Paper ID #33165

Implementing a Virtual Surveying Lab

Dr. John Tingerthal P.E., Northern Arizona University

John Tingerthal joined the Construction Management faculty at Northern Arizona University in 2007and was appointed as a Distinguished Teaching Fellow in 2015. His engineering career spans a varietyof design and forensic engineering experiences. He spent the first eight years of his career performingstructural consulting engineering in Chicago. He earned his Doctorate in Education and is currentlythe Associate Chair of the Civil Engineering, Construction Management and Environmental EngineeringDepartment. His academic interests lie in the field of discipline-based education. John is a member of theAmerican Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), and theAmerican Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). John is a past chair of the Construction EngineeringDivision of ASEE.

Mr. Kaikea Kaoni, Northern Arizona University

Kai Kaoni M.B.A. is an Assistant Professor of Practice at Northern Arizona University’s (NAU) Collegeof Forestry, Engineering and Natural Sciences. Teaching in the Civil Engineering and Construction Man-agement programs, he strives to share his experience in building and design with his students. Prior tobeing an instructor, Kai began his career as a civil designer for a consulting firm in Prescott, Arizonaspecializing in sub-division and commercial site development. Following his graduate studies in 2011,he decided to transition into a construction management role with a Flagstaff, Arizona based generalcontractor. With a focus in higher education construction, Kai helped deliver several campus projectsaround northern Arizona as project engineer, estimator and project manager. Most recently, he acted asthe CMAR project manager on NAU’s first Net Zero Energy building, the NAU International Pavilion.

c©American Society for Engineering Education, 2021

Implementing a Virtual

Surveying Lab Abstract

In 2020, the COVID pandemic forced educators to pivot to an online teaching modality in the

middle of spring semester. In preparation for a summer offering of a surveying and geomatics

class, faculty chose to develop a virtual laboratory that could provide a quality, virtual learning

experience for students that would fully meet the course learning outcomes. The resulting virtual

laboratory centered on a series of videos that put the student in a second-person perspective of a

note-taker on a survey crew. The modules built around these videos not only allowed for a fully

virtual delivery of the laboratory, with students participating from as far away as Saudi Arabia,

they also ensured full participation of every student, something that live survey labs sometimes

lack.

This paper describes the virtual lab in contrast with a traditional in-person laboratory. Students in

the virtual lab reported that it contributed more to their learning than did students in the

traditional laboratory. Recommendations for improving the laboratory and incorporating it into a

post-COVID curriculum are proposed, including the potential for addressing accessibility

constraints on the in-person lab and as a supplemental learning resource.

Introduction

Surveying courses have long been a part of the civil engineering curriculum. They traditionally

include a combination of theoretical and practical applications of geomatics with the goal of

providing an introduction to basic land surveying and construction-layout principles and methods

using contemporary equipment and software. These principles and methods include concepts of

datums and coordinates, elementary geodesy, leveling, distance and angle measurement,

topographic and quantity surveying, and calculation of horizontal and vertical curves. The

resulting geospatial and topographic data forms the basis for many fundamental civil engineering

projects - from road design to water resource engineering, to building and other infrastructure

planning. The civil engineering student is immediately recognized on campus squinting through

strange instruments, balancing tall red-and-white striped poles, and shouting numbers across the

common quadrangle. The surveying laboratory is a rite of passage for many second-year

engineering students, signifying entry into the discipline. While surveying is not as integral to

the modern civil engineering curriculum as it once was, it continues to be instrumental in

understanding the difference between training and education [1].

In 2020, the COVID pandemic forced educators to pivot to an online teaching modality in the

middle of a spring semester. As the pandemic raged throughout the summer, educators were

faced with the prospect of delivering courses online for the foreseeable future. This presented a

very real challenge for the venerable survey laboratory which is by nature very hands-on. In

preparation for a summer offering of a surveying and geomatics class in the Civil Engineering

program at Northern Arizona University, faculty chose to develop a virtual laboratory that could

provide a quality, virtual learning experience for students that would fully meet the course

learning outcomes, with a specific eye on ABET Criterion 3 Outcome 6 (an ability to develop

and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering

judgment to draw conclusion) [2]

The resulting virtual laboratory leveraged best practices for online instructions through modules

that integrated clear organization and instruction, preparatory content, interactive videos,

opportunities to practice and summative assessment [3]. The heart of each module is a series of

interactive videos that put the student in a second-person perspective of a note-taker on a survey

crew, with the actors on the video speaking directly to the student as measurements are taken

using traditional instruments. These videos included instructor commentary and drone footage

of the survey area to augment the active survey simulation. Acknowledging that it is difficult to

replace the physical hands-on lab, students found that the virtual modules were effective in

helping them understand the underlying principles. The benefits of the virtual setting addressed

many shortcomings of the traditional in-person laboratory.

