565.606.81 - Geotechnical Engineering Principles

Course Structure

The course materials are divided into modules which can be accessed by clicking Modules on the course navigation menu. A module will have several sections including the overview, video lectures, readings, discussions, and assignments. You are encouraged to preview all sections of the module before starting. Most modules run for a period of seven (7) days, exceptions are noted on the Course Outline page. You should regularly check the Announcements on Canvas and emails from the instructor for any changes in the assignment due dates.

Course Topics

• Overview of Geotechnical Engineering and Classification of Soil
• Soil Compaction: Theory and Application
• Darcy's Law, Permeability and Two-Dimensional Seepage
• Stresses Induced in Soil Mass Due to Footing and Other Loading
• Compressibility, Consolidation and Consolidation Settlements
• Mohr-Coulomb Failure Criterion and Methods of Determining Shear Strength
• Shear Strength of Sand and Clay
• Principles of Lateral Earth Pressure in Soil and Rankine Theory of Earth Pressure
• Coulomb Theory of Earth Pressure and Stability of Retaining Walls
• Slope Stability
• Bearing Capacity of Shallow Foundations
• Methods of Subsoil Exploration - Part I
  
• Methods of Subsoil Exploration - Part II
  

Course Goals

The goals of the course are (a) to provide an overview of geotechnical engineering, (b) to present the principles of soil mechanics and (c) to introduce some aspects of foundation engineering.

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

• Explain the role of physical properties of soils in geotechnical analysis
• Interpret geotechnical in situ test data, laboratory test data and instrumentation data for (a) estimating the values of soil properties and (b) inferring geotechnical structural behavior within the framework of the principles of geotechnical engineering
• Assess the stability and settlement of earth structures and foundations under changed loading conditions and/or in response to new construction
• Assess the additional knowledge and expertise needed to complete the geotechnical design problem at hand, and acquire/seek the knowledge/expertise needed to complete the project

Textbooks

Braja Das, M. B., & Sobhan, K. (2016). Principles of geotechnical engineering (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

The book comes in different forms; e.g., hardcopy, loose-leaf version and e-book. Either form is acceptable.

Please visit the BNC Virtual Bookstore to purchase your textbooks.

Student Coursework Requirements

It is expected that each module will take approximately 7–10 hours per week to complete. Here is an approximate breakdown:

• Participating in the online group discussion with your classmates: approximately 1 hour per week.
• Viewing lecture videos, completing the optional reading, participating in office-hour discussions and completing the homework assignments (online quizzes and manual uploads): approximately 5-10 hours per week.

This course will consist of four basic student requirements:

1. Preparation and participation in online group discussions with classmates: (15% of Final Grade Calculation)

You are responsible for carefully reading all assigned material and being prepared for discussion. The majority of readings are from the course text. Additional reading may be assigned to supplement text readings.

Part 1:

Initially, you or the instructor will post a question. Your question could be on a "muddiest point" (i.e., the point that you struggled with the most, or had the most difficulty understanding) or on an aspect that is not covered in the video lectures, but is relevant to the course. In addition to your postings, the instructor may also post some questions in some weeks. Your postings of the question must be done by Day 4 of the module week. If none of the students post a question, the instructor will post one on Day 5 that you could subsequently respond to.

Part 2:

Another part of your grade for module discussion is your interaction (i.e., responding to classmates' postings or the instructor's postings with thoughtful responses) (i.e., Critical Thinking). Be thorough (but concise) in your postings. Feel free to agree or disagree with the premise of the postings. Please ensure that your postings are civil and constructive.

Your response postings must be done by Day 7 (the last day of the module).

I will monitor module discussions and may respond to some of the discussions as discussions are posted. In most cases, with the objective of giving you the maximum opportunity to respond to a question, I will wait until the first day of the following module to post my responses.

In case you have a question that needs to be answered during the module week, you may email me the question directly, and I will respond as swiftly as possible.

Evaluation of preparation and participation is based on contribution to the discussions. Refer to the Module Discussion Rubric for the grading rubric.

These online quizzes replace the traditional paper-based homework assignments. To facilitate better learning, each video lecture (except for the first introductory video) accompanies a quiz. Each quiz will consist of a few questions that are designed to help you gain a good understanding of the material covered by the video. The questions will mostly be multiple-choice and true/false types. While some questions can be answered without doing any calculations on a piece of paper, the others will require some calculations/derivations on paper.

Each quiz will have "open" and "close" dates; it cannot be accessed after the "close" date. The correct answers will be available for you to access the day after the due date. It is the intention to open the quizzes at the beginning of the semester, so that, if you wish to complete some of the quizzes ahead of time, you may do so. However, most other activities (discussions, group projects, etc.) will proceed gradually as scheduled.

