Engaging, data-based, visual approach to explaining concrete

Concrete is the most widely used material in the world. The importance of understanding concrete as it pertains to Civil Engineering cannot be emphasized enough. Despite its overwhelming importance, students commonly go only skin-deep into comprehending concrete in the typical undergraduate construction materials class. Traditional course materials tend to be mostly text-based, as opposed to being more image-based. The visual materials available to generation Z (Gen Z) students on the internet, social media, and other common technological platforms make them very comfortable with images and visual learning. Laptops and cell phones are constant sources of distractions, especially if course materials are largely text-based. In order to ensure that a solid understanding of concrete is achieved, course material should be more Gen Z-friendly. Due to advances in image processing and optical technology, instructors can provide visualized and example-based course materials to explain concrete now more than ever before. This study presents a visual, data-based, and engaging approach to teaching concrete. This study introduces visuals of (1) crystals of clinker, (2) hydrates growing around cement, (3) microstructures of hydrates (hydration products), (4) Interfacial Transition Zone (ITZ), (5) supplementary cementing materials (SCM). Based on students' initial feedback, these visual and engaging course materials should enhance student engagement in the class. It should be noted that this study is meant to be supplementary course material, and not replacement of either textbook materials or other primary teaching methodologies.