Coastal Engineering Education and Coastal Models

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Coastal Engineering Education and Coastal Models
Presentation ICCE 2012, Santander

• J. W. Kamphuis
• Queens University
• Kingston, ON, Canada K7L 3N6
• kamphuis_at_civil.queensu.ca

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• This is NOT a learned paper.
• It is a PLEA for two things
• 1. Fundamental change to coastal engineering
  education, particularly at the graduate level.
• 2. Recognition of the need for coastal models as
  a fundamental teaching tool in coastal
  engineering.

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Part A - EducationPart B - Using Models
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Part A - Education
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A1. Introduction
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Introduction
Education

• In light of climate change and rising water
  levels, there will be an increasing and urgent
  need for coastal engineers who can actually
  design and manage construction of coastal
  projects.

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Two Facts
Introduction
Education

• Coastal design is complex and requires a broad
  palette of knowledge and skills.
• Most new students are not innately familiar with
  even basic coastal processes (such as wave
  action, tidal motion, transport of sediment)

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Fact 3
Introduction
Education

• Many of todays young people have difficulty
  learning through formal lectures, no matter how
  carefully and interestingly the material is
  crafted (using internet, media, etc.) .
• The generation that grew up with the internet,
  social networking, flashing images, sound bites
  and twitter is here.
• Coastal Engineering Education needs to adapt to
  teach such coastal engineers effectively.

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Lecturing vs. Coaching
Introduction
Education

• Prior to coming to university, students have
  mainly been coached, rather than taught.
• My definition Coaching - Guiding an individual
  through a process mostly with hands-on experience
  and practice (as in sports, music, etc).

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A2. Coastal Design
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Complex
Coastal Design
Education

• Coastal design combines many physical processes
  that are not easily understood.
• Bottom shear stress
• Wave impact and energy dissipation
• Erosion, accretion
• Transport of sediment, pollutants, nutrients

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Complex (2)
Coastal Design
Education

• Output from our basic design tool (models) is
  difficult to interpret.
• Projects must integrated into environmental and
  societal systems.

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Coastal Design
Education
Coastal System
PES Physico-Environmental Subsystem SES
Socio-Economic Subsystem
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Coastal Design
Education
Loading - Water Levels, Waves, Currents
Resistance (PES) - Structures Environment
Base of Support (SES) - (Governments, Economy,
Stakeholders)
Uncertainties and risk increase !!
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Coastal Design
Education
Coastal Design
Knowledge (Theory and Experience) and Prototype
Data
Post- Implementation Design
Preliminary Design
Preliminary Design
Preliminary Design
Modelling
Modelling
Modelling
Design
Implementation
Approval
Trial and Error !
Design Chain
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Coastal Design
Education
Coastal Design
Knowledge (Theory and Experience) and Prototype
Data
Post- Implementation Design
PES Design
Preliminary Design
Preliminary Design
Preliminary Design
Modelling
Modelling
Modelling
Implementation
Approval
Trial and Error !
Models (and Simulation) are tools for design
optimization through trial and error
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A3. Coastal Engineering Education
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Education

• We are concerned here with coastal engineering
  education that teaches students how to design and
  manage coastal engineering projects (as in the
  previous figure) coastal engineering design
  (analysis synthesis) as opposed to only
  coastal science (analysis).

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Required Palette of Concepts (1)
Education

• Theoretical Concepts
• Pure and applied mathematics and sciences related
  to coastal, e.g. chemistry, biology, geology

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Concepts
Education

• Physical Concepts
• Waves, tides, currents
• Sediment transport and morphology
• Climate and climate variability
• Interaction of physical systems with chemical,
  biological and geological systems

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Concepts
Education

• Design Concepts
• System
• Synthesis of theory with
• building materials (stone, concrete),
• natural materials and structures (soil, sandy
  beaches, reefs , mangroves),
• Social structures, e.g. regulators, stakeholders

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Concepts
Education

• Management Concepts
• Business/Accounting
• Leadership
• Management of coastal projects

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Education

• There is not enough time to teach all these
  concepts in detail.
• Key Must introduce all aspects of the palette
  to all students to provide a strong platform to
  launch a coastal engineering career.