   3. Group Project (25% of Final Grade Calculation)

In this component, you are required to work in a team. You will:

• Select a topic for the project,
• divide and carry out the necessary work,
• complete the project,
• present the work in a written report, and
• make an oral presentation in the 14th week.

In selecting the topic, it is preferred that your group selects a topic.

In some instances, you may not be able to select a topic yourself (e.g., none of your team members is currently working as a geotechnical or structural engineer, and as such, you haven't encountered a challenging problem that you could choose as a topic here). If this is a case, the instructor will help you select a topic. You must contact the instructor no later than the day of the first group meeting.

If your group selects a topic, here are some helpful guidelines:

• The topic could be based on a project that you or your colleague is currently working on or has worked on in the past.
• Select a topic that allows you to apply some of the knowledge gained in the course. It is recommended that you don't select a topic that requires knowledge that is usually covered in another advanced level course. In other words, select one that is not too trivial and not too complex.

You will compile material throughout the semester and write and upload a final project report before the due date. Here are some overall guidelines for writing the final project report:

It must contain the following key sections:

• Title and authors and their affiliations
• An abstract (about 1/3 of a page)
• An Introduction (about 1/2 page)
• Critical discussion of the state-of-the-art or state-of-practice, and logically conceived objectives for the project (up to 3 pages)
• The body of the You may format and arrange this part as you see fit for the topic considered. Typically, this section will include further discussions, data, analysis, recommendations, shortcomings, etc. Feel free to present some parts of this (e.g., extensive collection of data) in clearly referenced and formatted appendices. Keep the length of this section (excluding the appendices) to under 10 pages. The appendices could be any long, but must be intimately related to the project.
• Summary and concluding remarks (up to a page)
• References: Except for your analyses and opinions, the writing must be properly and adequately referenced. Your opinions must be clearly stated so.

As an example, the total length of your project report excluding the references and appendices could be 15 pages. Note the actual length will depend on the nature of the topic. You may follow the format in the journal paper to be posted by the instructor (don't use this to judge the length of your project report!).

During the semester, you will be asked to hold group meetings a number of times. Based on these meetings, you will be asked to write a short report ("progress report") after each meeting and upload it for the instructor to review and grade. The report must be under two pages in length. While the first report will simply state the details of the group members and the topic selected, the subsequent reports will be incremental progress reports.

These reports must contain as a minimum the following:

• Team leader who convened the meeting
• Names of the members in attendance
• (Starting from the 2nd report) The progress made between the previous and present meetings
• Action items for the continuing work and division of work (i.e., who will be doing what)
• The name of the next team leader

You will make an oral presentation of your work. You will divide the presentation among your team members and present the work during the 14th week to the instructor and other classmates who may attend. While clearly all team members must be present during the presentation by your own group, your attendance in the presentations by other groups is encouraged, but not mandatory. Two ways to make the presentation:

1. Record your part and upload for the instructor and the other classmates to access and view. In this case, first meet as a group and divide the presentations so that the videos developed by the members collectively present the project results in a coherent manner. Then develop a video on your part and upload. The length of individual videos must not be longer than 15 minutes (i.e., about an hour a group of 4 members).
2. Present your work interactively to the instructor and any classmate that may be present. In this case, first meet as a group and divide the presentations so that the videos developed by the members collectively present the project results in a coherent manner. Then prepare a Power Point presentation on your part and have it ready to present on the day of presentation. The length of individual videos must not be longer than 15 minutes (i.e., about an hour a group of 4 members).

You must decide which of the two methods you choose and let the instructor know by the 13th module.

Overall, the steps are:

• Sign up for a group in the first week. Ideally each group will have 4 members. When there are fewer or more than 4 members in your group, make appropriate adjustments to the selection of team leaders and division of work.
• Hold your first online group meeting (Group Meeting 1) during the 2nd week. In this meeting, select one person to act as the team leader to convene this meeting and act as a team leader during the period between Group Meeting 1 and Group Meeting 2. Brainstorm and select a topic to work on. Plan the action items, divide the work, and complete them before Group Meeting 2. The team leader is to write a one to two-page pre-proposal and upload for the instructor to review. Also, include in the report the key details discussed in the meeting.
• Hold an online group meeting (Group Meeting 2) during the 5th week. In this meeting, select another person to act as a team leader during the period between Group Meeting 2 and Group Meeting 3. Discuss the progress, plan the action items, divide the work, and complete before Group Meeting 3. The team leader is to write a one to two page progress report and upload it for the instructor to review.
• Hold an online group meeting (Group Meeting 3) during the 8th week. In this meeting, select another person to act as a team leader (the report leader) during the period between Group Meeting 3 and the due date for uploading the final report. The team leader is to compile the results from the members and complete a final report before the 11th week. All members will help with the writing of the final report. Also in this meeting, select another team leader (the presentation leader) who will coordinate the presentation due in the 14th week. The team leader is to write a one to two page progress report and upload it for the instructor to review.
• During the 11th week, the report leader will upload the final project report for the instructor to review; no extension will be granted.
• Divide the presentation equally among the team members. Each member is to prepare a presentation on his/her part. The presentation leader will ensure coherence of the presentations.
• Present your work during the 14th week; the exact date and time will be selected collectively by the instructor and the team members