This paper describes the structure of the virtual surveying laboratory and contrasts it with a

traditional in-person format. Student perceptions and performance in the virtual laboratory are

discussed. Recommendations for improving the laboratory and incorporating it into a post-

COVID curriculum are also be proposed, including the potential for addressing accessibility

constraints on the in-person lab and using the modules as a supplemental learning resource.

Traditional Surveying Lab format

In order to provide a basis of comparison for the virtual lab, the traditional surveying laboratory

is described below. Typically, students complete field measurements as a team of 3-4 students,

rotating through the different roles of instrument person, rod person, note taker.

A simplified structure of the traditional surveying lab is shown in Figure 1. Prior to meeting in-

person, the student is expected to complete some preliminary preparation work (pre-lab). The

lab lecture and field work comprise the scheduled in-person laboratory session with set duration.

The students then complete a report as an assessed assignment.

Figure 1: Traditional Lab Process

The primary benefit of this lab is the physical interactive experience that students have with

instruments and data, providing an important connection to the theory and thus improving

Pre-Lab

•Reading

•Sample calcs

Lab Lecture

•Overview

•Demonstration

• Instructions

Field Work

•Check out equipment

•Setup

•Perform measurements

Produce Report

•Summarize Procedure

•List Equipment

•Generate Product

•Raw Notes

In person Lab session

learning, which Kolb describes as “a process whereby concepts are derived from and

continuously modified by experience”[4, p. 26]. In addition to the lab report, it is common to

include a practical assessment of the students’ ability to physically operate equipment. These

practical skills can then be used in a future capstone project, internships, and other coursework.

There are, however, some drawbacks to the traditional surveying lab process. These include:

• Students gain only limited experiences depending on their particular role (operator, rod

person, etc).

• It is easy for one member of the group to complete the course with minimal participation,

being carried by teammates.

• Equipment malfunctions can impact quality of data and time on task,

• Nuances and complexities of equipment operation can distract from the fundamental

concept being learned.

• Inclement weather can impact quality of data, time needed to complete a task and can

distract from meeting lab goals.

• Scheduled lab time may be inadequate to complete the required tasks, with little time

during the lab to review conceptual understanding. This is exacerbated by limited access

to help, since there is typically only one lab instructor available.

• Students must be physically present to complete lab.

Student Feedback on traditional laboratory format

Students do indeed enjoy the hands-on field work that the traditional lab affords and remarked

that, when compared with other parts of the class, the labs contribute most to their learning of the

course content. Some commented on their appreciation of working on a team to complete the lab,

while others found it difficult to learn in a group setting. Multiple lab reports required

considerable writing, something that students consistently push back on in technical engineering

courses. Comments such as “don’t mark so much points off for things such as grammar...we are

engineers not literature majors” indicate that they do not fully comprehend the importance of

communication for the modern Civil Engineer. A real drawback of a few large reports is that

they require considerable effort and time to grade, leading to complaints about untimely

feedback.

Virtual Laboratory

The initial goal of developing this lab was to provide an online experience to replace the in-

person laboratory in response to the COVID pandemic. With knowledge of shortcomings to the

traditional lab process outlined above, the development of new modules was an opportunity to

make fundamental improvements. Using best practices for online courses [3], a focus on

iterative practice to reinforce concepts led to the revised structure shown in Figure 2 below.

Figure 2: Virtual Lab Module (see Appendix for example module)

The primary modifications made in the development of the virtual lab module were:

• A change to an online, self-paced delivery with assessment on an individual-student

basis;

• An interleaving of ‘practice’ and video;

• A replacement of physical field work with interactive video;

• A replacement of multiple comprehensive reports with progressive reports that build

writing skills;

• The addition of summative assessment in the form of an online quiz.

Self-Paced and Individual

Traditional surveying labs place students in teams that model a survey crew - with an instrument

operator, rod-person and note taker - in which students have a fixed amount of scheduled lab

time to complete a number of preparatory, setup and data collection tasks. Each individual will

therefore only experience one role in each lab, resulting in differing experiences for each student.

The scheduled time constraint coupled with potential equipment malfunctions and variable

weather places pressure on the team to “just get through” the field work.

In the modified virtual lab, all students have the same experience and complete the same tasks.

The interactive video (described below) and module layout (see Figure 1 and Appendix) affords

the student the opportunity to move at their own pace and doesn’t allow a low-performing

student to coast on the coat-tails of teammates.

