Teaching S uc u al Analysis h ough design, building and es ing
M. Solís, A. Rome o, P. Gal ín
Escuela Técnica Supe io de Ingenie os, Uni e sidad de Se illa, Camino de los Descub imien os s/n, 41092, Se illa, Spain
[email p o ec ed], [email p o ec ed], [email p o ec ed]
Abs ac
This pape p esen s he esul s o an inno a i e eaching expe ience in he a ea o s uc u al analysis in he Mechanical
Enginee ing cou se o he Uni e sidad de Se illa, Spain. The eaching me hodology used is aimed a mo i a ing
s uden s o lea n by p omo ing he design, calcula ion, building and es ing o s uc u es. This me hod no only ains
s uden s o make calcula ions bu also de elops skills ha allow hem o unde s and how s uc u es unc ion. The
p ojec includes subjec s augh in he hi d and i h yea o he cou se. In hei hi d yea , s uden s begin hei
s uc u al aining wi h he subjec S uc u al Analysis, in which hey lea n he basics by designing, building and
es ing balsa wood s uc u es. S uden s ha e access o compu e so wa e o op imize he design o hei models be o e
building and es ing hem in he labo a o y. A e his i s app oach o S uc u al Analysis, s uden s ecei e aining on
mo e ad anced concep s. A ew examples o such concep s a e he dynamic beha io o s uc u es and ins abili ies in
speci ic ypes o s uc u es such as pla es and lamina s uc u es and in s uc u al ma e ials such as s eel and conc e e.
Be o e comple ing hei s udies, s uden s a e exposed o a p ojec -based eaching me hodology again in he subjec
Expe imen al S uc u al Analysis. In his subjec , s uden s deal wi h simila p ojec s o hose hey will ace as
p o essionals a e g adua ing. This pape explains he ad an ages o his me hodology o eaching in enginee ing.
INTRODUCTION
A he School o Enginee ing o he Uni e sidad de Se illa, s uden s lea n S uc u al Analysis be ween he
hi d and i h yea o he Mechanical Enginee ing cou se. In hi d yea , all he s uden s o he cou se lea n
he basics o he subjec ; in ou h and i h yea , s uden s who ha e chosen o specialize in S uc u al
Analysis gain g ea e knowledge abou he beha io o s uc u es. An inno a i e eaching expe ience o his
cou se was launched some yea s ago o mo i a e s uden s o lea n by p omo ing he design, calcula ion,
building and es ing o s uc u es. Simila inno a i e eaching app oaches ha e been also p e iously
es ablished in o he ins i u ions (Glynn and Fe gusson 1994; Rome o and Muse os, 2002; Hadim and Esche
2002; Elazouni and Raslan 2003; Un e wege 2005). This no only ains s uden s o make calcula ions bu
also de elops skills ha allow hem o unde s and how s uc u es unc ion.
The inno a i e eaching expe ience has been se up be o e he new Eu opean Highe Educa ion A ea
(EHEA) was es ablished in he School o Enginee ing o he Uni e sidad de Se illa. I was o iginally
p omo ed by he au ho s, bu a e wo yea s i was p oposed as an inno a ion p ojec acco ding o he
Teaching Me hodologies Renew P og am o he Uni e sidad de Se illa. This P og am supplied unding o
acqui ing new eaching acili ies (lap ops, digi al d awing able s) and he ungible goods o he
expe imen al es s (s eel ba s, sand, cemen , wi es, s ain gages, e c.). The new EHEA eaching me hodology,
applied o p ac ical lessons, equi e no only an inc ease in human esou ces bu also an inc ease in eaching
expenses.
As ega ds he use o new In o ma ion and Communica ion Technologies, he i ual eaching pla o m o he
Uni e sidad de Se illa is used. This kind o e-lea ning pla o ms is used by many ins i u ions o online
eaching and lea ning. The i ual pla o m is use ul o help s uden s and eache s sha e in o ma ion, assess
knowledge, manage discussion o ums, e c., bu does no eplace on-si e eaching and lea ning. In he
subjec s deal wi h in his pape , all he documen s used in he eaching a e a ailable o s uden s on he
pla o m. The pla o m is also used o include a desc ip ion o he p ac ical classes, audio isual ma e ials,
ques ions o s uden s o assess hei own knowledge on he subjec s and o he documen s o in e es .
