Dr. Kurt M.

McMullin
San Jos State University
Cecilia Luu
San Jos State University

PROJECT BASED LEARNING FOR EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING

Objective
The objective is to design projects for students to complete in structural engineering
design courses that:
Require student learning of course content to allow for completion of project.
Enhance interaction of student teams to develop collaborative work skills and improve
communication.
Incorporate workplace skills of team-work, communication, project management, and time
management.

IMPLEMENTATION OF SEISMIC ISSUES INTO SENIOR

AND GRADUATE LEVEL STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING COURSES

Concrete Column Modeling

Graduate Level 6 week project

Students use two methods to model the monotonic nonlinear behavior of a concrete
column:
Concentrated hinge model prescribed by FEMA-356; and
Fiber-based hinge model based on established uniaxial behavior for the steel and
concrete fibers
The results of the analytical model are compared to test results obtained for the cyclic
testing of columns in past NEES projects.

Simulate the work environment of engineering companies.

Replace traditional lecture delivery of content.

Underlying Pedagogy
Educational research indicates that:
traditional engineering education, dominated by lecture, is not serving engineering students well;
the majority of engineering students are active and sensory learners;
inquiry-based learning promotes active engagement and deeper understanding;
inquiry-based learning allows for differentiated learning since students can control and pace the
direction of their work.

Specimen 2-1 at Purdue University

San Jos State University

The goals of the projects are to:

Integrate seismic issues into classroom instruction
Support inquiry and active learning in engineering courses
Provide a mechanism for students to explore simplified examples of complex issues
Project based learning allows:
Differentiated learning styles and background knowledge.
Flexible schedules and geographically dispersed student participants.
Strengths that some students possess that may not be necessary for content of course (drafting
skills, report organization, online search capabilities.
Addresses issue of Why are students not ready for prime time? (which means why do companies need
to invest so much effort=money in training entry-level engineers):
Ability to convert 2D drawings into a 3D object.
Ability to identify and extract critical information from a complex blueprint.
Ability to see the Big Picture of how each component contributes to a complex system.
Ability to recognize the importance of their work and the criticality that it be done correctly.
Ability to ask questions to discover the critical information that they need (rather than having it
presented to them in an easy-to-use format).
Ability to evaluate an existing structure as opposed to design of new construction that is usually
emphasized in school.
Ability to summarize and present their work in a professional manner.
Ability to incorporate feedback into the improvement of their work.
Ability to see projects as long-term multi-revision collaborative process as opposed to weekly
assignments that are graded but not revised.

Module Development
Steps in module development:
attend experimental team meetings to understand test set up and provide input on
data and visual needs;
select test concepts and results best suited for integrating into courses;
define audience (undergraduate/graduate) and develop learning outcomes;
specify module characteristics (e.g. on-line or paper, length, analysis software, etc.);
research and summarize theoretical basis of module;
visit test facility;
obtain data as it becomes available and integrate into module;
compile drawings, photographs, and video clips relevant to module;
create lessons, assessment activities, and documentation;
pilot module in courses at several universities,
disseminate modules

The illustration shows the development of the experimental

test specimen from the prototype structure. This illustrates
to students the engineering process of simplifying complex
structures for analytical modeling and experimental testing.
Students need to recognize that boundary conditions,
loading sequences, and specimen construction are based
on real life structural behavior.

Drift Demand Research Paper

Uniaxial stress-strain relationship based on Mander et al. for

nonlinear behavior of concrete columns

Funded by
NATIONAL SCIENCE
FOUNDATION
Timber Soft-Story Structural Retrofit
Undergraduate Senior Level
9 week project

Student teams design a seismic retrofit scheme for a soft-story woodframe

multi-story, multi-unit residential structure.
Students provided with general architectural drawings of a hypothetical
structure, general and specific requirements of their scope of work.
Students required to evaluate strength of existing beams for gravity
loading (content requirement of course).
Students required to evaluate strength of existing shear wall system at
Ground Level (introduction to existing estimates of extant materials from
FEMA-356 document).
Students required to design a suitable retrofit of plywood walls at
Ground Level.
Students skills enhanced:
Understanding of load path and construction of woodframe stuctures.
Understanding of seismic vulnerability of existing structures.
Design vs analysis skills.
Terminology of retrofit and structural vocabulary.
Blueprint reading and 3D visualization.
Public policy issues with mandatory retrofit ordinances.
Project structure:
Instructor provides basic content and background material
Draft submittals every five weeks to allow for feedback and maintaining
timely progress of work.
Instructor meets with groups for 15-minute discussions (similar to project
team meeting for coordination of project between project engineer,
senior engineers, design engineers in professional firm.)
Individual team members accountable for all content issues on
upcoming exams.
Final project reviewed for technical accuracy, completeness and ability
of students to present their work in a professional manner.
Poster session required with final submittal to enhance that students are
capable of discussing their work, summarizing the main points,
presenting their work graphically, responding to questions professionally.

Graduate Level 15 week project

Students conduct a literature review about the expected drift that structures may occur in a future earthquake.
All students given a general topic (drift demands for structures)
Each student must develop a unique hypothesis to test
Students collect data from published studies completed by other researchers (NEES shake table tests,
SAC Joint Venture analytical studies, recorded building motions from CSMIP)
Students can collaborated on locating and evaluating data, suitable methods of presenting data, writing
skills, citation and reference list development.
Each student required to write a ten-page research paper about the results of their research.
Builds a database of research over time when all students required to present their results in a common
format (floor plans, tabulated data with specified metadata)
Students skills enhanced:
Locating and evaluating the suitability of published research reports.
Analyzing data presented in report and converting to a usable form for their research (i.e. converting
graphed story displacements to inter-story drift ratios.
Improved grammatical structure and organization of their paper.
Project structure:
Instructor provides common terminology (global drift, inter-story drift, drift ratio)
Multiple drafts reviewed with appropriate feedback.
Students peer review each others drafts to provide feedback.
Final paper graded by instructor for content and writing skills.
Paper meets University Graduate Writing Requirement:
Meets one requirement for students to graduate.
Replaced prior option for students to choose their own topic
Too much time choosing the best topic for paper.
Allows instructor to provide common content to all students (and examine students on such content)

Parking Garage Evaluation

Undergraduate Senior Level
2 week project
Student teams evaluate a parking garage on campus for seismic separation
required by current building code.
Students provided with scope of work and estimates of expected lateral
drift of buildings.
Students required to measure existing structure, seismic separation, and
determine if structure is shear wall or moment frame.
Hands-on students taken to site during class time, pace spacing of
columns, observe how garage is assembly of independent structures.
Teams need to sketch floor plan, work with incomplete data and
estimated results.
Final report is to be a business letter format discussing their estimated
code compliance.

Acknowledgement
Some projects presented in this poster were developed with sponsorship by
the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. 619157. Release
time to develop projects has been provided by San Jose State University.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this
report are those of the participants, and do not necessarily represent the
official views, opinions, or policy of these sponsors.