Impact of Full-Scale Experiential Learning Modules on Students’ Understanding of Concepts in Reinforced Concrete

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of full-scale experiential learning modules (ELMs) on student understanding of the design and behavior of reinforced concrete beams in an undergraduate reinforced concrete design course. For two academic years, instructors taught a reinforced concrete design course using traditional teaching techniques, skeleton notes, group problem solving, small-scale demonstrations, and case study examples. The following two academic years the instructors taught the same course using the same techniques along with three ELMs pertaining to reinforced concrete design. The ELMs were implemented at Saint Louis University (SLU) and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT). Exam questions were used to evaluate the impact of the ELMs between the control and intervention groups, and student responses were given a score based on the number of correct statements made. The Flexural Crack Progression question short response score showed statistical significance from control to intervention group at SLU, but the addition of a sketch in the response was not statistically significant. The Tension versus Compression Controlled question scores were significant at SLU and not significant at RHIT. The Shear Failure question was determined not to be statistically significant at either university. End-of-course surveys were also given to test student understanding of topics covered in the ELMs and gauge student satisfaction with the ELMs. Based on the survey responses, students were typically able to describe reinforced concrete behavior relating to concepts covered in the ELMs and felt the ELMs were beneficial to their learning. The test scores and end-of-course survey show that the addition of the ELMs appears to help students better understand reinforced concrete design and behavior.