THE IMPORTANCE OF TEACHER'S PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE IN GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING EDUCATION

Engineering students most often find geotechnical engineering difficult for several reasons among them, most of the teaching staff lacks the necessary practical experience to relate theory to practice. Practical experience helps educators to teach professional practice issues, to relate theory to practice, to show the engineering significance of soil properties and how to use them in practice. This paper presents suggestions on how the engineering students should be trained in geotechnical engineering in order to integrate industry firms with confidence. We emphasize the importance of the practical experience for geotechnical engineering educators; case studies; computer test simulation or video to explain the laboratory and field tests in the classroom; field trips and summer training in industry firms to ensure a good transition from academic institution to the real world.