Assessing the Impact of Educational Factors on Conceptual Understanding of Geotechnical Engineering Topics

Instruction and Assessment of Mohr’s Circle Concepts in Undergraduate Geotechnical Engineering Courses

“…The concept inventory assesses students' learning at various levels of Bloom's Taxonomy, with Question 2 focusing on more fundamental concepts, and Questions 1 and 3 requiring students to apply calculations. The questions on Mohr's circle were deliberately intended to be brief, because they were a component of a broader concept inventory on geotechnical engineering with nine other questions [1,2,17].…”

“…These findings further support the notion that a formative approach leads to better learning with respect to Mohr's circle. Question 3 (the calculation of the maximum shear stress given the principal stresses) was previously administered on a concept inventory with additional questions related to geotechnical engineering [1,2,17]. A total of n = 922 students at eight institutions completed this instrument over the course of eight years, from 2014 to 2021 (note that this question appeared as Question 10 on that broader instrument [1,2,17]).…”

“…Question 3 (the calculation of the maximum shear stress given the principal stresses) was previously administered on a concept inventory with additional questions related to geotechnical engineering [1,2,17]. A total of n = 922 students at eight institutions completed this instrument over the course of eight years, from 2014 to 2021 (note that this question appeared as Question 10 on that broader instrument [1,2,17]). Figure 6 illustrates the means of the Question 3 scores on the pre and post-test within the broader dataset.…”

“…In the subsequent junior-and senior-level civil engineering curriculum, Mohr's circle arguably receives the greatest emphasis in geotechnical engineering courses. Recent studies have shown that students struggle to retain fundamental Mohr's circle concepts between the Mechanics of Materials course and upper-level geotechnical engineering courses [1,2]. Due to the importance of Mohr's circle in quantifying subsurface stresses and soil shear strength, an analysis of the effectiveness of various instructional styles on this topic could prove beneficial for increasing student learning.…”