Experimental Learning

UT Tyler College of Engineering Creates Lab Kits Amid Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic forced UT Tyler faculty and staff to reach students differently as the University transitioned to an online learning environment this summer. The challenge faculty faced? How would they continue quality education in a 100 percent online format? What would courses with a main laboratory component look like?

Dr. Michael Gangone was one of many UT Tyler faculty members who rose to the challenge. If students couldn’t conduct experiments in the lab environment, he brought the labs to them – so students could conduct experiments at home.

“These days you can find a video online that demonstrates every lab experiment we do, but to actually perform the lab experiment yourself has a much greater impact,” said Gangone, an associate professor in civil engineering. “There is also a notion out there that because a lab is related to engineering, that it must be done in an on-campus lab. In some cases that is true, but I think with the right frame of mind and some “outside the box” thinking, there are some things that students can do at home and get that same impact from the in-laboratory experience.”

Gangone created a lab kit for each of his 32 students in the course, Civil Engineering Materials, Codes and Specifications, which, in part, introduces students to the common materials used in civil engineering construction in addition to how engineers test for or measure various properties of those materials following appropriate specifications. These proficiencies, Gangone noted, are necessary when designing a bridge, building, roadway, foundation or any other civil engineering project.

Creating the Lab Kits

Gangone brainstormed and collaborated with Dr. Michael McGinnis, associate dean and McNally Professor of Civil Engineering, to find a way to still provide students with the hands-on experience without being in an on-campus laboratory. They developed a list of lab experiments as well as the materials Gangone would need to provide the students to perform the experiments. Because the laboratory experiences would be conducted in homes, experiments had to be scaled down and modified. Each experiment was tested and finalized.

East Texas students who normally take classes in Tyler came to campus to pick up their kits, while Gangone drove to Houston to deliver kits to students at the University’s Houston Engineering Center (HEC).

Gangone created additional instructional videos on YouTube to give assistance on the nine experiments students completed. Among them, students learned how to batch, mix and produce fresh concrete, build a reinforced concrete beam and analyze various types and sizes of aggregates – which are rocks and sands – and apply tests on the samples to determine moisture content, absorption capacity and bulk unit weight.

“I’m hoping that our students were able to understand and appreciate how we determine properties of various materials that are important for civil engineering design applications,” Gangone said. “It is also important to see firsthand how certain materials behave in certain conditions.”

“For example, the impact of increasing the amount of water in a concrete mix and what that does to that mix, or seeing why it is necessary to add steel to a beam made of concrete and understanding where the steel needs to be placed to make it effective,” he said.

Planning for the Future

Will Gangone  incorporate the lab kits in this course again? While there are plans to teach the lab component of this particular course in person this fall on both campuses, Gangone said he hopes to use the kits if the course is offered in an online format during a future summer term.

“I can also see us using the kits if we decide to start offering more online classes or sections of classes to accommodate more students in the program,” he said. “I plan on using them again at some point in the future. The only question is when.”

Gangone also hopes this idea sparks an in interest for other faculty to produce other lab kits for their courses.

“I’m hopeful that this at-home lab experience will get other faculty thinking about how they can transition their labs into this environment in case we ever need to transition a class online in the future,” he said.

Students’ Experiences at Home

Gangone received positive feedback from students. Another benefit to having these at-home lab kits was that they provided outreach activities for those who were not in the course, Gangone added. He encouraged students to involve people who may not already be in civil engineering to get them thinking about the field.

“Some of my students involved both kids and other adults when completing the lab experiments,” he said. “It is never too early to start children especially in thinking about a career in engineering. I’m hopeful that these labs provided some spark to ignite their interest.”

One of those students in Gangone’s class was Aaron Luscombe of Bullard, who appreciated the creativity behind the lab kits and allowed his 14-year-old daughter, Libby, to assist him with some of the experiments.

“It means a lot to me that UT Tyler was dedicated to providing a very educational and challenging course online with hands-on laboratory experience during this pandemic,” said Luscombe, who will graduate in 2022.

A mother of three slated to graduate from the UT Tyler HEC next May, Ana Bonilla of Houston said her children were all fairly involved and found the experiments both interesting and exciting.

“My second eldest son has already decided he wants to be an engineer in the future, and this was perfect for him to experience,” Bonilla said. “I want to thank Dr. Gangone for allowing us to do this and also include our families.”

Another HEC student, Robert Truong of Houston, said the course was “a great learning experience” that taught him how to be both adaptable and flexible during challenging times.

"The civil engineering department could have simply pieced together videos and asked us to base our reports on them, but instead, they provided us with the material to do the experiments on our own,” said Truong, who will also graduate next year. “What Gangone did for us in the class shows his dedication as a professor.”

Impacting Lives Through Teaching

The UT System Board of Regents also acknowledged that dedication, recently honoring Gangone with a Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, which recognizes superior undergraduate teaching. Among past honors, he also earned the 2018 American Society of Civil Engineering Excellence in Civil Engineering Education (ExCEEd) New Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award, a national teaching honor.

“I put a lot of effort into my teaching because I really enjoy it,” said Gangone, who has served UT Tyler since 2012. “It is my sincere hope that I can impact the lives of our students for the better so that they graduate not only with the technical and social competencies to be successful in their careers but also leave as better people who will make great impacts in our world.”

Gangone’s research interests include innovative bridge research and design methods as well as the development of structural health monitoring and condition assessment techniques for highway bridges and other structural systems.

Luscombe works with youth, teaching them softball and football fundamentals, and plans to become a Tyler-based civil engineer. His hobbies include cooking, fishing and hunting.

A retired US Marine, Bonilla enjoys spending time with her children, creating custom-designed furniture, cooking and volunteering her time with multiple veteran organizations in Houston. She plans to become a local part-time structural engineer while pursuing a master’s degree in architectural engineering.

A father of two sons, Truong hopes to become a part-time engineering consultant while pursuing other business adventures. He enjoys fishing, woodworking, sports and spending time with his family.

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