The new eaching expe ience has been in oduced in wo di e en subjec s o he cou se, so i is only
pa ially applied du ing he cou se. These kind o new eaching me hodologies help s uden s o acqui e
p ac ical knowledge by hemsel es, so hey a e especially sui able o enginee ing educa ion. Howe e , hei
o e all implemen a ion in o a whole enginee ing cou se exhibi s se e al d awbacks ha should be
conside ed. T adi ional eaching and lec u ing is necessa y o a oid skipping undamen al knowledge and o
acqui e i hie a chically when necessa y. An in e es ing disse a ion abou bene i s and d awbacks o
pa ially and o e all implemen a ion o hese me hodologies can be ound in he wo k o Pe ene e al
(2000). The e a e also examples o pa ially in oduced PBL o some Mechanical Enginee ing subjec s
(Hadim and Esche 2002), and how i educes he amoun o adi ional lec u ing, mo ing opics om
adi ional lea ning o PBL.
This pape desc ibes he con en s, pu pose, me hodology and esul s o his inno a i e eaching in S uc u al
Analysis and Expe imen al S uc u al Analysis subjec s a he Uni e sidad o Se illa, which co esponds o
hi d and i h yea o Mechanical Enginee ing cou se, espec i ely. The in oduc ion o his kind o eaching
se es as a basis o he implemen a ion o new eaching me hodologies ha p epa e s uden s o li elong
lea ning, acco ding o he new Eu opean Highe Educa ion A ea: p oblem and p ojec -based lea ning (PBL),
coope a e lea ning, cogni i e app en iceship, lea ning how o lea n, and p omo ing ans e sal skills such as
wo k in a eam and w i ing and o al communica ion abili ies (Hadim and Esche 2002; Dunlap and G abinge
2003; F ank e al 2003).
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS SUBJECT: PRACTICAL CLASSES AND PROBLEM-BASED
LEARNING
In hi d yea o he Mechanical Enginee ing cou se, s uden s lea n he basic concep s o S uc u al Analysis,
including he lexibili y and s i ness me hods and how o use hem o calcula e he displacemen s and
s esses s uc u es unde go when hey a e subjec ed o hei design loads. Be o e his new eaching
expe ience was in oduced, s uden s who passed his subjec seemed o be eady o s a o s udy mo e
complex issues such as ins abili ies and dynamics and o unde s and he o mula ion o he ini e elemen
model. Howe e , s uden s did no ha e he imp ession ha he knowledge hey had gained would be use ul
o design, analyze and build a eal s uc u e. To change his pe cep ion, wo se ies o p ac ical classes we e
in oduced: a compu e class and a labo a o y class. In he compu e class, s uden s use a compu e p og am
o analyze he s eel ame o an indus ial building using he s i ness me hod. In he labo a o y class (Fig. 1),
s uden s es and measu e displacemen s and s esses in a small s eel uss when i is subjec ed o a known
o ce. Mo eo e , s uden s compa e he da a measu ed expe imen ally wi h he alues hey can p edic when
using he S uc u al Analysis me hods hey ha e lea n . This shows hem ha he ac ual beha io o he
s uc u e ma ches he heo e ical concep s hey lea ned ea lie .
Howe e , o u he comple e he eaching, a hi d p ac ical class was in oduced. In his class, s uden s ha e
o design, analyze, build and es a s uc u e made o wooden popsicle s icks. Each g oup o wo s uden s is
only equi ed o ul ill a ce ain objec i e wi h he s uc u e. The es o he pa ame e s a e ee and designed
by he s uden s hemsel es. Fo example, he i s yea his me hodology was used, he building had o b idge
a span o 50 cm (Fig.2), and a poin load is applied a he middle o he span. The second yea , a 50cm long
can ile e ype s uc u e had o bea a load loca ed a i s ee end poin (Fig. 3). The hi d yea , he s uc u e
had o co e a squa e space o 400x400mm, simply suppo ed a i s ou co ne s, and a uni o m load was
applied o e he s uc u e (Fig. 4).
Simila PBL expe iences ha e been de eloped using ei he wooden s icks, ca dboa d o e en ealis ic
s uc u al elemen s o a eal s uc u e. The e a e also in e es ing p e ious expe iences ha a e limi ed o he
design and analysis s ages o an enginee ing p ojec , including he analy ical and nume ical app oach o he
p oblem bu no he building s age (Hadim and Esche, 2002).
