Reform of the Course “Structural Experiment: Theory and Practice” Aimed at Cultivating Innovative Abilities of Future Civil Engineering Talents ^†

Abstract

The cultivation of future civil engineering talents cannot be separated from experimental and practical teaching. The course “Structural Experiment: Theory and Practice” is designed to cultivate students’ good practical abilities. This study addresses the shortcomings in the course, where the traditional model—marked by a lack of preparatory training, an overreliance on verification experiments, and outdated equipment—led to a theory–practice disconnect and low student engagement. To overcome these issues, a teaching reform was implemented focusing on three initiatives: enhancing hands-on training, adding exploratory experiments, and opening research laboratories. Corresponding measures included revising the syllabus, upgrading equipment, and establishing an open-lab system. Evaluation of the outcomes indicates that these measures effectively improved teaching. By integrating practical, diverse, and open research experiences, the reformed framework better promotes students’ skill transfer and innovative capacity. This demonstrates that a shift from a verification-focused to a student-centered, competency-oriented model is essential for achieving an organic integration of theory and practice.

1. Introduction

The cultivation of future civil engineering talents cannot be separated from experimental and practical teaching. For students majoring in civil engineering, the course “Structural Experiment: Theory and Practice” (also commonly referred to as “Building Structural Testing” or “Civil Engineering Structural Testing” in some other universities) is a highly practical and applied professional course. This course combines theoretical and experimental teaching to enable students to master the basic methods and skills of structural testing in order to meet their future needs in civil engineering structural design, construction, testing and identification, and scientific research. It lays the foundation for cultivating high-quality undergraduate civil engineering talents with practical abilities and plays a crucial role in the civil engineering undergraduate curriculum system [1].

However, with the transformation of China’s higher education model from knowledge-based to ability-based and innovative [2], the original teaching mode for the course “Structural Experiment: Theory and Practice”, especially the experimental section, has also shown many inconsistencies with the current teaching development trend, resulting in some experimental content being disconnected from practical application research and an incomplete understanding of the experimental section. Therefore, students’ enthusiasm is not high, and their ability to think independently and innovate is insufficient.

Therefore, this paper intends to focus on the teaching reform of the experimental section of the course and carry out practical research and exploration on the teaching reform for the course “Structural Experiment: Theory and Practice” in order to achieve the goal of improving students’ practical and innovative abilities.

2. Current Problems in Teaching

The following are some urgent issues that we have discovered in the teaching process of this course in recent years:

2.1. Students Lack Training in the Experimental Preparation Stage

Due to the limitations of teaching hours and experimental resources, in the original teaching process, the preparation process of reinforced concrete specimens used in the experiment, including reinforcement structure design, steel bar binding, strain gauge positioning and pre-embedded pasting, mold installation, and concrete pouring and curing forming, was completed by the teacher in advance or outsourced to the supplier. Students did not participate, resulting in a lack of understanding of the internal composition of experimental components, which is not conducive to their understanding of the phenomena and data of specimen loading and failure in various stages of the later experimental process.

2.2. The Experimental Types Tend to Focus on Confirmatory Experiments

The experimental projects carried out in the original experimental teaching process have been pre-set in terms of experimental content, methods, steps, and instrument selection, with the aim of enabling students to master basic knowledge and skills in engineering structural testing and inspection. Students only need to imitate and operate according to the guidance book and the teacher’s explanation, test, and record some prescribed data, which is not conducive to the cultivation of students’ independent thinking and independent innovation ability.

2.3. The Instruments and Equipment Used in Teaching Experiments Do Not Reflect the Characteristics of Current Industry Technology

Due to the high cost of testing instruments and equipment used in structural testing, especially large loading equipment, the number of equipment sets available in the laboratory is generally limited. In the original undergraduate teaching experiments, simple measuring and loading equipment were used as much as possible instead. For example, for loading equipment, conventional teaching experiments usually only use manual jacks. This has affected students’ mastery of modern advanced scientific experimental techniques and equipment and has also caused a serious disconnect between experimental teaching and students’ actual work needs in the future.

3. Educational Reform Measures

In response to the problems mentioned earlier, corresponding measures are proposed by implementing the following three aspects to improve the current teaching mode.

3.1. Add Practical Teaching Content

In this section, based on the principle of voluntary participation by students, we will use the third semester with relatively easy academic tasks to offer courses on the design and production of reinforced concrete components. The content includes the entire process of experimental specimen design, steel bar binding, strain gauge pasting and embedding, concrete pouring [3], etc. The purpose is to incorporate the pre-design and preparation stages of the experiment, enabling students to participate in the entire process of the experiment. Thus, it can stimulate students’ initiative and enable them to apply professional theoretical course knowledge (such as Reinforced Concrete Design Principles and Building Materials) to practice and improve their understanding of experimental phenomena and data in various stages of specimen loading and failure during the later experimental process.

