A Project-Based Introductory Geotechnical Laboratory Course

Nearly all undergraduate civil engineering curricula include a geotechnical laboratory course. The traditional format consists of conducting individual isolated laboratory tests, often on manufactured samples, with separate weekly reporting for each test. Although this format provides hands-on experience with standard test methods, it does not teach how these tests are integrated into the design process. More importantly, it does not provide the student with any experience in the broader challenge of characterizing a real site, and thus presents an overly sanitized picture of the site characterization process. In order to address these pedagogical shortcomings, the authors and their colleagues have developed an alternative format which consists of a project-based laboratory course that is taught after completion of the associated lecture course. This paper presents the rationale for the course design, describes the course organization and content, and provides a qualitative assessment through authors' experiences in teaching undergraduates using this approach.