This PBL makes s uden s ace he kind o p oblems hey may encoun e when hey design a s uc u e as
p o essionals. These p oblems ange om no ha ing all he da a a ailable o how o join ba s co ec ly o
p e en he join s om being he weakes poin s in he s uc u e. A his s age o hei aining, s uden s a e
no amilia ye wi h he ins abili y p oblems s uc u es may ha e. Ye , hey ha e o sol e p oblems wi h ba s
whose comp ession s ess can cause buckling and ha equi e sec ions wi h a g ea e adius o gy a ion o
a oid buckling. They also ha e o deal wi h he h ee dimensional na u e o he s uc u e, despi e hey ha e
analyzed a simpli ied wo dimensional model o he s uc u e, as i is usual in a p o essional design.
The e o e, hey ha e o in oduce addi ional ba s in o de o a oid an uns able esponse due o he e ec s o
geome ic and load i egula i ies.
Each g oup o wo s uden s analyzes, builds and es s he s uc u es, wi h he con inuous assis ance o he
eache s o he subjec , which os e s echnical discussions. Once he s uden s ag ee on he ype o s uc u e
hey wan o design o sol e he p oblem, hey s a o make hei calcula ions, which some imes o ce hem
o change he ype o s uc u e hey had planned. Once hey ha e designed and analyzed he s uc u e, hey
a e p o ided wi h he building ma e ials: wooden s icks, glue and, o hose who need hem, wi es ha a e
used as ie ods in he s uc u es. The mechanical p ope ies o such ma e ials a e a ailable and he s uden s
also ha e he choice o pe o ming a bending es o comp ession es on any ype o ba hey design. The
ma e ial in he labo a o y is a ailable o he s uden s o building he s uc u e.
Once he s uc u e is eady, s uden s ha e o submi a epo on he p ojec explaining he design, calcula ion
and building p ocess. They es ima e he b eaking load o he s uc u e based on he esul s ob ained wi h a
compu e p og am using he s i ness me hod. The epo has o be de ended in on o he eache s o he
subjec be o e he es ha will lead he s uc u e o collapse. The p ac ical class assessmen is de e mined by
he design o he s uc u e, he a io be ween he b eaking load and he weigh o he s uc u e, and he a io
be ween he ac ual b eaking load and ha p edic ed by he s uden s acco ding o hei calcula ions.
Wi h his PBL me hodology, s uden s apply p io knowledge and acqui e new knowledge ha would be
o he wise ou o he scope o he subjec . They also ge some addi ional and impo an skills, such as
knowledge managemen , and a social cons uc i ism lea ning app oach (K ajcick e al 1999; F ank e al
2003) is also achie ed. Each g oup o wo s uden s designs, analyzes and builds hei own s uc u e, bu
knowledge and in o ma ion is no only sha ed be ween hose wo s uden s bu also be ween o he g oups.
The e a e spon aneous echnical discussions be ween di e en g oups o s uden s, and eache s a e usually
equi ed o ake pa in hem, al hough eache s usually encou age s uden s o discuss be ween hem and y
o sol e he echnical di icul ies ollowing hei own c i e ia, gi ing hem as less in o ma ion as possible o
a oid e oneous conclusions. The accu acy and dep h o he explana ions gi en by eache s o each g oup
depends on he equi emen s and he le el o knowledge eached by he g oup. The e o e, s uden s lea n how
o iden i y a ailable in o ma ion, selec use ul in o ma ion and s o e i , de elop knowledge om he
in o ma ion gi en and ans e i when necessa y.
O e all, pa icipa ion o s uden s in his p ac ical class also p o ides hem wi h aluable aining in
addi ional skills such as p ojec and ime managemen since he p ocess o designing and building he
wooden s uc u e is qui e simila o a small-scale eal enginee ing p ojec . In addi ion, he w i en epo and
i s o al p esen a ion help s uden s imp o e hei w i en and o al communica ion skills.
I mus be poin ed ou ha his PBL me hodology also implies a conside able eaching load o eache s. An
a e age ime o 3 hou s o assis ance is equi ed o each g oup o s uden s, who ask eache s o help as hey
need i . S uc u es a e es ed a he end o he yea ; each es akes abou hal an hou . These scheduled es s
a e cu en ly he only amoun o ime ha is o icially ecognized as a eaching wo k, since assis ance o
s uden s is o icially conside ed as pa o he gene al suppo ime ha eache s mus de o e o all hei
s uden s. This means ha , o e all, eache s mus cu en ly spend ex a ime equi alen o 50% o o icially
ecognized ime. Fo una ely, his si ua ion will be a leas pa ially co ec ed wi h he new EHEA, which
p omo es and ecognizes his kind o eaching me hodology and he s uden suppo i equi es.