3.2. Add Expanded Experimental Projects Beyond the Regular Projects

Firstly, a compulsory experimental project on the mechanical properties of reinforced concrete eccentrically compressed columns can be established for students. In this experimental project, large-scale hydraulic loading equipment (long column testing machine), the DH3820 high-speed strain acquisition instrument, resistance displacement meter, and other mainstream instruments and equipment used in the industry will be used [4]. These instruments and equipment were not used in the original routine experimental projects. Through this experiment, students can understand and master the mainstream equipment used in the industry, laying a solid foundation for their future work needs. At the same time, this experiment is relatively more complex than conventional experiments, which is conducive to expanding students’ understanding of different types of experiments, promoting their active thinking, and improving their experimental abilities.

In addition, additional structural vibration testing experiments can be added for students to choose from. In the original traditional teaching plan, the teaching of structural dynamics experiments was mainly conducted through classroom lectures, with less emphasis on experimental operations or demonstrations. However, structural vibration testing experiments are the foundation of studying structural seismic design in civil engineering majors. By offering the course on structural vibration testing experiments, obscure and boring theories can be intuitively presented to students, enabling them to better grasp and learn the course material for structural seismic design.

3.3. Support Students to Participate in College Innovation Competitions and Open Up Research Experiments to Them

In conjunction with the university’s innovation competition for college students, students should be encouraged to use the experimental equipment and instruments in the structural engineering laboratory to conduct structural experiments related to the competition. At the same time, research structural experiments conducted by teachers and graduate students in the structural engineering laboratory can be opened to undergraduate students who can voluntarily participate in the experiments. Through the implementation of these two measures, the independent innovation ability of students with a capacity for learning will be greatly improved.

4. Achievements of Educational Reform

The teaching effectiveness achieved by Xiamen University after implementing the aforementioned measures will be introduced.

4.1. Improve the Teaching Plan and Add Relevant Mandatory and Elective Experiments

Specifically, it includes three experimental contents: an eccentric compression test of reinforced concrete columns, production of reinforced concrete beam column components, and measurement of the vibration frequency and amplitude.

The eccentric compression column test of reinforced concrete is a necessary experiment, which requires the use of large-scale hydraulic loading equipment (long column testing machine), a DH3820 high-speed strain acquisition instrument, resistance displacement meter, and other instruments and equipment. These instruments and equipment were not used in the original conventional experimental projects. In addition, students can understand the process and morphological characteristics of failure for short reinforced concrete columns under small eccentric compression through experiments, deepening their understanding of the basic mechanical properties of reinforced concrete columns.

The production of reinforced concrete beam and column components primarily aims at allowing students to understand the manufacturing process of reinforced concrete members and master construction skills such as steel bar binding and concrete vibrating and pouring. This experiment is optional and will be conducted based on the principle of voluntary student participation. It will be scheduled during the short third semester when students have relatively lighter academic workloads, providing them with more hands-on opportunities. By integrating this with later compulsory experiments—such as the flexural failure test of reinforced concrete beams and the eccentric compression test of reinforced concrete columns—students will participate in the entire experimental process. This approach is designed to stimulate their independent initiative and enhance their ability to comprehend the experimental phenomena and data at various stages of specimen loading and failure during subsequent experiments.

The measurement of vibration frequency and amplitude is an optional experiment designed to primarily help students understand the relationship between displacement, velocity, and acceleration in vibration signals and to learn how to use various sensors to measure the displacement, velocity, and acceleration amplitudes of simple harmonic motion [5]. All experiments in the original teaching plan were static tests. The inclusion of this vibration testing experiment significantly expands students’ experimental capabilities and opens a window of opportunity for their potential future work and research in fields such as vibration testing and structural monitoring.

4.2. Purchased and Improved Experimental Equipment for Teaching

With the improvement of the teaching plan, a batch of experimental equipment for teaching has been purchased, which has improved the experimental teaching conditions. To better and more smoothly implement the aforementioned new experimental project content and provide favorable conditions for fostering students’ innovative abilities, a set of tools, equipment, and instruments has been purchased in alignment with the university’s procurement plan. For conducting the production of reinforced concrete beam and column components, tools such as wire hooks, reinforcement cages, internal vibrators, dumpers, steel trowels, brick trowels, and shovels have been added. The most significant equipment acquired is two sets of the DHBMT Building Model Modal Test System V1.0, each valued at approximately 180,000 RMB. This system integrates excitation equipment, building frame models, sensors, data acquisition devices, and modal analysis software, ensuring that students can carry out vibration testing experiments and creating a solid foundation for future expansion into related dynamics experimental teaching.

