Discussion Topic : Invitation to review web-based class projects on "Geoenvironmental Remediation" prepared by Michigan students (for the next two weeks)

Dear geoenvironmental professionals, I wanted to invite you to review the class projects on ?Geoenvironmental Remediation? that were prepared by University of Michigan students who are taking this semester the graduate-level CEE 549 course in ?Geoenvironmental Engineering?. The class projects are available here: http://www.geoengineer.org/education/web-based-class-projects/geoenvironmental-remediation-technologies . Scroll down to see the list of projects and click on the topic of your interest. Once you have selected the project, you can review the table of contents for that project at the right side of your screen. If you click ?See entire project? you will view their entire report as one document, instead of each section of their report separately. The idea is the following: Instead of having students prepare a class project report to me (the instructor), students (one geotechnical, one environmental) worked in pairs and prepared a project on the internet. I will formally review this as part of my instructor duties, but this deliverable can now also be reviewed and edited by research experts and experienced professionals in each remediation technique worldwide! Each project has an ?Add a comment? box at the bottom that allows you to provide comments. If you provide any technical, editorial or other comments during the next two weeks, i.e., by next Wednesday 3rd of April, students will be required to respond to them and incorporate the necessary changes to their project. They will then finalize their project and also create a video. The web-based report and the video will remain online indefinitely providing useful technical content for geoenvironmental professionals worldwide. The motivation for this initiative is the research findings that students are more motivated, find a class more appealing, and learn better when class projects have an impact beyond the classroom and are viewed by more individuals than the instructor. I am also planning to objectively assess that from a student learning perspective. I am sure students will be excited to have lots of viewers of their projects, as well as comments, so I wanted to encourage you to participate. Also, for your information, the web-based platform that was used was developed by Geoengineer.org with partial funding from the ASCE Geo-Institute http://www.geoengineer.org/education/web-based-class-projects . If you have an interest in using at no cost this platform as part of your classes, or if you also have any additional feedback for future improvements of the platform, please contact me. This is the first time we use the platform and I attempt this as an instructor. I feel like I am opening my classroom to the world and so all that is exciting for me and the students. Also, please forward this e-mail to any colleagues within or outside your company that you think may be interested in participating, particularly professionals. Best, Dimitrios
University of Michigan geoenvironmental remediation
Posted: 21/03/2013 05:20
Dimitrios Zekkos