Resul s o su eys conduc ed by he Uni e sidad de Se illa on his subjec in 2009 and 2010 a e included in
Table 1. Resul s o he subjec S uc u al Analysis a e compa ed o hose o he o e all subjec s o he
S uc u al Analysis Depa men , he whole Mechanical Enginee ing cou se and he whole Uni e si y. I can
be obse ed ha he e alua ion o he subjec is sa is ac o y when compa ed o o he subjec s. Un o una ely,
no esul s p io o he implemen a ion o he PBL me hodology a e a ailable o analyze he change b ough
abou by his me hodology in s uden s’ pe cep ion o he subjec . In 2010, he e alua ion o he subjec was
less a o able, especially in aspec s ela ed o o ice hou s and o ganiza ion o he subjec . This was due o
he ac ha he e we e ewe human esou ces o ha yea and eache s had o spend oo much ime
p epa ing and o ganizing he p ac ical lessons o he subjec s S uc u al Analysis and Expe imen al S uc u al
Analysis. Thus, i was di icul o hem o assis all he s uden s as hey equi ed. Fo una ely, addi ional
human esou ces a e a ailable o yea 2011 and be e p og amming and schedules ha e been designed by
lea ning om p e ious expe ience, so be e esul s han hose o 2010 a e expec ed. These esul s sugges
ha his kind o eaching equi es a special dedica ion o lec u es, o ice hou s, p ac ical lessons and close
con ac wi h s uden s, hence why eaching e alua ion esul s a e mo e sensi i e o he a ailable human
esou ces han classical eaching.
Resul s ob ained wi h his PBL me hodology ha e been e y good. Al hough PBL may no imp o e exam
sco es, an inc ease was obse ed bo h in he a e o s uden s ha passed he exam and he exam sco es o he
s uden s ha pa icipa ed in he PBL me hodology, which is op ional o hem o now. The PBL
me hodology may no be sui able o e e y s uden (Rosen eld and Rosen eld 1999). The e o e, he p ac ical
class may gi e s uden s wi h lowe g ade esul s in egula s udies he oppo uni y o imp o e G ade Poin
A e age (GPA), whe eas i does no a ec nega i ely he GPA o s uden s wi h usual highe g ade esul s.
Table 2 includes pass a es and GPA o s uden s ha pa icipa ed and did no pa icipa e in he PBL
app oach. GPA was e alua ed om 5 o 10 poin s, wi h 5 poin s meaning passing he exam. Da a co espond
o he yea s he au ho s ha e been in ol ed in his subjec (2008 o 2011). The PBL me hodology was i s
in oduced in 2009. The able shows ha exam sco es emained simila o s uden s ha did no pa icipa e in
he hi d p ac ical lesson, whe eas much be e esul s we e obse ed o s uden s ha ook pa in i .
Mo eo e , s uden s pa icipa ing in he p ojec ge in ol ed o such an ex en ha many o hem eel
encou aged o specialize in S uc u al Analysis. This encou aging e ec has also been no iced in p e ious
PBL eaching expe iences (F ank e al 2003).
In hei specializa ion in ou h and i h yea , s uden s lea n he dynamic beha io o s uc u es and
ins abili ies, speci ic ypes o s uc u es such as pla es and lamina s uc u es, and s uc u al ma e ials such as
s eel and conc e e. Finally, be o e comple ing hei Mechanical Enginee ing s udies, s uden s a e exposed
again o a p ojec -based eaching me hodology in he subjec Expe imen al S uc u al Analysis.
EXPERIMENTAL STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
Va ious eaching and assessmen sys ems ha e been used in he subjec Expe imen al S uc u e Analysis
since i was included in he cu iculum. Ye , i has always ocused on PBL me hodology. I is a las -yea
subjec aimed o each specialized p ac ical knowledge, based on he concep s lea ned ea lie in o he
subjec s o he same a ea o knowledge. This p io knowledge and he ma u i y o s uden s in he inal yea s
o he cou se make i easie o implemen he eaching me hodology o he subjec . Mo eo e , he in-pe son
45 hou s o he subjec a e di ided in o 15 hou s o heo e ical classes and 30 hou s o p ac ical classes
which a e o ganized o g oups o a maximum o ou s uden s. This expe imen al and p ac ical eaching

app oach is sui able o applying PBL.
