Gaming to improve geotechnical engineering education—and broaden diversity
Gaming to improve geotechnical engineering education—and broaden diversity
Gaming to improve geotechnical engineering education—and broaden diversity
September 24, 2021
Summary
A new research project at Rowan University's Center for Research and Education in Advanced Transportation Engineering Systems aims to teach students real-world geotechnical engineering concepts and attract diverse candidates to the field using interactive video games.
Called MERGE, the project is led by Dr. Cheng Zhu, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Dr. Ying Tang, an expert in serious games and professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Dr. Sarah Ferguson, an assistant professor in the College of Education.
Dr. Sarah Bauer, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; as well as collaborator Dr. Lei Wang, assistant professor of geotechnical engineering at the University of the District of Columbia, a historically Black college and university.
While college civil engineering programs nationwide focus on concepts like soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering, some course content and textbooks don't reflect emerging technology and research methods.
MERGE games will include real-world scenarios students are likely to encounter in internships and careers in the geotechnical engineering field.
The game's theme is GeoSmart City, with challenges and tasks designed to feature applications of geotechnical engineering in an urban setting.
The games are under development and will be used by students taking the undergraduate geotechnical engineering core course at both universities starting fall 2022.
Reference
Rowan Today. (2021, September 24). Gaming to improve geotechnical engineering education-and broaden diversity. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://today.rowan.edu/news/2021/09/rowan-developing-video-games-to-teach-civil-engineering.html