CE 160: Introduction to Structural Engineering

Mastery-Based, Equitable, Inclusive

Course Description

CE 160 is a 3 unit lecture course that has an enrollment of approximately 90 students over two sections. The course is required for civil engineering majors and is typically taken two or three semesters before graduating. It also satisfies GE Area B5 for civil engineering majors.

Course Description: Analysis of statically determinate and indeterminate beams, frames, and trusses. Includes energy principles, flexibility and stiffness analyses, and influence lines. Computers are used to aid in the solution of complex structural problems.

Overview of the Redesign Project

Motivation: Post-COVID, the DFW rate for this course skyrocketed despite using similar assessment strategies to those pre-COVID. This is attributed to weak fundamentals coming from prerequisite courses they took during the height of the pandemic. Reducing the equity gaps and DFW rate in this course aligns with the goals in the department, college, and campus. Ensuring students understand the material and are prepared to enter the workforce as practicing engineers is another important issue to address with students struggling in this course.

Techniques: I used mastery-based assessment strategies instead of high-stakes exams with frequent low-stakes assignments. Past assessment techniques (homework, peer-review problems, quizzes) were available for students to use to practice/study. The two exams and final exam were broken into nine exams with one problem each. Students were provided a 1-4 rubric for each exam and had to achieve at least a 2 to pass the course. They had unlimited attempts and opportunities in class for at least two attempts per exam. Additional attempts took place during office hours or appointments.

Goal: Increase equity and reduce DFWs by offering students multiple opportunities to showcase their understanding. Provide time for them to practice and improve their fundamentals if that was what was holding them back from doing well in the course.

Assessment of the Redesign Project

I compared the course grades pre and post pandemic including the switch to mastery-based grading. Anecdotally, I saw significant growth in students who came to office hours or who required multiple attempts to successfully pass an exam topic. I saw this growth in the types of questions they asked and the skills they were able to demonstrate throughout the semester.

This table communicates the impact of my course redesign
Mastery-Based Rubric	Mastery-Based Gradebook	Comparison of grades Pre & Post Pandemic for CE 160
Example of rubric for mastery-based exams.	Example of grade book for new assessment strategies	Graphs show shifting of grades from mostly Cs pre-pandemic to mostly C- and lower post-pandemic and finally mostly As and Bs using mastery-based assessment.

Reflection

Success: DFW rates went down significantly and students were achieving higher grades overall. These grades were based purely on their understanding of the content and not confounding factors (i.e. attendance, homework, etc.). Students gained confidence and demonstrated persistence in learning the material which was not showcased in the past for students who did not do well on the first exam and gave up.

Challenges: Managing retakes in a way that is equitable and also forces students to demonstrate they've spent time practicing before reattempting the exam needs to take place. Some students tried to brute force their way through exams unsuccessfully by just taking them as many times as possible (10+).

Next steps: Expand mastery based grading to the prerequisite courses and subsequent electives that build off this course to ensure students actually understand the content and will be successful practicing engineers.

Faculty Biography

This table includes my faculty biography.
	Dr. Fogarty is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) who earned her B.S. in Civil Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, M.S. degrees in both Civil and Aerospace Engineering, a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, and a certificate in Engineering Education Research from the University of Michigan. She is currently an Associate Professor in Civil Engineering at California State University, Sacramento with research interests ranging from the seismic behavior of steel structures to improving/expanding the educational methods used in the formation of engineers.

**Program Sponsors**
	This work was supported by: Sacramento State Anchor Initiative Sacramento State Academic Affairs - Center for Teaching and Learning