IMPLEMENTING ACTIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES IN A STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS AND DESIGN COURSE: PEDAGOGY DEVELOPMENT AND LESSONS LEARNED

The Building Science and Architecture students at Auburn University take two core courses to learn the theory and design of building structures in their sophomore and junior years. One of the most challenging tasks is the introduction and reinforcement of fundamental concepts of gravity loads, lateral loads, and strength of materials. We found that traditional lecture-based methods are mostly ineffective in engaging students in the learning process due to inherent complexity of the topic. The instructors have also observed that as students reach the advanced structures courses it becomes more difficult to retrieve the concepts they learnt in earlier classes. In this paper we discussed a pilot study, where we integrated active learning strategies with traditional lectures in an effort to: (1) increase students' engagement and knowledge retention of the topic; (2) create an active learning environment where students can enjoy and apply lecture material through hands on experiments and hands on demonstrations and; (3) increase peer interaction and collaboration. This project not only helped students to better understand the fundamental topics but also provided them a fun environment to learn. This study collected data from 63 students about their perceptions and presents a framework for implementing active learning strategies in a building science/architecture classroom. Finally, students' feedback is analyzed. At the end, we discussed the benefits, limitations, and scope for further research in teaching structural analysis and design to building science and architecture students.