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Undergraduate Education
Education

• To teach engineering students who can actually
  (help with) design
• They must be inspired and motivated through the
  course.
• They must be introduced to as many of the coastal
  concepts as possible.

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U/G Education
Education

• They should do a focused and supervised design
  project (Capstone Project)
• Or should have a supervised work term in design.

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Post Graduate (PG) Education
Education

• I would like to quote Shakespeare
• Ay, theres the rub
• This quote is from his famous soliloquy in Hamlet
  To be or not to be, that is the question

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P/G Education
Education

• I believe that our situation is that serious.
  To be.. (institutions that can educate coastal
  engineers capable of actual design).. or not to
  be
• And the rub is in PG education. Here is where
  major changes are essential!
• Amazing what Shakespeare knew about Coastal
  Engineering.

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P/G Education
Education

• A PG program (Masters and PhD) in Coastal
  Engineering usually consists of some coursework
  (also for the PhD study, we hope) a major
  project.
• Since professors, students, labs and equipment
  are all supported by research funding, the major
  PG project often becomes a research project.

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P/G Education
Education

• Note We know that research is necessary to move
  forward.
• We know that not all research needs to be
  directly applicable.
• We know that a sizeable portion of research, also
  in Coastal Engineering needs to be Basic.
• But we should also know that Research must not
  steal the Coastal Engineering ball.

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P/G Education
Education

• Research oriented Masters projects tend to
  produce apprentice PhDs.
• Research-oriented PhD projects tend to produce
  apprentice profs who are held in a holding tank
  called Post-Docs, doing more research for a
  while.
• The PhDs and Post-Docs eventually become profs
  or theoretical experts in industry, who know
  mostly research and know little about practical
  engineering.

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P/G Education
Education

• The new profs, in turn produce research-oriented
  Masters, PhDs and Post-Docs.
• How can they do otherwise since they were
  educated in that way and research funding is what
  they grew up on and now pays their salaries.
• Research publications generate salaries,
  reputation and promotions.
• And on it goes.

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P/G Education
Education

• To produce engineers comfortable with design, PhD
  projects must not be only research. They must
  have at least a major design component, e.g.
• Innovative theoretical/numerical solution of a
  practical problem
• Innovative physical model study of a design
• Develop a new type of project management plan,
• etc.
• Such projects are still valuable publications !!
  But this means basic changes are needed to the
  publishing industry also.

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P/G Education
Education

• To produce (many) engineers comfortable with
  design, we must concentrate on a different
  Masters education.
• Masters education should not be simply an
  Apprentice PhD education.
• Masters education should be distinct and separate
  from PhD education.

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P/G Education
Education

• Masters coursework and projects must be
  essentially design or project-oriented and should
  include practical work in engineering.
• It must be a practical preparation for an
  engineering position in industry.
• And it should form a broad practical base for
  further PhD study.

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P/G Education
Education

• This is not new!
• This is not unique insight!

• Plus ?a change,
• plus cest la m?me chose?

• But.

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P/G Education
Education

• Unless we find the fortitude to change
• Unless we find the necessary funding that is not
  only tied to research
• Unless profs and universities dare to be more
  interested in being and training practical
  engineers, rather than being tied to a
  research-oriented pot of gold.
• Our existing systems will NOT be able to meet
  future needs for coastal engineers
• And is not able to meet present needs !!

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Part B - Models
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B1. Methodology
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Educational Formats
Models

• Lecture/Tutorial (LT)
• Problem Based Learning (PBL)
• Cognitive Apprenticeship (CA)

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Models

• Lecture/Tutorial (LT)
• Most common
• Traditional? No least cost!
• Lecturer presents concepts - theories, methods.
• Tutorial application of concepts under guidance
  of tutors.
• This latter part is coaching.

