structures with a large number of interconnected elements. This research is transforming existing teaching pedagogy in structural analysis and filling a major gap in how structural engineering is currently taught to the nation's future workforce in U.S. institutions. In this project, mobile augmented reality (AR) is used to superimpose views of the real world with computer generated 3D models of structures under load. In doing so, the potential of AR for improving learning and increasing student engagement in the learning process is being systematically assessed. Building upon theoretical perspectives on how people learn, this project is also examining if pedagogy involving AR creates an effective learning environment for students, as well as if it enhances adaptive flexibility, which is deemed to be essential to be a successful engineer in the 21st Century. The broader impacts of this project extend beyond its confines through outreach activities such as integrating AR technology into lower-level engineering courses that aim to increase the number of ethnically-diverse students pursuing STEM degrees. The learning modules integrating AR into teaching of structural analysis will be made available online. A website and online repository are to include specific details about the learning objectives, implementation procedures, and instructor reflections on things to consider while implementing the teaching techniques. The developed software components and 3D models will be open source.