Fang (Clara) Fang, University of Hartford Dr. Fang Clara Fang is an Assistant Professor at the University of Hartford, where she teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses, and conducts research in transportation engineering. She received a Ph.D. degree from the Pennsylvania State University and MS from the University of British Columbia. She is the author or co-author of more than dozen of refereed Journals, conferences and reports. Her research interests include computer modeling and

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... lation of transportation systems, traffic signal control, and the application of advanced mathematical and operation research knowledge including optimization methods, artificial intelligence, and stochastic process in transportation engineering. David Pines, University of Hartford Abstract The reason for less emphasis on experiential learning lies in the fact that real-world experience in transportation is difficult to apply to classroom learning, because the risks and costs of experimenting with transportation policies and concepts in the real world are prohibitively high. Under this circumstance, simulation has shown its capability to compress time and space with great cost saving benefits. At the University of Hartford, micro-simulation tools have been integrated into transportation engineering undergraduate education for the first time to see how traditional traffic engineering learning experience can be enhanced. A simulation learning environment was created to help students learn the principles of simulation and then develop an intuitive understanding of traffic flow theory and advanced control strategies. Students also have worked with two traffic simulation tools, CORSIM and VISSIM and used them to understand the interactive dynamics among driver behaviors, vehicle characteristics and advanced traffic control management strategies in urban and freeway transportation networks, and test hypotheses about the effects of various driver behavioral, land use, and network decision on resulting traffic levels and future network improvement decisions. As part of the learning experience offered by this course, students have also applied their skills and knowledge gained from classrooms into a reallife service-learning project. The project was to use the learned theory in traffic models and employ simulation to evaluate traffic operations along an important urban corridor in Hartford in terms of existing, future, and future with improvement scenarios. The study results were presented and communicated to the community public. It is believed that the simulation technology-enhanced learning activities can de-emphasize instructor-led "chalk and talk" by enabling students to explore complex traffic modeling processes in computerized learning environments, and the new learning experience enables students to think critically about transportation problems and solutions.