Virtual classroom with the use of a learning module

Summary form only given. A portion of the junior level water resources engineering course was revised to consist of a short lecture, and problem solving in class using a drainage module. The class was divided into two sections. The first section was given lectures in class and assigned a drainage project. The second section was only introduced to the topic and given the module. The second section was assigned the same project as the first section. After the initial instructions, the two sections were separated into different classrooms. The modules are used as a learning aid by solving drainage problems in a number of illustrative examples. US Army Corps of Engineers Programs (HEC-I and HEC-RAS) are used to solve these examples. The instructor organized the groups according to grades obtained by students in earlier tests. Each group prepared two written reports, summarizing the results of their project with the HEC printouts in the appendix. A test was also given to the class on the HEC projects that they completed. Finally each student filled an assessment questionnaire. The section without the module scored 1.5 out of 100 better than the section with the module on the reports and also scored five points higher on the test. In general, the students with the highest academic average (smartest students) scored the highest on the tests and reports and the students with the lowest academic average (worst students) scored the lowest. This scoring was independent of the section the student was in.