Introducing this Spark
This AI activity uses Gemini Gems to help students generate and refine AI prompts that create accurate visual illustrations of complex geotechnical engineering concepts, such as lateral earth pressure and retaining wall systems. Students evaluate and improve the AI-generated illustrations using engineering principles, strengthening their understanding of complex concepts while developing AI literacy, prompt engineering, critical thinking, and visual communication skills.
Learning Outcome
Upon completing this AI Spark activity, students will attain the following outcomes and attributes:
- Explain the fundamental principles governing lateral earth pressure in soil.
- Apply Rankine's and Coulomb's earth pressure theories to engineering problems.
- Interpret and evaluate engineering diagrams, free-body sketches, and stress distributions related to retaining walls.
- Communicate engineering concepts effectively through accurate technical illustrations and graphical representations.
- Develop critical thinking skills by evaluating AI-generated engineering content for technical accuracy, completeness, and consistency with engineering theory.
Directly aligns with Civil Engineering Program ABET Student Learning Outcomes:
- SLO 2: Apply both analysis and synthesis in the engineering design process. (Students create effective AI prompts and synthesize engineering knowledge into technically accurate visual representations).
- SLO 4: Communicate effectively with a range of audiences. (Students communicate engineering concepts through clear diagrams, illustrations, and infographics).
- SLO 6: Recognize the ongoing need for additional knowledge and locate, evaluate, integrate, and apply this knowledge appropriately. (Students evaluate AI-generated content, refine prompts, and responsibly integrate AI into their engineering learning process).
Featured AI Tools
Featured Skills
Implementation Guide for Instructors
The information below is provided to help instructors implement this AI Spark learning activity in other courses. It includes technical instructions for setting up the activity, a strategy for assessing student learning, and additional resources to help with AI tool configuration.
This AI activity uses Gemini Gems to help students generate and refine AI prompts that create accurate visual illustrations of complex geotechnical engineering concepts, such as lateral earth pressure and retaining wall systems. Students evaluate and improve the AI-generated illustrations using engineering principles, strengthening their understanding of complex concepts while developing AI literacy, prompt engineering, critical thinking, and visual communication skills. Although designed for geotechnical engineering, this activity can be adapted to any engineering discipline that relies on graphical visualization to support analysis and design.
Gem Configuration: Configure a Gemini Gem named "Earth Pressure Using Rankine's Method" using the system instructions provided in the Resources tab. (The Instructions field is the most important box in the Gem, embedding a strict single-attempt lockdown directive, step-by-step gating via PROCEED, diagram analysis, prompt challenging, image generation, comparative evaluation, and an automated, student-specific five-question quiz).
Knowledge Uploads: Upload course lecture notes, textbook excerpts, handouts, and instructor-developed reference infographics and engineering illustrations into the Gem Knowledge section.
Canvas Setup: Create a Canvas assignment providing the Gem link, assignment description, grading rubric, reference materials, submission requirements, and due date. Enable plagiarism detection for written submissions as appropriate. Require students to submit their full chat transcript exported to PDF, complete with their prompts, comparative evaluation, dynamic quiz results, and reflection.
Direct Method: The Student Learning Task (SLT) consists of homework assignments evaluated via rubric assessing (1) prompt quality and precision, (2) technical accuracy and completeness of the visual illustration, and (3) student's critical evaluation and refinement based on engineering principles.
Grade Distribution within Gem Workflow (100 Points Total + 10 Bonus):
- Step 1: Student Greeting & Exercise Overview – No grade
- Step 2: Image Collection – No grade
- Step 3: Technical Feature Analysis & Explanation – No grade
- Step 4: Prompt Challenge – 5 points
- Step 5: Pressure Diagram Generation – No grade
- Step 6: Comparative Evaluation – 40 points
- Step 7: Five-Question Quiz – 50 points (10 points per question)
- Step 8: Finalize & Submit – 5 points
- Bonus Opportunity (up to 10 extra points): Recreating the infographic using another AI application (Claude or ChatGPT) and comparing results across platforms (maximum score with bonus: 110 points).
Indirect Method: Student surveys and reflective feedback to gather perceptions, identify challenges, and obtain suggestions for future iterations.
Link to the Shared Gem: Earth Pressure Using Rankine's Method
Link to the System Prompt: Open Critical Directive: Single-Attempt Enforcement & Shutdown
Knowledge Source Materials: Course lecture notes and handouts (Canvas), textbook excerpts, instructor-developed reference infographics, and additional PDF reference materials uploaded to the Gem knowledge base.
Instructor Notes & Constraints: Provide students with a sample AI prompt, clear evaluation rubric, and reference materials before the activity. Remind students that AI is a learning aid, not a substitute for engineering judgment, and require them to verify all AI-generated content using course materials.
Key Behavioral Constraints: Strict single-attempt enforcement. The Gem locks the workspace and denies access if a reset, retake, or secondary upload is attempted. The Gem is gated by step-by-step progression requiring the user to type PROCEED between steps, enforces single-question delivery during the quiz, holds quiz grades until the end, and permanently disengages once Step 8 concludes.