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Models

• Problem Based Learning (PBL)
• Effort to improve on LT by focusing on
  problem-solving skills
• Students are asked to solve a practical coastal
  problem and are expected to do background work on
  their own
• They present a report at the end
• Students will focus their background search on
  the problem, therefore end up with focused (not
  broad) knowledge.

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Models

• Problem Based Learning (PBL)
• Can be enhanced by e.g.
• interim reports presented at class discussions
  with other (groups of) students, result in
  exposure to more than one problem by learning
  from others and critiquing the other solutions.
• Students like PBL
• It works very well in combination with LT.

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Models

• Cognitive Apprenticeship (CA)
• One example of trying to improve on both LT and
  PBL (there are a number).
• Students work directly with a master on practical
  problems and practical solutions
• They learn from masters (cognitive?) problem
  solving reasoning.
• Focused study (not broad and general).
• Can be combined with the other methods

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Models

• Internet Courses
• By definition do not involve live prof contact or
  hands-on experience.
• But can be very effective in combination with the
  other methods

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Models

• All educational formats benefit from extensive
  demonstration
• Hands-on lab experimentation and simulation
  experience are excellent demonstration tools.

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Models

• Coastal concepts, both simple (e.g. orbital
  motion) and complex (e.g. beach stability) can be
  most readily demonstrated and understood visually
  through simple physical modeling.

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Models

• Physical laboratory experimentation is excellent
  because it is
• Relatively easy to set up
• Immediately visual
• Tests are repeatable and can be controlled
• Experiments generate interest, excitement,
  inspirational

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Interesting, Exciting, Inspirational?
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Interesting, Informative, Exciting?
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Interesting, Informative, Exciting?
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Interesting, Informative, Exciting?
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Interesting, Informative, Exciting?
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Models

• NB
• Learning by trial and error through models and
  simulation meshes exactly with coastal design
  protocol in the earlier figure.
• Thus, using models in class also teaches the
  students the basic step in design.

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Models

• Students who have been coached through most of
  their education will welcome extensive hands on
  work, particularly experimentation in a
  laboratory to help them understand the basic
  principles as well as complex totally unfamiliar
  concepts
• Lectures and textbooks provide the appropriate
  information, but hands-on experimentation
  generates intimate familiarity with and interest
  in the concepts

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Models

• There is also a promising new trend
• Many universities now recognise that educational
  experience (such as hands-on experience in
  coastal engineering) makes happy students and
  attracts excellent prospective students.
• Coastal Engineering needs to lead and exploit
  this trend

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Problem
Models

• Most new funding focuses on research, not on
  education or maintenance of facilities and
  equipment.

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Options

• The Grant
• Usually research oriented
• Infrastructure new facilities, but no
  maintenance
• Little opportunity to develop a teaching
  laboratory

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Options

• The Co-operative (with commercial facility)
• Win-Win
• Students are excited
• Students learn
• Lab gets and inside track on new temporary and
  permanent employees
• etc.

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Options

• The Bootstrap Build your own
• Mix of project design, PBL, extensive student
  involvement, technician help, construction
  methodology.
• Inexpensive, but time-consuming
• Needs ingenious planning and commitment.

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• In summary To be . or not to be, that is the
  question
• We see that design must be a vital part of the
  curriculum
• We see that demonstration through simulation and
  modeling is highly desirable.
• We see that under the present system, funding and
  operating a teaching lab is very difficult.

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5. Conclusions
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Conclusions

• To develop engineering graduates that are capable
  of design and management of coastal engineering
  design and construction projects
• 1. We must find ways to remodel our
  research-oriented PG education into a more
  designoriented PG education.

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Conclusions

• 2. Since hands-on instruction
• generates interest,
• introduces an element of coaching

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Conclusions

• 2. (contd) and since physical laboratory
  experiments and simulation through physical and
  numerical models are particularly valuable to
  demonstrate and develop intimate familiarity with
  the difficult coastal concepts

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Conclusions

• 2. (contd) We must make access to simulation
  and physical laboratory facilities for teaching
  purposes a priority in coastal engineering
  education.

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Thank You
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