This session features presentations associated with 10 collaborative papers from within a larger symposium volume. Each manuscript was written by groups of faculty who use some of the most innovative approaches to teach topics in concrete materials and structural concrete design at the upper-division and graduate level. The session will include presentations related to educational resources for teaching these concrete topics, student competitions in advanced courses, additive manufacturing, sustainability, advanced concrete rheology, concrete repair, concrete pavements, torsion, concrete bridge design, and prestressed concrete design.
Strategies to Teach Concrete Repair
Presented By: Kyle Riding
Affiliation: University of Florida
Description: Concrete repair is a growing industry that requires trained professionals that can correctly diagnose causes of concrete structural distress and design durable repairs. Concrete repairs often fail because of either an incorrect diagnosis of the distress cause or improper repair design. Education and training in fundamentals of concrete structural evaluation methods and repair design principles can significantly improve the service life of concrete structures. Repurposing and rehabilitation of concrete structures is most often much more sustainable than constructing new structures. This paper gives an example of course learning objectives and course outline for a concrete repair course. Teaching resources available, with an emphasis on relevant free student and teacher resources through ACI to enrich the course curriculum, are also given. For example, ways to integrate the ACI 562 “Code Requirements for Assessment, Repair, and Rehabilitation of Existing Concrete Structures and Commentary” into the curriculum is given. This paper also describes how to integrate case studies into the course curriculum, both through discussion and for practice in design. Lessons learned from past experiences teaching repair are also given.
Effective Course Structure for a Concrete Pavement Design Course
Presented By: Armen Amirkhanian
Affiliation: University of Alabama
Description: Teaching concrete pavement design presents unique challenges and opportunities for new civil engineering faculty. This paper outlines best pedagogical practices for teaching slab-on-grade, highway, and airport concrete pavements to senior undergraduate or graduate students. Grounded in constructivist learning theory, the proposed approach emphasizes active learning strategies, including problem-based projects, worked examples, and engagement with real design standards, to deepen student understanding. We discuss syllabus structure, key course content (pavement types, joint design, drainage, overlays, durability), and alignment with ABET accreditation outcomes for civil engineering programs. Literature on engineering education and design pedagogy is reviewed to support active, student-centered learning. Finally, a detailed course design and suggested teaching methods are presented. These highlight the free resources (e.g., CP Tech Center manuals, ACI guides) that new instructors can leverage. Results from prior implementations indicate improved student engagement, conceptual understanding, and attainment of learning outcomes.
Pedagogical Methods for Teaching Torsion Design of Reinforced Concrete Beams
Presented By: Brock Hedegaard
Affiliation: University of Minnesota Duluth
Description: This paper presents pedagogical tools that may be used in the instruction of torsional design of reinforced concrete beams for an advanced concrete design class geared for senior-level undergraduate and Master’s-level graduate students. Torsion design of reinforced concrete combines both with longitudinal steel requirements for flexural moments and transverse steel requirements for shear force, as therefore makes a useful framework for synthesizing many different beam design topics into an “advanced beam design” unit. For the benefit of the instructor, or even the enterprising student, this is followed by an overview of torsional demands and design in accordance with ACI 318-25. This paper presents course-level information about where and how a torsional design unit may be taught within an advanced concrete design course. Examples of physical demonstrations, example problems, and assessment methods are given to deliver content to students and to evaluate their ability to meet the stated learning objectives. The paper concludes with a discussion on the lessons that the author has learned from teaching this topic since 2020.
Teaching Strategies and Resources for a Prestressed Concrete Course
Presented By: Ben Dymond
Affiliation: Northern Arizona University
Description: Prestressed concrete is used in a wide range of building and transportation structures where its improved performance and material efficiency is typically associated with longer spans, reduced structural thickness, and material savings compared with conventional reinforced concrete. However, there are some key differences in the behavior, limit states, serviceability, and strength design of prestressed concrete compared to cast-in-place concrete. The following four concepts were identified by the authors as the key differences, which are often associated with student confusion in an advanced prestressed concrete course: allowable stress, loss of prestress, and shear capacity. This paper presents an overview of how instructors can highlight the key differences between prestressed and reinforced concrete. Furthermore, this paper includes significant resources that can be used when starting a prestressed concrete course, including syllabus content, learning objectives, assessment tools, available technical resources and methods of integrating them into the course, and innovative teaching techniques that can aid in removing the bottleneck to learning often associated with the key prestressed concrete concepts. The paper also highlights lessons learned from the authors based on observations from several years of instruction.
Teaching a Concrete Bridge Analysis and Design Course
Presented By: Ben Dymond
Affiliation: Northern Arizona University
Description: Concrete bridges offer a combination of strength, durability, versatility, and sustainability that make them a preferred choice for many infrastructure projects. However, there are some unique differences between concrete building and bridge analysis and design. The following three concepts were identified by the authors as the most unique, and they are often associated with student confusion in a bridge analysis and design course: applied loads and limit states, shear capacity of prestressed concrete bridge girders, and bridge deck equivalent strip design. This paper presents an overview of the key concepts related to concrete bridge analysis and design that instructors can highlight. Furthermore, this paper includes significant resources that can be used when starting a bridge analysis and design course, including syllabus content, learning objectives, assessment tools and rubrics, available technical resources, and methods of integrating them into undergraduate and graduate level courses. Lastly, innovative teaching techniques are discussed that can aid in removing the difficulty often associated with teaching and learning about concrete bridges. The paper highlights lessons learned from the authors based on observations from several years of instruction.