A dynamic database system to support the teaching of civil engineering courses

Advanced computer programs used in civil engineering have become widely used. These programs are used for scheduling, cost estimating, analysis, design, etc. However, classical and easy-to-use tools, such as tables and design charts, are still preferable by students who need simple tools instead of sophisticated and time-consuming programs. For example, these tools help students to retrieve construction building cost data, activities breakdown, resource information, crew production rates, estimated activity times, and properties of structural steel section. The aforementioned data can be used for scheduling, cost estimating, and the design of structural steel members. It is; therefore, clear that there is a need to make this information electronically available to engineering students for easy access when needed and in a dynamic manner. In this research, Microsoft Visual Basic, a widely-used and easy-to-use programming language, is used to develop a dynamic database system (DDS) that provides students with the ability to access powerful and useful databases for use with spreadsheets to solve civil engineering-related problems. The paper first describes how the system was developed and then presents a real-world example to illustrate its ease-of-use and powerful capabilities over current practices. Comments and recommendations pertaining to future developments in the field are then presented in the conclusions.