MANAGING AN ONLINE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT IN A CIVIL ENGG COURSE USING CANVAS

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MANAGING AN ONLINE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT IN AN UNDERGRADUATE COURSE IN CIVIL ENGINEERING DURING THE COMMUNITY QUARANTINE Dr. Andres Winston C. Oreta Professor, Civil Engineering Department, DLSU, Manila Email: andyoreta@yahoo.com 1 May 2020

ABSTRACT: The imposition of the community quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Metro Manila at the start of the second week of March 2020 resulted to a change in the teaching and learning environment in many universities including De La Salle University such that the faculty and the students have to adopt an online platform in the delivery and completion of the academic courses for the rest of the term. This paper presents the author’s experience and lessons as he manages an online classroom environment in the under graduate course on Theory of Structures using the universitywide Lasallian online learning management system (AnimoSpace) and other internet-based and digital tools. KEYWORDS: Online Learning, Canvas, AnimoSpace, Theory of Structures, Civil Engineering, COVID-19, Quarantine 1. INTRODUCTION The author has been an active user of internet-based and digital tools in the practice of his profession as an engineering educator and civil engineer. His blog (Figure 1 - http:digitalstructures.blogspot.com) has posted articles on various topics like structural engineering for kids, outcomes-based education, photo-videos on understanding earthquakes and disasters, engineering education, computer applications in civil engineering and faculty and student researches in structural engineering. He has used internet-based and digital tools in the delivery and conduct of several courses in the classroom such as developing a web-based learning module in structural analysis [1][2], students developing their own computer applications using Visual Basic [3] [4], development of learning modules in structural analysis for a computer-aided structural analysis laboratory course [5], producing photovideo presentations in aid of teaching [6][7], students developing GUI-based computer games in a programming course [8], using internet-based tools like Yahoo Group in managing files and YouTube in presenting video tutorials Figure 1. http:digitalstructures.blogspot.com [9], use of commercial software like MS Excel and GRASP in a matrix structural analysis course [10] and development of teaching and learning modules using MS PowerPoint and videos in courses like Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction for senior high school students [11] and Civil Engineering Orientation for CE freshmen [12]. He has applied informally a blended learning approach in some of his courses by complementing face-to-face classroom lectures with online resources [9] such as connecting with the students though Yahoo Group which has several functions such as sending messages and announcements and uploading e-copies of lecture notes and reading materials though the files option which the students can download and read, using the Google form to create surveys and quizzes and students watching video tutorials at YouTube as part of the fourth hour where students are encouraged to do additional work outside of the classroom. The imposition of a community quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Metro Manila at the start of the second week of March 2020 resulted to a change in the teaching and learning environment in many universities

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