Developing Active Learning Materials for the Introductory Transportation Engineering
Project Title
Developing Active Learning Materials for the Introductory Transportation Engineering Course
University
University of Idaho
Principal Investigator
Michael Kyte, Maria Tribelhorn
U of I Civil & Environmental Engineering
PI Contact Information
U of I Civil & Environmental Engineering
Funding Sources and Amounts Provided
US Department of Transportation — $60,000
University of Idaho — $60,000 match
Total Project Cost
$120,000
Agency ID or Contract Number
DTRT12GUTC17 KLK904
Start Date
1/1/12
End Date
1/31/14
Description of Research Project
The introductory course in transportation engineering is taught in most civil engineering programs in the U.S. While pedagogical research shows that student-centered active learning produces deeper knowledge and conceptual understanding, most curricula available for this course does not include text or problems that support this learning approach. The purpose of this project is to study conceptual misunderstandings of civil engineering students in the area of intersection operations, to review the material on intersection operations available in current textbooks, and to develop a set of activity-based learning materials to support deeper understanding of fundamental concepts of intersection operations to be used and tested in the introductory course in transportation engineering.
Implementation of Research Outcomes
Planned objective: The objective for this project is to develop and test activity-based curriculum for the intersection operations section of the introductory course in transportation engineering. An initial draft of a module on signalized intersection operation was developed and tested during the spring semester 2013. As a result of this pilot test, significant modifications were made to this draft module during the summer and fall 2013. Intensive external review of the material was conducted by five reviewers. A final version of the module was completed in December 2013.
- Master of Science thesis completed by Maria Tribelhorn, May 2013.
- Final report, completed December 2013.
- Final module, completed December 2013.
- Example and homework problems spreadsheet solutions and templates, initial versions completed December 2013.
Impacts and Benefits of the Project
The primary beneficiary of the work of this project is the student who takes the introductory transportation engineering, as this approach to teaching and learning will generate a better prepared and capable civil engineering student. The secondary beneficiary is the faculty member who teaches this course, as this material will help him or her to be better prepared to deliver active learning environments.
- The chapter on signalized intersection operations will be made available to faculty around the U.S. for use in their introductory transportation course. sig intx module 2014.01.02
Papers
- Master of Science thesis completed by Maria Tribelhorn, May 2013.
- Final report, completed December 2013.
- Final module, completed December 2013. “Operation, Analysis, and Design of Signalized Intersections, A Module for the Introductory Course in Transportation Engineering”, Michael Kyte and Maria Tribelhorn, University of Idaho.
- Example and homework problems spreadsheet solutions and templates, initial versions completed December 2013.
Web Links
Final Report: KLK904_FinalReport_20140203
Keywords
- traffic operations
- traffic signal control systems
- education and training
- curriculum