This repository contains the Jupyter Notebook employed for the teaching experience described in this document. The paper published as a result of this work can be found here. The notebook can be launched using the "launch binder" button without installing anything in your computer.
The STEAM model combines the academic disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM), forming a very relevant and increasingly fundamental educational approach within technologically advanced societies. Realworld concepts and applications are associated in ways that encourage students to apply them whenever possible to their learning processes. In this context, Jupyter Notebooks and their highly innovative tools offer transparency for scientific research and the reproducibility of new findings.
This study unit within the Theory of Structures and Industrial Constructions course module involves matrix structural analysis, requiring intensive matrix calculus and computational methods, which cannot be solved with pen and paper alone. Student use of the Jupyter Notebook when applying the direct stiffness method to the resolution of reticulated structures was studied in two laboratory sessions. An example of the software was first presented and explained. The students were then required to solve a series of problems of increasing difficultly where only part of the solution was available to check their results, thereby facilitating self-directed learning. At the end of the session, the students were administered a survey to evaluate their satisfaction.
The total number of opinions registered was 28. Although half of the students said that they did not like programming, and 60% found the code difficult to follow, 82% found the laboratory sessions useful for understanding the direct stiffness method. Furthermore, the sessions helped them to comprehend the usefulness of the method and the preference for choosing the Jupyter Notebooks method rather than solving the problems manually.
This methodology has promoted an interactive learning environment in which the stiffness method for structural calculations should be analyzed. It enhances self‐regulated learning and promotes blended learning and a collaborative environment. The survey responses reflected their high levels of acceptance of this teaching methodology.
Suárez‐García, A., Arce‐Fariña, E., Álvarez Hernández, M., & Fernández‐Gavilanes, M. (2021). Teaching structural analysis theory with Jupyter Notebooks. Computer Applications in Engineering Education. https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.22383