The eaching me hodology used has always been simila . Ye , he e ha e been changes in he o ganiza ion o
he wo k s uden s ha e o do, wi h a ia ions in he app oach and he assessmen me hods. These changes
ha e been aimed a enhancing he achie emen o he objec i es planned bu a e also necessa y o keep
eache s s imula ed and mo i a ed, e en hough hese changes equi e an addi ional e o om hem. The e
a e app oxima ely 3 p ac ical lessons ha change om one yea o ano he , and i is es ima ed ha nea ly 30
hou s a e needed o a eache o app op ia ely se up a new p ac ical lesson. P epa a ion wo k includes
acqui ing he necessa y ma e ials (senso s, so wa e, wi es, p obes, e c.), de eloping he necessa y so wa e
applica ions, pe o ming ial es s, analyzing he expe imen al esul s and inally se ing he objec i es and
planning he ac i i ies o he p ac ical lesson when pe o med by he s uden s.
Changes in he p ac ical lessons om one yea o ano he also p e en s uden s om copying ma e ials,
esul s and expe iences om s uden s o p e ious yea s, which would hampe he de elopmen o he subjec
and unde mine he c edibili y o s uden s’ wo k.
Ini ially, s uden s in he p ac ical class had o p epa e a sho esea ch p ojec on he beha io o a single
s uc u al elemen du ing he school yea : ein o ced conc e e beams ex e nally s eng hened wi h s ips o
Ca bon Fibe Rein o ced Polyme (CFRP, Fig. 5). The wo k included a ious ypes o es s, ins umen s, and
so on. The pu pose o his me hodology was o ge s uden s o comple e a long- e m p ojec du ing he whole
school yea applying p io and new knowledge o s udy and analyze a new p oblem o hem and d aw
conclusions abou i . This in ol ed acing si ua ions o unce ain y and isking making mis akes in a new
endea o . A he end o he yea , s uden s had o p esen a w i en epo on he wo k pe o med and p esen
i publicly in on o he eache s.
This o iginal app oach ecei ed g ea in e es and made i possible o o ganize he con en o he subjec , a
complex ask gi en ha i was he i s ime i was going o be augh . Changes in he p ac ical class we e
subsequen ly made o ob ain be e pe o mance, mo i a ion and lea ning in s uden s. A se ies o independen
p ac ical assignmen s we e chosen o ewa d egula wo k by he s uden s, illus a e heo e ical con en s and
consolida e he mos impo an ideas ela ed o he subjec . This change also add essed he s uden s’ eques
o ha e g ea e o de and egula i y in he wo k pe o med du ing he yea , which implied ha ing ongoing
assessmen .
Va ious p ac ical exe cises ha e been pe o med o e he yea s. In he p ac ical classes, each s uden
de elops his o he skills in he labo a o y. The aim is o deal wi h mos o he elemen s one may ace in
expe imen al s uc u al analysis: p og amming languages (LabView and Ma lab), unc ioning and use o
senso s (displacemen senso s, s ain gages, accele ome e s, geophones, lase ib ome e s), cha ac e is ics
and se up o da a acquisi ion sys ems and es ing machines, es design and assembly, and e en pa icipa ion
in es s on eal s uc u es (dynamic beha io o b idges, ib a ion om ail and oad a ic, e c.). As an
addi ional ac i i y, he e a e ield isi s o companies and acili ies ela ed o he s uc u es inso a as
possible.
Some o he con en s o he di e en p ac ical lessons ha ha e been done in he subjec a e lis ed below:
Ins alla ion o s ain gages on s eel and conc e e specimens (Fig.6 and Fig. 7)
Assessmen o he cons i u i e law o conc e e, s eel, ma ble, polyme s, e c, h ough ensile o
comp ession es s, measu ing s ains wi h s ain gages and displacemen senso s.
Analysis o he ope a ion o displacemen senso s and calib a ion acco ding o a e e ence senso .
Analysis o he ope a ion and use o a uni e sal es ing machine, simpli ied calib a ion o
displacemen and o ce measu emen s.
Analysis o he lexu al beha io o conc e e beams, CFRP ein o ced conc e e beams and s eel
beams, including displacemen s, s ains, cu a u es and bending momen s (Fig. 7).
