BARC0132 Indeterminate structures – Developing student’s intuition on structural engineering

THE TEAM

Staff Lead and Module Coordinator: Fabio Freddi
Lead student: Marjorie Luque
Support students: Cying Wang, Max Ostroverhy

DEPARTMENT

Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering (CEGE)

WHAT HAPPENED?

This project aimed to offer academic support to students in order to improve their learning experience in relation to indeterminate structures, which involved topics that were typically perceived as complex. The main advantage of the project was the involvement of Y3 students, who having faced the same challenges the previous year, were able to understand where the difficulties might arise and based on that advise Y2 students. This also meant that Y2 students were exposed to a variety of teaching styles from a student perspective. Through these sessions which focused on practical work, Y2 students cleared out their doubts and could keep engaged in the module. Also, the cooperative environment created an effective communication channel between Y3 students, Y2 students, and teaching staff.

WHAT ADVICE OR ENCOURAGEMENT WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE THINKING OF DOING A CHANGEMAKERS PROJECT?

Considering the challenges I faced last year while undertaking the module, this project focused on developing the worked examples in a very detailed manner while including useful tips that could help students improve their understanding of the topics. In order to make the project successful, it was key to prepare the sessions in advance and to organise weekly meetings with the teaching staff.

Fiona A Wilkie

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *