Extensive studies have indicated that real-life project-based learning through industry involvement in capstone design courses provides benefits to students, faculty, and industry practitioners. This paper presents the contributions of industry participants to student experiential and project-based learning in the civil and environmental engineering senior design courses at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). Surveys were conducted to obtain insights into the contributions of industry involvement in the capstone design course from the perspectives of both students and practitioners. Practitioners have been involved in various roles, including project mentors for capstone design projects and/or judges for students’ capstone design project presentations. Practitioners, through the students, are provided with new ways of looking at and solving problems. Practitioners, through their involvement, provide valuable feedback to the faculty and students that enriches the overall experience gained in the capstone design course. This feedback helps improve student performance on their projects and provides them with additional tools to carry forward into their engineering careers. However, there was a gap in perception between students and practitioners with regard to the benefits of industry involvement. This paper also describes two successful capstone design projects and culminates success drivers from the reflection of instructors teaching these courses. The results of this study have substantial implications for faculty teaching these courses. They showed what students did well and pinpointed areas for improvement through the lens of industry practitioners.

A procedure is presented in which the method of column analogy, normally applicable to the analysis of single-span and closed frames, is extended for the analysis of multi-span frames with columns hinged to the ground. The extension involves consideration of conditions of rotations at the hinges. For illustration, a two-span hinged frame is solved in details. Results are in excellent agreement with values obtained using classical structural methods.

The Newmark’s numerical method of computing deflections, moments and buckling loads of isolated columns is extended for the analysis of elastic buckling loads and buckling modes of prismatic and non-prismatic single story, multi-span frames with combinations of hinged and fixed columns. Step-by-step description of the developed procedure is presented, using statics equilibrium, slope deflection equations and boundary conditions. The elastic line of the buckling mode is determined as a major part of the solution, and the numerical procedure is used to calculate the buckling loads and the columns’ effective length factor for multi-span frames. The most favorable variation of cross-section of tapered frame columns is calculated, giving the maximum possible elastic critical load of the frame for constant columns’ volume.