Expe imen al analysis o a uss, measu ing s ains, displacemen s and o ces
Use o accele ome e s and geophones. Ob aining accele a ions om eloci ies h ough in eg a ion o
il e ed accele a ion signals.
Modal analysis o conc e e and s eel beams
Vib a ion based damage de ec ion in a s eel beam wi h a simula ed c ack
Modal analysis o a simple s uc u e (s eel beam) unde a mo ing load (Fig. 8)
Ope a ional modal analysis o one o he b idges c ossing he Guadalqui i Ri e , Fig. 9 and. 10
Analysis o na u al equencies and mode shapes o p og essi ely c acked ein o ced conc e e beams
(Fig. 11)
To da e, he subjec includes wel e labo a o y wo k sessions conduc ed in small g oups o a maximum o
ou s uden s. This is essen ial o success ul in ol emen o s uden s in he labo a o y wo k and
unde s anding o he con en s augh . A e his, each g oup o ou s uden s is di ided in o wo g oups o
wo, so each pai o s uden s p epa es epo s on he wo k pe o med e e y week, and he con en s o hese
epo s a e o ally p esen ed and discussed wi h he es o he s uden s. Be o e he o al p esen a ion, hey
mus send an elec onic e sion o he w i en epo o he eache s.
A he beginning o he school yea , eache s gi e s uden s a model ou line o he epo s. This ou line
consis s o he ollowing i ems: in oduc ion, undamen al o heo e ical aspec s, expe imen al se up, esul s,
discussion and conclusions. F om ha poin , he con en s and s yle o he w i en epo s a e designed by
each g oup o s uden s, acco ding o he expe imen al da a and no es ha hey ake du ing he p ac ical
lessons. Fo he o al p esen a ions, a p ojec o and a blackboa d a e a ailable o he s uden s. Each g oup o
wo s uden s has 15 minu es o he p esen a ion, and 5 addi ional minu es a e alloca ed o answe ing
ques ions om eache s o o discussion wi h he es o he s uden s.
Du ing hese o al sessions, eache s gi e s uden s ad ice abou he con en s and s yle o he w i en epo s
and o al p esen a ions. The o de in which he g oups make hei p esen a ions is changed om one week o
ano he , so no g oup bene i s om sys ema ically speaking be o e o a e ano he g oup.
Hence, he p ac ical classes, p epa a ion o epo s and o al p esen a ion o he wo k done a e aimed a
s eng hening s uden s’ skills in o al and w i en exp ession, eamwo k, analysis, syn hesis, sel -c i icism and
knowledge managemen , apa om he lea ning o con en s di ec ly ela ed o he subjec . The subjec is
he e o e di ided in o se e al small inqui y-based lea ning uni s (Tami 1990, F ank e al 2003), in which
s uden s a e suppo ed by eache s and hei eamma es o sol e and in e p e a eal p oblem by hemsel es,
once he p oblem is ou lined in a p ac ical class.
Al hough assessmen is ongoing, s uden s also ha e a w i en exam, which includes ques ions on he
heo e ical con en o he subjec and he wo k pe o med in he p ac ical sessions. The exam is usually
simple ( he heo e ical con en o he subjec is no long o complica ed) and only akes one hou . The g ade
ob ained in he exam ep esen s 30 pe cen o he inal g ade; he emaining 70 pe cen is gi en by he g ade
ob ained in he p ac ical exe cises. The assessmen o he subjec also includes a sel -assessmen sys em o
e i y he deg ee o ag eemen be ween he g ades gi en by he eache s and hose p oposed by he s uden s.
In his sel -assessmen sys em, s uden s p opose a g ade o hemsel es and he es o hei ellow s uden s
in he p ac ical classes, whose wo k hey a e e y amilia wi h. The esul o his sel -assessmen expe ience
has been posi i e, wi h de ia ions ypically less han one poin compa ed o he g ades p oposed. G ades
gi en by eache s in he p ac ical sessions usually ma ch hose p oposed by he s uden s. The e a e plans o
use he sel -assessmen sys em so ha s uden s can quali y he g ades in he nea u u e; he aim is o use
g ades gi en by s uden s o modi y hose p oposed by eache s, ewa ding s uden s who ha e wo ked he
mos and penalizing hose who ha e wo ked less, acco ding o he s uden s’ c i e ia.
