Web-based interactive courseware for structural steel design using Java

The recent resurgence of the World Wide Web and Internet technologies has provided fresh opportunities to enhance the educational environment. Issues in developing courseware for Web-based education and potential solutions are discussed. Building on the synergistic human-machine approach of interactive computer-aided design developed by Adeli in 1987, a new Web-based approach and courseware are presented to complement teaching of structural steel design. The courseware has been developed in Java, an object-oriented, platform-independent computer language. Example applets for interactive design of beams and different types of connections are presented. The user can modify or limit any design parameter and request a new design without the need to start all over again. This is an effective tutorial feature considering the open-ended nature of the design problems. The student can find the answers to a lot of what-if scenarios in a very short period of time. Not only does this boost the learning experience in the design course significantly, but it also makes it more interesting.