The survey forms provided on this page (through SurveyMonkey.com) are intended for students, instructors, and new civil engineering graduates to provide feedback on the effectiveness and user-friendliness of the Virtual Steel Sculpture. The Northwestern University Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching helped with development of assessment instruments and data analysis. In addition to the survey forms provided on this site, assessment instruments consisted of quizzes specifically designed to assess recognition, analysis and evaluation skills of the student in the area of connections. The quizzes were administered before and after the tool is used to measure learning gains in these areas. Quizzes were supplemented with student interviews using think aloud protocols to assess students’ conceptual understanding of connections.
Students
As you prepare for practice in structural engineering, it is very important to develop a good understanding of connection design limitations and assembly. Connection design and assembly — because of their three-dimensional natures — are inherently more difficult to visualize and understand than the design of major components such as beams and columns. The virtual steel sculpture was developed to provide a 360° view of the sculpture and each connection so that you can view different connection types from any angle. In addition, blue prints, close-up views, field examples, sample calculations, and finite element models of various connection types are provided. Please take a few minutes and complete the student survey form given here. Your input is extremely important to us.
Instructors
In addition to completing the instructor survey form, please provide specific suggestions that could lead to improving this tool. We are also appealing to our colleagues and soliciting their assistance in providing us with additional images. If you are near a location where construction projects are currently underway, please let us know if you are willing to provide images of the connection types used in the project near you. Should you decide to send us images, please send a brief note with any attached images to: Virtual.Steel.Sculpture@gmail.com. We will make certain that appropriate credits are given for the images.
Engineers
We are very interested in receiving feedback from new civil engineering graduates who are practicing in the area of structures. In addition to completing the engineer survey form, please indicate, whether or not the tool is useful and practical to your need and interest. Also, please contact us, if you have access (through work) to images of connection types that you think students would find interesting. You may send us a brief note with any attached images to: Virtual.Steel.Sculpture@gmail.com. We will make certain that appropriate credits are given for the images.