Goals of the Cracking Dams module

There are four main goals of this site:
to introduce you to engineering skills and concepts
analytical thinking
iterative design
multiple solutions
teamwork

to introduce you to civil engineering
structures, particularly dams
fracture mechanics
even some hydraulics and geotech

to show you how simulation is used in engineering

and to provide a connection between engineering and society.

There are several learning theories that are applied in this site:

collaborative, particularly in the WebQuests

constructivist (hands-on), particularly in the Simulation and loss of life estimation

case-based reasoning, using the Case Histories

problem-based learning, learning how to do a computer simulation of cracking in a dam and how to assess risks in the construction or decommissioning of a dam

and scaffolding (providing support and direction for movement through the site), particularly using the WebQuests

We hope to achieve these goals through the use of a WebQuest which will guide you through the site. What are all these things, you may ask? Get started and find out!