Internet-Enabled Laboratory Experiences for Undergraduate Civil Engineering Students

工程-土木（54）该项目旨在适应信息技术的最新发展，在本科土木工程课程中实施互联网实验室实验。教师和学生能够远程观察，进行，控制和分析实验数据无论是在课堂内外。该项目通过理论概念的实时可视化来提高学生的学习能力，并通过提供第一手的实验室实验进行，控制和分析来培养创造性思维。除了提高向在校学生提供的课程质量外，目标之一是发展通过远程学习提供这些实验的能力。这些课程可能会帮助非传统学生，如代表性不足的少数民族，工作的父母，兼职学生，正在寻求土木工程职业的职业生涯的成年人等。调整后的信息方法的开发方式，他们可以很容易地应用到实验以外的考虑在这个项目。将开发的新软件接口可供其他机构的教员通过项目网站免费下载。还分发了为避免今后执行工作中可能出现的缺陷而需要的补充文件。项目团队成员与北卡罗来纳州AT大学的教师合作，为他们提供进行和控制这些实验的教学目的。项目的有效性采用形成性和总结性方法进行评估。讨论了远程学习课程在非传统学生的保留和更多参与方面的好处。

Engineering - Civil (54)This project is aimed at adaptation of recent developments in information technology for implementation of internet-enabled laboratory experiments in undergraduate Civil Engineering courses. Faculty and students are able to remotely observe, conduct, control, and analyze experimental data either in or outside a classroom. The project improves student learning through real-time visualization of theoretical concepts and fosters creative thinking by providing a first-hand exposure to conducting, controlling, and analyzing laboratory experiments. In addition to enhancing the quality of courses offered to on-campus students, one of the objectives is to develop the capability for offering these experiments via distance learning. Such offerings are likely to assist non-traditional students such as underrepresented minorities, working parents, part-time students, career-changing adults, etc. who are seeking a career in Civil Engineering. The adapted information methodologies are developed in such a way that they can be easily applied to experiments other than those considered in this project. New software interfaces to be developed are made available to instructors in other institutions for free downloads through a project web site. Supplementary documentation needed to avoid potential pitfalls in future implementations is also disseminated. Project team members collaborate with faculty at North Carolina A&T University, historically a black college, by providing them access to conduct and control these experiments for teaching purposes. Effectiveness of the project is evaluated using both formative and summative approaches. Benefits of distance learning courses are addressed with respect to retention and increased participation of non-traditional students.