Producing sustainable construction materials from soft soil

Engineering subject teaching has almost always been considered as dry and complicated, with much emphasis placed on the definition of principles and derivation of formulae. It is indeed essential for engineering students to understand and learn the fundamental principles and theories of the subject,...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Chan, Chee-Ming, Suratkon, Azeanita
Format: Conference or Workshop Item
Published: 2007
Subjects:
Online Access:http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/1861/
http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/1861/1/AN_OUTCOME_BASED_LEARNING_CHEE_MING_CHAN_2007PROJECT_.pdf
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Summary:Engineering subject teaching has almost always been considered as dry and complicated, with much emphasis placed on the definition of principles and derivation of formulae. It is indeed essential for engineering students to understand and learn the fundamental principles and theories of the subject, but that does not suggest any less importance in the application of the knowledge. This is especially important to prepare the undergraduates for the industry, where they are expected to apply their knowledge and skills in practice. Therefore an outcome-based learning project was introduced in the teaching of Geotechnics in the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UTHM. The project involved designing and producing construction materials from clay retrieved from the university's grounds itself. The project was tailored to encourage creative thinking in solving technical problems, while allowing students to apply basic Geotechnics knowledge as well as practical laboratory skills they have learned throughout their degree programme. It was found that incorporating project-based learning in the subject not only achieved the intended goals, but also promoted team work and sharpened problem-solving skills among the students.