Reinventing geotechnical engineering laboratory classes
In his 1987 Nash Lecture, Prof. John Burland questioned the educational value of requiring undergraduate students to undertake routine laboratory testing, such as the triaxial, direct shear and oedometer tests. He stated that students are far from inspired by these. Other highly respected geotechnic...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Conference Paper |
| Published: |
CRC Press
2012
|
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/32133 |
| _version_ | 1848753576889810944 |
|---|---|
| author | Jaksa, M. Airey, D. Kodikara, J. Shahin, Mohamed Yuen, S. |
| author2 | Bryan McCabe |
| author_facet | Bryan McCabe Jaksa, M. Airey, D. Kodikara, J. Shahin, Mohamed Yuen, S. |
| author_sort | Jaksa, M. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | In his 1987 Nash Lecture, Prof. John Burland questioned the educational value of requiring undergraduate students to undertake routine laboratory testing, such as the triaxial, direct shear and oedometer tests. He stated that students are far from inspired by these. Other highly respected geotechnical engineering educators and researchers have expressed similar reservations about the current nature of geotechnical engineering laboratory classes. This paper re-examines the nature, structure and assessment of geotechnical laboratory experiments, explores their educational aims and proposes a framework whereby these classes can be more effective places of learning, be more engaging and more efficient. This last aspect is particularly challenging in recent times, as class sizes continue to grow to the point where educators are questioning the sustainability of resource-hungry and time-intensive laboratory classes. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:26:43Z |
| format | Conference Paper |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-32133 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:26:43Z |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| publisher | CRC Press |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-321332023-02-07T08:01:19Z Reinventing geotechnical engineering laboratory classes Jaksa, M. Airey, D. Kodikara, J. Shahin, Mohamed Yuen, S. Bryan McCabe Marina Pantazidou Declan Phillips In his 1987 Nash Lecture, Prof. John Burland questioned the educational value of requiring undergraduate students to undertake routine laboratory testing, such as the triaxial, direct shear and oedometer tests. He stated that students are far from inspired by these. Other highly respected geotechnical engineering educators and researchers have expressed similar reservations about the current nature of geotechnical engineering laboratory classes. This paper re-examines the nature, structure and assessment of geotechnical laboratory experiments, explores their educational aims and proposes a framework whereby these classes can be more effective places of learning, be more engaging and more efficient. This last aspect is particularly challenging in recent times, as class sizes continue to grow to the point where educators are questioning the sustainability of resource-hungry and time-intensive laboratory classes. 2012 Conference Paper http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/32133 CRC Press restricted |
| spellingShingle | Jaksa, M. Airey, D. Kodikara, J. Shahin, Mohamed Yuen, S. Reinventing geotechnical engineering laboratory classes |
| title | Reinventing geotechnical engineering laboratory classes |
| title_full | Reinventing geotechnical engineering laboratory classes |
| title_fullStr | Reinventing geotechnical engineering laboratory classes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reinventing geotechnical engineering laboratory classes |
| title_short | Reinventing geotechnical engineering laboratory classes |
| title_sort | reinventing geotechnical engineering laboratory classes |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/32133 |