Soil mechanics laboratory classes as an integral part of the learning process

摘要

Laboratory classes can be regarded as important to help students grasp the fundamentals of SoilrnMechanics, but this is sometimes discarded as impractical or bound to be restricted to demos, especially in largernclassrooms. Demonstrations can, after all, be simply presented in the classroom, even by means of videos orrnYouTube clips. Notwithstanding the merit of such displays, the point is made in the paper that students can reach arnbetter understanding of the fundamentals if they have a hands-on experience in the lab. Moreover, this experiencerncan be designed so as to also foster development of soft skills which are valued competencies of the engineerrnof the 21st century. A tested method of doing so, even with large numbers of students, is described, as well asrnthe involvement required from those students in terms of self-learning. Soil identification and classification isrnalso learned by means of a carefully designed hands-on laboratory experiment that usually meets with joyfulrninvolvement by the students.