Note: Refer to the Course Project Rubric for the grading rubric.

1. Test (25% of Final Grade Calculation)

There will be one take-home style test in the course. The test will be given on Friday of the 12th week and is due by midnight Sunday; i.e., you have roughly 48 hours to complete. The grading system will be indicated in the test.

Grading Policy

A grade of A indicates achievement of consistent excellence and distinction throughout the course—that is, conspicuous excellence in all aspects of assignments and discussion in every week.

A grade of B indicates work that meets all course requirements on a level appropriate for graduate academic work. These criteria apply to both undergraduates and graduate students taking the course.

Tentative grading scale (This may be adjusted based on how hard the tests are and the overall class performance):

A+: 95.0 - 100

A: 90.0 - 94.9

A-: 87.0 - 89.9

B+: 84.0 - 86.9

B: 81.0 - 83.9

B-: 76.0 - 80.9

C: 65.0 - 75.9

F:  <65.0

Final grades will be determined by the following weighting:

Academic Policies

Deadlines for Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from Courses

Students may add a course up to one week after the start of the term for that particular course. Students may drop courses according to the drop deadlines outlined in the EP academic calendar (https://ep.jhu.edu/student-services/academic-calendar/). Between the 6th week of the class and prior to the final withdrawal deadline, a student may withdraw from a course with a W on their academic record. A record of the course will remain on the academic record with a W appearing in the grade column to indicate that the student registered and withdrew from the course.

Academic Misconduct Policy

All students are required to read, know, and comply with the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) / Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) Procedures for Handling Allegations of Misconduct by Full-Time and Part-Time Graduate Students.

This policy prohibits academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following: cheating or facilitating cheating; plagiarism; reuse of assignments; unauthorized collaboration; alteration of graded assignments; and unfair competition. Course materials (old assignments, texts, or examinations, etc.) should not be shared unless authorized by the course instructor. Any questions related to this policy should be directed to EP’s academic integrity officer at ep-academic-integrity@jhu.edu.

Students with Disabilities - Accommodations and Accessibility

Johns Hopkins University values diversity and inclusion. We are committed to providing welcoming, equitable, and accessible educational experiences for all students. Students with disabilities (including those with psychological conditions, medical conditions and temporary disabilities) can request accommodations for this course by providing an Accommodation Letter issued by Student Disability Services (SDS). Please request accommodations for this course as early as possible to provide time for effective communication and arrangements.

For further information or to start the process of requesting accommodations, please contact Student Disability Services at Engineering for Professionals, ep-disability-svcs@jhu.edu.

Student Conduct Code

The fundamental purpose of the JHU regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically. 

For a full description of the code please visit the following website: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/policies-guidelines/student-code/

Classroom Climate

JHU is committed to creating a classroom environment that values the diversity of experiences and perspectives that all students bring. Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Fostering an inclusive climate is important. Research and experience show that students who interact with peers who are different from themselves learn new things and experience tangible educational outcomes. At no time in this learning process should someone be singled out or treated unequally on the basis of any seen or unseen part of their identity. 
 
If you have concerns in this course about harassment, discrimination, or any unequal treatment, or if you seek accommodations or resources, please reach out to the course instructor directly. Reporting will never impact your course grade. You may also share concerns with your program chair, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, or the Office of Institutional Equity. In handling reports, people will protect your privacy as much as possible, but faculty and staff are required to officially report information for some cases (e.g. sexual harassment).

Course Auditing

When a student enrolls in an EP course with “audit” status, the student must reach an understanding with the instructor as to what is required to earn the “audit.” If the student does not meet those expectations, the instructor must notify the EP Registration Team [EP-Registration@exchange.johnshopkins.edu] in order for the student to be retroactively dropped or withdrawn from the course (depending on when the "audit" was requested and in accordance with EP registration deadlines). All lecture content will remain accessible to auditing students, but access to all other course material is left to the discretion of the instructor.