Eigh yea s a e his subjec wi h his PBL me hodology was i s in oduced, esul s can be conside ed
excellen , wi h high a ings om s uden s and eache s. Su eys ha e been conduc ed a he end o each
academic yea on he quali y o he eaching (o ganiza ion o he subjec , heo e ical and p ac ical con en s,
assessmen sys em, eache assessmen , e c.) and he e alua ion o he subjec om s uden s is excellen .
Table 3 includes a summa y o he esul s o he su eys. Each i em o he able is a ed by each s uden om
0 (wo s ) o 10 (bes ). The able includes he co esponding a e age alue ob ained o each i em and o
each yea . Acco ding o he su eys, s uden s spend a ound 60 hou s o p epa e he epo s (5 hou s each
epo ) and 10 hou s o p epa e he w i en exam. Tha makes a o al o 115 hou s, including he a endance o
in-pe son classes. This a sligh ly bigge amoun o he es ima ed dedica ion o 87.5-105 hou s acco ding o
he Eu opean C edi T ans e and accumula ion Sys em (ECTS) es ablished in he Uni e sidad de Se illa.
Ne e heless, esul s o he su eys show ha s uden s welcome his ype o lea ning, e en i i equi es
g ea e e o and dedica ion om hem.
CONCLUSIONS
This pape p esen s he esul s o an inno a i e eaching expe ience in he a ea o s uc u es in he
Mechanical Enginee ing cou se o he Uni e sidad de Se illa. The eaching me hodology used is aimed a
mo i a ing s uden s o lea n h ough p ac ical expe iences ha in oduce c oss-cu ing issues in he aining
o s uden s. S uden s espond e y posi i ely o his kind o eaching. Teache s eel mo i a ed and sa is ied
wi h he use o hese new me hodologies, in spi e o he ime i akes o pu hem in o p ac ice. Mo eo e ,
eache s ecei e con inuously new ideas; hey also become li elong lea ne s and enjoy a be e wo king
en i onmen wi h s uden s (K ajcick e al 1999).
Applied eaching me hodologies a e also app op ia e in he Eu opean Highe Educa ion A ea. Howe e ,
gi en he e o his ype o me hodologies equi es om eache s, hey can only be implemen ed in small
g oups o s uden s. This is he case o Expe imen al S uc u al Analysis, a las -yea subjec , bu no o
S uc u al Analysis, a compulso y subjec , whe e i was only possible o implemen his me hodology as
olun a y addi ional wo k. To gene alize his ype o me hodology as compulso y wo k, i would be
necessa y o inc ease he human and economic esou ces a ailable o each he subjec . Such an inc ease
would be ully jus i ied conside ing he imp o emen in he quali y o eaching p o ided by hese
expe iences. Howe e , a sui able p opo ion o adi ional lec u ing should be kep o hie a chically acqui e
he necessa y undamen al knowledge in dep h (Pe ene e al 2000).
REFERENCES
Apa icio, A.C. and Ruiz-Te an, A.M. (2007). "T adi ion and Inno a ion in Teaching S uc u al Design in
Ci il Enginee ing." J.P o l.Issues in Eng g.Educ.and P ac ., 133(4), 340-349.
Dunlap, J.C. and G abinge , S. (2003). "P epa ing S uden s o Li elong Lea ning: A Re iew o Ins uc ional
Fea u es and Teaching Me hodologies." Pe o mance Imp o emen Qua e ly, 166-25.
Elazouni, A.M. and Raslan, M.S. (2003). "Foo b idge: P ojec o Implemen Managemen Func ions a
AASTMT." J.P o l.Issues in Eng g.Educ.and P ac ., 129(1), 44-51.
Eu opean Commision (2004). Eu opean c edi ans e and accumula ion sys em (ECTS). Key ea u es,
O ice o O icial Publica ions o he Eu opean Communi ies, Luxembou g.
Gal ín, P. and Domínguez, J. (2007). "Dynamic analysis o a cable-s ayed deck s eel a ch b idge." J. Cons .
S eel Res., 63(8), 1024-1035.
Hadim, H. A. and Esche, S.K. (2002), “Enhancing he enginee ing cu iculum h ough p ojec -based
lea ning.” P oc. 32nd ASEE/IEEE F on ie s in Educa ion Con e ence, ASEE/IEEE, Bos on.
F ank, M., La y, I. And Ela a, D. (2003), “Implemen ing he P ojec -Based Lea ning App oach in an
Academic Enginee ing Cou se.” In e na ional Jou nal o Technology and Design Educa ion, 13, 273–288.
