Structural engineering is a challenging and rewarding field that requires both technical and creative skills. As a mentor or instructor, you have the opportunity to guide and give feedback to structural engineering students who are eager to learn and develop their abilities. Here are some tips on how to do that effectively and constructively.
Before you start any project or assignment, make sure you communicate the learning objectives, the criteria for evaluation, and the deadlines to your students. This will help them understand what you expect from them, what they need to focus on, and how they will be assessed. You can also provide some examples of good and bad work to illustrate your standards and avoid confusion.
Students in the engineering field naturally are insightful and eager to know more. But the courses should be designed to make them easily understood and practicable. This helps the students a lot. The program should be more of real-life examples blended with the theoretical aspect. Structural engineering is easy to understand but if we do not make it more practical students tend to be confused. When designing the program we should consider the average students to help them appreciate the program. It's enjoyable to be a structural engineer.
Structural engineering starts with understanding the objective. Take the time to review what is required and begin with a blank mind, i.e. be open to any possibility of material choice and arrangement. Do not start with a prearranged idea or conception, no matter how familiar it may appear. Every design is different and requires a proper review and then analysis to see if it satisfies the SOR.
To establish clear goals and expectations effectively: 1. Collaboratively set goals for shared understanding. 2. Use SMART goals for clarity and accountability. 3. Provide detailed rubrics for assessment criteria. 4. Enable progress tracking for student ownership. 5. Conduct regular check-ins to review progress. 6. Connect goals to real-world contexts for relevance. 7. Employ diverse assessment methods for learning styles. 8. Create a feedback loop for continuous improvement. 9. Share examples of exceptional work as models. 10. Maintain flexibility for unexpected challenges. 11. Encourage questions and clear communication.
Feedback is essential for learning and improvement, but it has to be timely, relevant, and actionable. Don't wait until the end of the term or the project to give feedback, but rather check in regularly and offer specific suggestions on what your students are doing well and what they need to work on. Use constructive language and avoid vague or generic comments. For example, instead of saying "your design is too complex", say "your design has too many elements that are not necessary or functional. Try to simplify it by eliminating or combining some of them."
Most people are visual or hands-on learners. Therefore, writing or verbalizing feedback may not fully translate to the next time your feedback becomes relevant. Utilizing in-person reviews or doing virtual meetings with screensharing is a great way to show exactly what you are referring to and showing examples that illustrate your points.
Structural engineering is not a solo activity, but a collaborative one that involves working with other engineers, architects, clients, and contractors. Therefore, it is important to foster a culture of collaboration and peer review among your students. Encourage them to share their ideas, challenges, and solutions with each other, and to give and receive feedback from their peers. This will help them develop their communication, teamwork, and critical thinking skills, as well as expose them to different perspectives and approaches.
Taking things back to base principles is a great way to allow everyone to be more involved in the discussion. Peer review is a great way to promote confidence in students and let's them know if they're on the right track. I'd definitely recommend a review early for base concept (school tends to give you the problem, not teach you how to find the problem) and for execution of the idea at the end. Technologies is ever changing, students are great to give perspective of new teamwork styles and tools.
Different students have different learning styles, preferences, and needs. Therefore, you should try to use a variety of teaching methods and resources to cater to their diversity and keep them engaged. For example, you can use lectures, demonstrations, simulations, case studies, videos, podcasts, articles, books, software, and online platforms to deliver your content and activities. You can also use different types of assessments, such as quizzes, tests, essays, reports, presentations, posters, models, and portfolios, to measure their learning outcomes.
Structural engineering is a dynamic and evolving field that requires constant innovation and adaptation. As a mentor or instructor, you should challenge and inspire your students to go beyond their comfort zone and explore new possibilities and solutions. You can do this by exposing them to real-world problems and scenarios, inviting guest speakers from the industry or academia, organizing field trips or site visits, and encouraging them to participate in competitions or extracurricular projects. You can also share your own experiences, insights, and passions, and show them how structural engineering can make a positive impact on society and the environment.
Inspiring your students to find their success factor. Every engineer has his/her own style and it takes time and good encouragement for someone to reach his/her success and find his/her style. After several meetings and presentations, you need to challenge your student to carry on his/her own presentation and evaluate his/her own work. This gives him/her an eye on details and self aware of own mistakes. It is always beneficial to have an eye of detailing on one's work.
Encourage solving engineering problems with empathy to the many other people involved with turning your solution into reality. The designers must be able to turn your idea into drawings and other technical documents. Purchasers must be able to procure the materials. Logistics must be able to transport the materials. Fabricators must be able to build the solution. The installers must be able to install the solution. The logistics people must be able to transport the materials. The owner must be able to afford the solution. Each member of the team must trust that the solution is feasible and will work, or it will never come to fruition.
The method of teaching should be revamped to primarily include open discussions and debates about topics like 1) How can we improve in simulating the actual behavior of structures in our structural idealization/calculation softwares. 2) How does the structure really behave under combined loadings. 3) How much of the loads/forces/stresses, (say on top of a 10-storey steel building) actually reaches up to the baseplates at the bottom of steel columns? foundations? Certainly, stresses from the loads above the structure dissipates until it reaches the concrete foundation and the soil beneath.