Interleaved practice and video

Evidence from cognitive psychology tells us that “students should engage with material

frequently and in ways that require them to retrieve material from memory” in order to really

learn [5, p. 122]. The modules interleave content, video and practice which gives the students

the opportunity to check their understanding by performing low-stakes assessments that are in

the same format as the summative module quizzes. The practice is typically presented in the

format of an online quiz. Some practice questions present new concepts directly in the question,

like the ‘hotspot’ instrument question shown in Figure 3a. Others use randomized parameters

that allow for unlimited attempts. Formative feedback is provided immediately upon completion

to help the students master a concept (Figure 3b).

InstructionsDemonstration

Video

Practice

Interactive Video

• Data Collection

Practice

Interactive Video

• Data Collection Practice

Prepare Report

• Structured questions

• Generate Product

• Raw Notes

Quiz

• Concepts

• Processes

• Mimic Practice

(a) Practice with new content (b) Practice with feedback

Figure 3: Sample practice problems

Interactive Video

The interactive videos begin with an overview of the survey using diagrams superimposed on

drone footage of the survey site. Students are given a birds-eye tour of the planned survey to help

them visualize the site (see Figure 4). The interactive videos then put the viewer in the 2nd person

point of view of a survey crew note taker (as shown in Figure 5 for a differential leveling lab).

The video provides an inset overhead view of the survey, similar to what would be seen in a

golfing video game, with animated graphics (red line) showing the instrument sightline. The

student watches the instrument person setup the equipment, take the shot and then report the

reading back to the camera. The students interact with the video by following along in their field

books, sketching the survey and recording measurements.

Figure 4: Overhead View of Survey

Figure 5: 2nd Person Point of View

Report focused on product

One major limitation of the shift to an individualized lab report assessment is the increased

amount of grading that this would generate, considering that fewer group reports were prepared

by teams of 3 or 4 students in the past. In addition, each of the five laboratory reports in the

traditional lab were comprehensive and intense, requiring students to write an introduction,

problem statement, procedure, equipment list, observations, results and conclusion.

Unfortunately, the second lab report was typically being completed by students before they

received feedback on the first report. This grading lag would lead to duplication of mistakes and

frustration by students for loosing credit for things that they didn’t realize were inadequate.

To address both of these issues, the first lab report was scaled back to focus on methodology and

results. Subsequent reports then add more requirements, including discussion and conclusions,

culminating in a comprehensive lab report on the last lab. This approach balanced the grading

load with scaffolded writing practice.

Summative quiz

In the traditional laboratory, the only assessments (complicated by the grading lag described

above) were the five lab reports, making each one relatively high-stakes. The addition of

practice problems and summative quizzes increased the number of assessments to over twenty.

This has the result of providing the students with more frequent feedback on their learning. This

approach is supported by a meta-study by Hayne, which concluded that “taking a test on material

studied and increased time on task (whether in the form of a test or other activities such as

reviews or use of study questions) both result in increased retention learning by students “ [6, p.

33]. The addition of the summative quiz provided an assessment of basic conceptual

understanding. The quiz questions were drawn from the practice problems, using random

subsets of questions and calculation problems with different data. While the practice problems

contribute negligibly to the students’ grades, the student is motivated to work through the

exercises because it exposes them to the pool of questions from which the more heavily weighted

quizzes are built.

Results

Student Feedback on the Virtual Lab

The virtual lab as described above was fully delivered in Summer and Fall of 2020, with

modified version used for Construction Management students in Spring of 2021. Feedback from

students who were taking all of their classes either online or in a hybrid delivery mode due to the

COVID pandemic was generally good. Of particular note was the appreciation for the high-

quality interactive videos. One student commented that “these videos were awesome and many

were set up so that the view from the camera would be your view while working as a surveyor in

the field. The videos showed all sorts of professional practices and technology that are relevant

to surveying today.” There was a sense that, as one student put it, they were “still able to

somewhat properly experience everything.”

End-of-semester course evaluations reflected a slight change in student perception with regards

to the most valuable learning experiences of the class. When asked “what assignment

contributed most to my learning”, 56 percent of students responding in the Fall 2019 semester

identified the lab/lab assignments as contributing most. This is a marked increase from Fall of

2018 (which used the traditional format), when only 43 percent of students responding identified

the lab as contributing most to their learning.

Practice effect on Summative Quiz performance

Overall, twenty-three practice quizzes were included in the six virtual lab modules. Students in

Fall of 2020 who completed the majority of these practice quizzes achieved higher scores on the

end of module summative quizzes than students who did not complete the practice quizzes. Of

the 68 students who finished the class, those who completed 19 or more of the practice quizzes

(n=53) had an average end-of-module quiz score of 93.3%. The students who completed less

than 19 of the practice quizzes (n=15) had an average end of module quiz score of only 63.7%.