Glynn, E.F. and Fe gusson, W.B. (1994). "Inno a i e In oduc ion o Ci il Enginee ing Cu iculum."
16
Fig. 5. Placing he laye o ca bon ibe on he ein o ced conc e e beams

17
Fig.6. Placing a s ain gage on a conc e e es specimen
18
Fig.7. Placing s ain gages on a s eel beam and i s subsequen bending es
19
Fig.8. Iden i ica ion o he modal pa ame e s o a s uc u e unde he e ec o a mo ing load
20
Fig. 9. Dynamic iden i ica ion o a eal s uc u e wi h GPS-synch onized accele ome e s
21
Fig.10. Measu ing ib a ions caused by oad a ic on a b idge

22
Fig.11. Applying damage de ec ion echniques o CFRP ein o ced conc e e beams wi h ex e nal
ein o cemen s
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Tables
Subjec Depa men Cou se Uni e si y
2009 2010 2009 2010 2009 2010 2009 2010
O ganiza ion o eaching, con en s and
objec i es o he subjec 4,67 3,96 3,84 3,75 3,74 3,69 3,83 3,80
Teaching assis ance in o ice hou s 4,87 4,00 3,74 3,67 3,76 3,66 3,84 3,79
Schedule o o ice hou s 4,67 3,50 3,43 3,44 3,45 3,35 3,60 3,57
Cla i y o he lec u es and explana ions 4,75 4,03 3,55 3,54 3,53 3,49 3,67 3,66
In e es o he eache abou he
unde s anding o he s uden s 4,81 4,43 3,61 3,59 3,60 3,52 3,74 3,72
Use o ealis ic applica ions o explain he
subjec 4,69 4,23 3,67 3,64 3,71 3,65 3,84 3,82
The eache gi es use ul and help ul
in o ma ion when s uden s ask o i 4,75 4,43 3,81 3,79 3,87 3,80 3,94 3,91
The eache p omo es good wo k
en i onmen in he class oom 4,75 3,80 3,31 3,30 3,29 3,24 3,56 3,56
The eache mo i a es he s uden s 4,56 3,69 3,28 3,28 3,19 3,16 3,41 3,42
The eache is espec ul owa ds he s uden s 4,81 4,27 4,11 4,14 4,21 4,15 4,26 4,25
Assessmen me hodology and c i e ia 3,94 3,48 3,45 3,34 3,28 3,23 3,51 3,54
O e all e alua ion o he eache 4,69 4,03 3,62 3,57 3,57 3,52 3,72 3,71
Table 1. Resul s o su eys o pe o med by he Uni e sidad de Se illa o S uc u al Analysis
subjec . Each i em is a ed by each s uden om 0 (wo s ) o 5 (bes ).
24
Yea Wi hou PBL Wi h PBL
Pass
a e
GPA
5-7
GPA
7-9
GPA
9-10
Pass
a e
GPA
5-7
GPA
7-9
GPA
9-10
2008 42 85 13 1 -- -- -- --
2009 40 70 19 4 63 53 41 4
2010 46 91 9 0 71 47 38 16
2011 36 91 9 0 55 52 41 7
Table 2. Pe cen age o pass a es and di e en GPA anges o s uden s ha pa icipa e and do no
pa icipa e in he PBL app oach.
25
Yea 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Nº. S uden s 16 6 22 38 20 16 16 16 8
Subjec con en s 7,9 8,7 8,7 8,1 8,2 7,9 8,7 8,4 8,5
O ganiza ion 8,2 9,5 8,8 8,6 8,4 8,6 8,9 8,2 8,8
In e es o class 8,8 9,3 8,7 7,5 8,5 7,6 8,3 8,2 8,9
Assessmen sys em 8,9 8,8 8,3 8,1 8,6 8,4 8,1 7,8 8,0
Cla i y o he
explana ions o he
eache
8,9 9,0 8,5 8,3 8,7 8,9 9,2 8,7 9,3
O e all assessmen
o he eache 9,0 9,7 8,9 8,7 8,7 8,9 9,4 9,0 9,3
O e all assessmen
o he subjec 8,3 9,0 8,5 8,2 8,6 8,5 8,8 8,3 8,3
Table 3. Su ey esul s o he subjec Expe imen al Analysis o S uc u es. Each i em is a ed by each
s uden om 0 (wo s ) o 10 (bes )