4.3. Laboratory’s Open Reservation System Has Been Established and Refined

Supporting open experimental teaching, the laboratory’s open reservation system has been established and refined. Opening laboratories to students is an objective requirement for higher education institutions to cultivate high-quality, innovative talents with international competitiveness who can meet the needs of national economic construction and social development in the new century. Open access to laboratories maximizes the utility of experimental resources, provides students with space for self-directed development and practical exercise, and stimulates their innovative enthusiasm and interest. It plays a crucial role in comprehensively developing students’ scientific approaches, innovative awareness, and practical abilities. To this end, we have formulated the “Interim Provisions of Xiamen University Structural Engineering Laboratory on Opening Laboratories to Undergraduates,” supporting students in using the laboratory’s equipment and instruments to conduct innovation and entrepreneurship projects. For instance, the aforementioned DHBMT Building Model Modal Test System can serve as equipment for testing the performance of structural models designed by students for competitions like the University Structural Design Contest by merely replacing the building model with the students’ contest models, thereby helping them improve their competitive skills and innovative capabilities. Furthermore, in conjunction with the undergraduate academic advisor system, outstanding undergraduates can participate in structural experiment research conducted by faculty and graduate students in the structural laboratory. The establishment of this system promotes student involvement in these two types of highly independent and innovative experimental research, which will significantly enhance their autonomous innovation capabilities.

5. Discussion

The teaching reform practice in the course “Structural Experiment: Theory and Practice” described above can be deeply analyzed through relevant educational theories.

First, the issues—lack of student training in experimental preparation, overreliance on verification experiments, and equipment misaligned with industry technology—reflect that traditional experimental teaching remains confined to a passive knowledge transmission and skill replication model. This neglects students’ agency and the holistic nature of engineering practice, aligning with the critique of the “knowledge transfer view” in constructivist learning theory [6,7], which argues that mere demonstration and imitation inhibit the development of comprehensive practical abilities and innovative thinking.

The three measures implemented—adding practical experimental sessions, expanding experimental projects, and opening research-based experiments—essentially embody the integration of experiential learning and the CDIO (Conceive, Design, Implement, and Operate) framework in engineering education [8]. By introducing required and elective experiments, students engage in the complete experimental process within authentic or simulated engineering contexts. This reflects Dewey’s educational principle of “learning by doing,” fostering the integration of knowledge and action [9]. Expanded experiments and open research projects further correspond to inquiry-based and project-based learning theories, encouraging students to shift from verifying known outcomes to exploring unknowns, thereby enhancing their ability to solve complex engineering problems. Moreover, upgrading equipment and establishing an open-lab reservation system not only improve the learning environment but also institutionally support autonomous and collaborative inquiry, consistent with the humanistic learning theory’s emphasis on creating supportive learning conditions [10,11].

The outcomes achieved after the reform demonstrate that through well-structured practical sessions, diversified experiment types, and open innovation platforms, students’ knowledge construction, skill transfer, and innovative awareness in engineering practice can be effectively promoted. This further indicates that the teaching of engineering experiments should move beyond the traditional verification-based framework toward a student-centered, competency-oriented, and industry-aligned comprehensive practical teaching model, achieving an organic unity of theory and practice and learning and innovation.

6. Conclusions

This paper explores the necessity and implementation of practical teaching reform in the “Theory and Practice of Structural Testing” course. Confronted with the disconnect between traditional experimental teaching and the evolving demands for innovative engineering talent, this research identified core deficiencies in the original teaching model. In response, a reform was designed and executed, centered on three pivotal measures: strengthening practical training, broadening the scope of experimental projects, and fostering an open, research-conducive laboratory environment.

The effectiveness of this reform validates its underlying educational philosophy. The initiatives are deeply aligned with the principles of experiential learning and the CDIO framework, facilitating a transition from passive knowledge reception to active “learning by doing” and inquiry-based exploration. The post-reform outcomes confirm that such a structured and open practical teaching system significantly enhances students’ comprehensive abilities in engineering practice. Therefore, it is concluded that the future of engineering experiment education lies in fundamentally transcending the conventional verification-based paradigm. Embracing a student-centric, competency-driven, and industry-synchronized integrated practical teaching model is the key to bridging the gap between academic knowledge and professional practice, ultimately cultivating civil engineering graduates who are equipped with strong innovative and problem-solving skills.