Engaging and Exciting Student Learning Through Small-scale and Friendly Contests in Classroom

Hanwan Jiang

Keywords: Small-scale, Contests, student engagement

TL;DR: The author introduced a series of low stakes, short duration contests into civil engineering courses.

Abstract:

Post COVID classroom observations revealed a notable decline in student engagement, with many learners increasingly distracted by digital devices. Motivated to restore active participation and inspired by the competitive, collaborative spirit of American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Student Symposium events, the author introduced a series of low stakes, short duration contests into civil engineering courses. These activities were intentionally structured to promote motivation, reinforce key technical concepts, and maintain a supportive learning environment while avoiding the stress and negative outcomes sometimes associated with classroom competition. Three laboratory based courses—Civil Engineering Materials Testing, Introduction to Surveying, and Wood Design—were selected for pilot implementation based on their emphasis on hands on learning. The contests were designed around important course topics, implemented within limited time frames, and paired with clear communication to ensure students understood their purpose and low risk nature.
Two case studies illustrate the effectiveness of this approach. A “horse race” problem solving challenge improved students’ understanding of weight–volume relationships for aggregates, resulting in a 100% correctness rate on a mid-term test. A Concrete Frisbee Competition engaged students in applying mix design principles to create and test concrete frisbees. Teaching effectiveness survey was conducted and the results for concrete frisbee contest indicate that this contest stimulated students’ curiosity and enhanced their understanding of the course content.
Overall teaching evaluation results reveal that small, friendly, carefully structured contests can enhance engagement, strengthen conceptual understanding, and foster creativity and collaboration. The paper concludes that incorporating well designed small-scale contest into civil engineering education can be an effective strategy for improving post pandemic student engagement. More data from teaching surveys will be collected in the future and iterations will be made to refine timing, expectations, and assessment based on ongoing feedback.

Email Sharing: We authorize the sharing of all author emails with Program Chairs.

Data Release: We authorize the release of our submission and author names to the public in the event of acceptance.

Submission Number: 13