The relationship between the number of practice quizzes completed and the average end of

module quiz score can be seen in Figure 6 below, demonstrating the effectiveness of the practice

exercises within the modules.

Figure 6: Relationship between Summative Quiz Performance and Practice

Industry Feedback

As part of the Quality Improvement Process at Northern Arizona University, courses are

periodically reviewed by industry stakeholders. After reviewing the new lab curriculum in fall of

2020, industry representatives applauded the individualized learning environment that the virtual

format provided. Some commented that they could see the value of such videos as professional

development tools for practicing professionals. There was agreement that these virtual resources

will be valuable to supplement future in-person survey labs.

Future improvements

There is always room for improving any teaching process and we identified a few potential

improvements that could augment this model. The current interactive videos put the student in

the position of the note-taker on a crew. They see the instruments being demonstrated in the

videos, but do not get an opportunity to actually operate the equipment. There exist immersive

virtual reality tools that allow the user to operate virtual instruments [7]–[9]. These tools have the

potential of gamifying the survey experience, adding a motivational aspect to the lab.

We anticipate returning to a post-pandemic teaching environment in which we can once again

have students experience the hands-on surveying lab. The general outline of these virtual

modules will allow for the interactive videos to be replaced with actual field work. The virtual

lab can also be used to address accessibility needs for students who may not be able to perform

the traditional lab. The modules that were developed can act as a preparatory tool, or to provide

an option for students not able to attend class or perform field work due to inclement weather or

equipment malfunctions. We will be able to retain the improvements while benefiting from real

experiences.

Recommendations / Conclusions

In summary, the shift to a virtual laboratory that was forced by the COVID pandemic in 2020

provided an opportunity to address many shortcomings of the traditional surveying laboratory.

What started out as a plan to replace the field work with a 2nd person point of view video,

expanded into a much more robust learning experience that is self-paced and individualized.

Students are provided with more feedback on their learning through automatically graded

practice exercises. The procedure developed for this virtual laboratory can be used in

conjunction with hands-on field data collection in a post-pandemic world, while providing an

option for distance learners, or as a backup for when equipment malfunctions, weather or other

unforeseeable circumstances preclude live field work.

References

[1] P. L. Brach and A. Zeytinci, “The Pedagogy of the Surveying Laboratory,” Am. Soc. Eng. Educ.,

2008.

[2] ABET, “Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs, 2020 – 2021,” 2021.

https://www.abet.org/accreditation/accreditation-criteria/criteria-for-accrediting-engineering-

programs-2020-2021/ (accessed Feb. 03, 2021).

[3] Quality Matters, “Course Design Rubric Standards, 6th Ed.,” 2020.

https://www.qualitymatters.org/qa-resources/rubric-standards/higher-ed-rubric (accessed Feb. 03,

2021).

[4] D. A. Kolb, Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. New

Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1984.

[5] M. D. Miller, “What College Teachers Should Know About Memory: A Perspective From

Cognitive Psychology,” Coll. Teach., vol. 59, no. 3, pp. 117–122, 2011, doi:

10.1080/87567555.2011.580636.

[6] W. J. Haynie, “Effects of Test Taking on Retention Learning in Technology Education : A Meta-

Analysis,” J. Technol. Educ., vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 24–36, 2007.

[7] D. Bolkas, J. Chiampi, J. Chapman, J. Fioti, and V. F. Pavill, “Creating Immersive and Interactive

Surveying laboratories in virtual reality: A differential leveling example,” ISPRS Ann.

Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spat. Inf. Sci., vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 9–15, 2020, doi: 10.5194/isprs-annals-

V-5-2020-9-2020.

[8] H. Mills and D. Barber, “A Virtual Surveying Field Course for Traversing,” in Sharing Good

Practices: E-learning in Surveying, Geo-information Sciences and Land Administration FIG

International Workshop, 2008, no. June, pp. 11–13, [Online]. Available:

http://www.itc.nl/external/fig_elearning2008/Documents/Invited_Mills.pdf.

[9] H. L. Kuo, S. C. Kang, C. C. Lu, S. H. Hsieh, and Y. H. Lin, “Using Virtual Instruments to Teach

Surveying Courses: Application and Assessment,” Comput. Appl. Eng. Educ., vol. 19, no. 3, pp.

411–420, 2011, doi: 10.1002/cae.20291.

Appendix – Sample Lab Module

Learning Objectives - Lab 2 Part I

Lab 1 Part I: Differential Leveling Procedures

differential leveling1 / dif-uh-ren-shuh l le-vəl-ing / procedure used to determine the difference in elevation between two

points that are some distance apart.

