TEACHING ENGINEERING GEOLOGY BY COMPUTER SIMULATION OF SITE INVESTIGATIONS

Teachers of Geology and Geological Engineering are challenged with the task of teaching students how to apply geological concepts to solve ground-water contamination problems. To address this task, we have developed a computer simulator for hazardous waste and geotechnical investigations (BEST SiteSim) and have tested its effectiveness as a teaching tool. The goal of the project is to improve students' ability to apply and interpret geologic information, in the same investigative scenarios they will encounter in the working world. Also, use of BEST Site Sim will address the difficulty in helping students develop an understanding of the spatial variability and uncertainty in hydrogeologic and geotechnical properties.

BEST SiteSim uses multi-dimensional data arrays representing real hazardous waste and geotechnical sites, which students investigate by indicating the location and depth of borings and by requesting laboratory testing. The computer then returns a geologic/soils log of each boring or well, chemical data on ground water, geotechnical data, and the cost for the boring or laboratory data. At this point, the student is forced to evaluate the data to select follow-up boring locations. The student's goal is to optimize expenses and the number of borings while determining the limits of ground-water contamination or the range and variability of geotechnical properties at the site.

The program's effectiveness in teaching site investigation skills has been tested through measurements of the accuracy of students' data interpretations and through an open-ended written assessment test. Future versions of BEST SiteSim will include additional sites, ground-water modeling routines, random site generation capability, and virtual site tours.