Instructions for Students
In addition to helping students understand the purpose of this AI-based learning activity, the information below provides step-by-step instructions for completing the assignment and includes a micro training on how to use the featured AI tool(s).
For this activity, you will use a Gemini Gem, which is a customized version of Google's Gemini AI designed for a specific learning task. The Gem has been configured to help you generate engineering-quality prompts, create visual illustrations of geotechnical engineering concepts, and provide feedback on your work. It can produce diagrams, infographics, and technical explanations, assist you in refining your prompts, and help you compare AI-generated results with accepted engineering principles. The primary purpose of this activity is to strengthen your ability to combine science and the art of engineering. The scientific component involves understanding and applying geotechnical engineering principles, soil mechanics, and earth pressure theories. The artistic component involves visualizing these concepts and communicating them through clear sketches, diagrams, and engineering illustrations. Although Gemini Gems are powerful learning tools, you are responsible for verifying the technical accuracy of all AI-generated content using your course notes, textbook, and engineering judgment.
Estimated completion time: 45 to 60 minutes. Strict single-attempt policy: you are only allowed one attempt per thread and cannot reset or restart.
Step 1. Greeting & Overview: Open the Gem and type "Hi" to initiate the session. Read the overview, grading breakdown, and policy warnings. Type PROCEED to advance.
Step 2. Image Collection: Upload the retaining wall or earth pressure diagram/infographic provided by your instructor (clean JPEG format preferred). Type PROCEED.
Step 3. Technical Feature Analysis & Explanation: The Gem will scan the diagram, map out formulas, symbols, friction angles (), unit weights (), cohesion (), wall tilt (), backfill slope (), vectors, and linework. Type PROCEED.
Step 4. Prompt Challenge (5 points): The Gem generates a detailed descriptive prompt to recreate the infographic. Review, refine, and validate the prompt. (Optional 10-point bonus: test this prompt in Claude or ChatGPT to compare cross-platform rendering). Type PROCEED.
Step 5. Pressure Diagram Generation: The Gem uses its image generation capabilities to render the new engineering diagram. Type PROCEED.
Step 6. Comparative Evaluation (40 points): Write a detailed, bulleted critique comparing the AI-generated diagram with the instructor's original diagram. Evaluate structural layout, arrows, vectors, formulas, and omissions.
(CRITICAL NOTE: Press Shift + Enter to make line breaks and bullets. Do NOT press Enter alone or click the blue arrow until your entire evaluation is written). Type PROCEED.
Step 7. Five-Question Quiz (50 points): Answer the dynamic five-question multiple-choice quiz customized to your specific diagram. Questions are delivered strictly one at a time. Type your answer, receive acknowledgment, and type Next Question to proceed. Full results are released after Question 5. Type PROCEED.
Step 8. Finalize & Submit (5 points): The session is locked. Export your full chat thread to PDF (following the export instructions below) and submit to Canvas.
What to Submit
Submit a single PDF export of your completed Gem activity containing:
- Original AI Prompt: Initial prompt used to generate the illustration.
- Final AI Prompt: Revised prompt after refinement.
- Final AI-Generated Illustration: Completed diagram or infographic.
- Engineering Evaluation: Comparative summary with bullet points identifying errors, omissions, or differences.
- Quiz Results: Completed five-question quiz record.
-
Reflection (150-250 words): Describe what you learned about the engineering concept, how AI supported your learning, and how combining engineering science and visual communication improved your understanding.
(Optional: Include cross-platform comparison outputs for the 10-point bonus.)
How to Save and Submit Your Complete Gem Activity to Canvas:
- Ensure Thread is Fully Loaded: Scroll all the way to the top of the Gem window so all images, text, and quiz responses are visible.
- Print to PDF: Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac).
- Adjust Settings: Set Destination to "Save as PDF". Under More Settings, check the box next to "Background graphics" so all diagrams and colored boxes render clearly.
- Save File: Name the file LastName_FirstName_Rankine_Activity.pdf.
- Upload: Submit the file to the Canvas assignment "Earth Pressure Using Rankine's Method - Fall 2026".
What is a Gem? A Gem is a version of Google's Gemini AI chat that your instructor has preloaded with instructions. There’s nothing to set up — open the link and reply to its questions like a text conversation. Read more about Google Gems.
- Sign in. Open the Gem link and sign in with your Google account. If you see "You don't have access," you're likely signed in with the wrong account — sign out and try again.
- Send a message. Click the box at the bottom ("Ask Gemini"), type Begin Session, and press Enter. Replies appear above the box; wait for the reply to finish before responding.
- Reply in the same chat. The Gem remembers the whole conversation. Don't click "New chat", which will start the session over.
- Lost the page? Go to gemini.google.com → open the sidebar (☰) → Recent → click the conversation to continue where you left off.
- Copy the output. Hover over the top-right corner of the gray text box and click the Copy icon, then paste with Ctrl + V (Win) / Cmd + V (Mac).
- Good to know. Type text, rather than use voice (Gems don't work with Gemini Live). Don't enter passwords or sensitive personal information. Keep in mind that the Gem may ask you to expand a short answer.
- Access via FSU. Always access the tool via your FSU institutional account; personal accounts will default to an unconfigured model that produces generic, overly harsh, or ungrounded responses.