Elevation is a critical consideration in the design/development of modern infrastructure.

In this lab, you will learn the procedure for determining the elevation difference between points using an Autolevel.

While doing this, you will be introduced to the roles of a leveling survey team, of which you may act in some capacity as a future

engineer or builder.

Upon completion of this lab, you should expect to know the following:

1. How to setup an Autolevel

2. How to read a level rod 3. The roles and responsibilities of level survey team member

You will also act as the note taker for a full leveling survey!

Instructions: Read this First!

To complete this lab module, do the following:

1.) Read theses instructions.

2.) Watch the three Lab #2 - Part I videos while completing the activities listed below each video 3.) Read the module assignment instructions/questions

4.) Complete the practice activities

5.) Complete the field notes for the level loop while watching video #3

6.) Complete the assignment and input your answers/files into BBLearn 7.) Finish by taking the module quiz!

Expect to spend between 2 and 3 hours completing this lab module!

Lab 2 - Part I - Setting Up the Instrument

While Watching the video:

• Write down the required procedure to setup an Autolevel

Lab 2 - Practice 1 Setup

Complete this practice exercise prior to watching the next video.

These are for practice only and will not be used as part of your grade, however similar questions will be asked in the module quiz.

(4 additional similar ‘hot-spot’ questions follow to introduce the students to the equipment)

Lab 2 - Part I - Level Rod and Rodperson Responsibilities

While watching the video, write down: • The technique for reading measurements on a level rod

• The responsibilities of a rodperson

• The methods for ensuring the rod is in the plumb position

Lab 2 - Practice 2 Reading Rod

Complete this practice exercise prior to watching the next video. (You can complete this as many times as you want - you may

get different situations in each attempt)

These are for practice only and will not be used as part of your grade, however similar questions will be asked in the module

quiz.

Lab 2 - Part I - Level Loop

Before watching this video: Setup your Field Notes as described in Class While Watching this video:

• Complete the leveling notes for the level loop using the BM #1 elevations provided in this link : (note that each student is

provided with a different starting Benchmark Elevation)

Lab 2 - Practice 3 Leveling Notes

Complete this practice exercise prior to completing the quiz. (You can complete this as many times as you want - you may get

different situations in each attempt)

These are for practice only and will not be used as part of your grade, however similar questions will be asked in the module

quiz.

Lab 2 - Part I: Assignment

Watch the three videos and complete the activities listed below each video before starting the assignment.

You need to upload your answers/files for this assignment by following this link. Have everything typed and files ready

before entering the assignment submission area. If needed you can come back and modify any of your answers prior to the lab

due date, as long as you haven't hit "submit". Here are the questions:

1.) Description: What career do you currently plan to pursue? How could you use the process of differential leveling in your

profession? If you reference articles, be sure to cite them using IEEE format and provide a list of works cited in the "Reference" section below.

2.) Description: What is an Autolevel? Why do they call it an "auto" level? What are the different components of the

instrument? Provide a bulleted list of the steps associated with setting up an Autolevel on a tripod.

3.) Description: In your own words, how do you read a level rod? What are the responsibilities of a rodperson? How does the rodperson ensure the level rod is plumb during a reading?

4.) Field Notes: Upload a picture (.jpeg, .tif, .png, .pdf) of your field notes for the Rio De Flag level loop. Be sure to use the

assigned BM #1 elevation. On the left hand page, the field notes should include complete tabulations including

elevations, misclosure error, page check and adjusted elevations. On the right side, you should have a complete sketch of the level loop survey (use aerial video/Google Earth), equipment, crew names/roles, north arrow, cross streets, legend,

page numbers, signature, date (current date) and weather (80 degrees, sunny, breezy). Do not upload HEIC, HEIF and

HEVC files from an IPhone. They are not supported in BBLearn and will receive a zero for this portion of the lab

5.) Works Cited: If you referenced any journals, books or electronic media sources in the sections above, please provide a

works cited per IEEE format below.

Lab 2 Part I Quiz

After you have completed the Lab 2 - Part I assignment, finish this lab module by completing this quiz! You have 30 minutes

to complete these questions. You have one attempt.

This is an individual quiz and must be completed alone. Any attempt to work with others during this quiz will be considered a

violation to the NAU Academic Integrity Policy.

(Quiz has questions that mimic the practice exercises, with random subset of equipment questions and changed values for field

notes

(Lab 2 Part II continues with similar format, adding an interactive video, practice, assignment

and quiz for completing a cross-section using leveling skills developed in Part I)