Digital Standards Education Modules for 

Innovation and Sustainability of Concrete 

Infrastructure

Alexander Brand, Ph.D., P.E.

Eric Jacques, Ph.D., P.Eng.

Roberto Leon, Ph.D., P.E.

Charles Edward Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA
Project Summary

To include standards education in civil engineering 

curriculum for concrete and cementitious materials through 

digital learning modules including video lectures, virtual 

field trips, exercises, and other resources to introduce 

undergraduate and graduate students to current and 

emerging trends related to materials, sustainability, 

emerging and future technologies, and the resiliency of the 

built environment.
PI: Alexander S. Brand, Ph.D., P.E.

• Ph.D., 2015, Civil Engineering, University of 

Illinois, Urbana, IL

• NRC Postdoctoral Research Associate, 2016-

2018, Engineering Lab, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD

• Assistant Professor, 2018-Present, Civil and 

Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech

• Research: Cement and concrete composites, 

micro- and nanostructure, advanced 

characterization techniques, cement chemistry 
PI: Eric Jacques, Ph.D., P.Eng.

• Ph.D., 2016, Civil Engineering, University of 

Ottawa, Ottawa, ON

• Assistant Research Officer, 2015-2017, Civil 

Engineering Infrastructure Group, National 

Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, ON

• Assistant Professor, 2017-Present, Civil and 

Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech

• Research: Reinforced concrete structures, 

physical infrastructure security, blast resistance
PI: Roberto T. Leon, Ph.D., P.E.

• Ph.D., 1983, Civil Engineering, University of Texas, 

Austin, TX

• Professor, 2012-Present, Civil and Environmental 

Engineering, Virginia Tech

• University of Minnesota (1983-1994) 

• Georgia Tech (1995-2011)

• Research: Behavior and design of steel and 

composite connections, seismic design, seismic 

behavior of bridges 

• Distinguished Member, American Society of Civil 

Engineers (2016)
Project Motivation 

• ASCE grades America’s infrastructure as D+ • $3.9 trillion to the U.S. GDP by 2025 • Concrete is a critical infrastructure material • 4 billion tons of portland cement per year worldwide • 27.5 billion tons of concrete per year worldwide • Production of 1 ton of portland cement 

releases 0.7 to 1.1 tons of CO

2

•5-8% of global anthropogenic CO

2

•3rd largest CO

2 producer

https://www.netl.doe.gov

https://www.djc.com/news/co/11194205.html
Project Motivation 

• Preparing students for the future of the cement and concrete industry

• Trends in sustainability (CO2 reduction)

• Evolution of current and future technologies, such as 3D printing 

• Performance vs. prescriptive standards 

• Innovations in materials for performance and resiliency Alex Brand, VT

Scott Jones, NIST
Project Description: Modules 

1. Cements and Structural Concrete Module 

• Importance and role of standards in the industry

2. High Performance Concrete (HPC) Module

• Standards for current and future trends in HPC

3. Cement and Concrete Sustainability Module

• Role of standards in the future of concrete within the 

framework of sustainability 

4. Future of Concrete Design and Manufacture 

• Evolution of standards for future technologies and trends 
Module Development 

• Assistance from Virginia Tech’s Technology-enhanced Learning and 

Online Strategies (TLOS)

• Implementation in Canvas with public release and access 

• Each module will be designed to be completed in 6 to 8 hours

• Content: video lectures, reading assignments, virtual field trips, quizzes, 

capstone activities, short answer and reflection, and other resources

• Inherent “plug and play” nature of the multimedia components

• Allows flexibility for instructors to use part or all of module content 

• Complete part or all of content as assignments or instructor-led discussion 

over a span of days, weeks, or even months 

• Compliance with the Americans for Disabilities Act

• Working with TLOS and VT Office for Equity and Accessibility
Implementation Plan and Piloting 

Semester Description

Fall 2020 • Curriculum material development for Modules 1 and 2

Spring 2021 • Initial piloting to two VT undergraduate courses (~170 students)

• Curriculum material development for Modules 3 and 4

Summer 2021 • Curriculum revision based on Spring 2021 program evaluation

Fall 2021 • Second piloting to VT undergraduate and graduate courses (~220 students)

• Piloting to two West Point undergraduate courses (~40 students)

• External evaluation

Spring 2022 • Curriculum revision based on Fall 2021 program evaluation

• Public release, reporting, and communication 

• ACI/PCA Professor’s Workshop and ACI Committees E701 and S802
Short- and Long-Term Goals

• Short-term goals (12-24 months)

• Undergraduate and graduate students at Virginia Tech and West Point (~450 

civil engineering and building construction students every academic year)

• Internal and external evaluations (students, academia, industry)

• Public release of modules for use

• Reporting and communication of the program

• Long-term goals (2-5 years)

• Implementation of modules in multiple courses at VT 

• Dissemination of the program to national and international programs 

• Refinement of module content based on feedback 
Evaluation Plan 

• Anonymous assessment surveys to all students

• Virginia Tech Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning

• Likert-scale questions (e.g., strongly agree to strongly disagree) 

• Quantitative information on student perceptions of the instructional 

effectiveness, usefulness of the pedagogical components, and quality of 

the learning modules

• Student learning outcomes – measured through graded work products 

and anonymous assessment surveys – will be mapped to the program 

curriculum to identify how and where standards and standardization 

outcomes are introduced, reinforced, and emphasized

• External evaluation by academic and industry professionals 
Deliverables 

1. Four digital learning modules that will be freely available online; 

2. Instructional materials (e.g., suggestions for homework 

assignments, quizzes, and capstone projects) available by 

request to educators interested in implementing the modules; 

3. Final report that outlines the module content, student and 

reviewer feedback, and impacts; 

4. Journal article that summarizes the report and will be submitted to 

a peer-reviewed publication; and 

5. Presentations that summarize the report and findings. 
Dissemination of Project

• Reaching national and international audience

• ACI/PCA Professor’s Workshop presentation in 2021 or 2022

• Presentation ACI Committees E701 and S802

• Other education committees (e.g., RILEM Educational Activities Committee)

• Public release of information in a final report and a journal article 

• Audience: students, academics, industry, professional societies 

• civil engineering, architecture, architectural engineering, construction 

management, and materials
Courses Impacted

• CEE 3684: Civil Engineering Materials

• CEE 3424: Reinforced Concrete I

• CEE 4614: Advanced Structural Concretes 

• CEE 5484: Concrete Microstructure 

• Other concrete courses at VT

• Reinforced concrete courses at West Point