Soil, Slopes and Retaining Walls: Full Program Series
Agenda
Attend all eight courses in this full program series and save 26% ($313)!
Webinar instructions will be emailed 24-48 business hours before the date of each webinar in this series. Please log into each webinar 15 – 30 minutes before start time.
Full Series Course Agendas:
Soil Testing, Properties and Uses
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
10:00 am – 12:00 pm CDT
Agenda:
Presented by Bill Simpson, P.E.
- Soil properties
- Lab testing of soil
- Field testing of soil
- Preparing and reading soil and test reports
- The different types of soil
- How to select the proper soil test for your specific project/application
Retaining Walls and Lateral Earth Pressure
Wednesday, October 8, 2025
10:00 am – 12:00 pm CDT
Agenda:
Presented by Bill Simpson, P.E.
- Defining “the wall”
- Identifying forces on a retaining wall
- How to account for and resist soil pressure
- How water pressure impacts a retaining wall
- The properties of the soil that contribute to the wall design
- Equations and examples
Internal Design of MSE Walls and Geosynthetics
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
10:00 am – 1:15 pm CDT
Agenda:
Presented by Bill Simpson, P.E.
- What constitutes “the wall” when discussing an MSE wall
- Properties of common geosynthetics
- How an MSE wall differs from other wall types
- Discussion of different blocks, reinforcement, and their interaction
- Design code requirements for an MSE wall
- How an MSE wall interacts with other site features such as building and utilities
- Equations, calculations, and examples of internal stability of an MSE wall
- Case histories of MSE wall failures highlighting what NOT to do
Retaining Wall Selection: How to Know What to Specify
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
10:00 am – 12:40 pm CDT
Agenda:
Presented by Bill Simpson, P.E.
- Common types of retaining walls commonly used in today’s construction
- Best applications of a cast-in-place concrete retaining wall
- Alternatives to cast-in-place retaining wall construction
- Advantages to using gravity retaining walls
- Different types of gravity retaining walls
- Basic concepts of MSE systems
- When to specify an MSE wall or MSE slope
- Site layout concerns to consider when locating a retaining wall
Unreinforced Slope Stability Analysis
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
10:00 am – 12:00 pm CDT
Agenda:
Presented by Bill Simpson, P.E.
- Fundamentals of slope instability
- Soil and geological mechanics related to slope instability
- How geologic conditions effect slope stability
- Observations of slope instability
- Construction practices to improve or restore slope stability
- Equations, calculations, and example of an unreinforced slope
How to Design a Reinforced Slope
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
10:00 am – 12:00 pm CST
Agenda:
Presented by Bill Simpson, P.E.
- Geosynthetic properties for use in slope stabilization
- Deep seated stability analysis
- Equations, calculations, and example of using geosynthetics to reinforce a slope
- Case histories of deep seated, rotational failures and other slope failures
- Soil properties and conditions that contribute to slope stability
- Material required for the exposed face of the slope to maintain long term stability
Walls, Water, and What to do When they Interact
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
10:00 am – 2:30 pm CST
Agenda:
Presented by Bill Simpson, P.E.
Roles and Responsibilities of Site Designer vs Wall Designer
- When to use a wall vs. berm/slope
- How to use a berm/slope in conjunction with a wall
- Wall types to consider
Cast-in-Place Concrete Walls
- Material description and associated cost
- Construction considerations – advantages and disadvantages
- Is CIP the best option?
Modular Block (MSE) Retaining Walls
- Material description and associated cost
- Construction considerations – advantages and disadvantages
- Is modular block the best option?
- Effects of water on design – temporary and permanent
- Saturated design concerns
- Rapid drawdown guidance
- Groundwater considerations
- Other design considerations
Best (and Worst) Practices for Retaining Wall Success and Interactive Workshop Wrap-Up
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
10:00 am – 1:15 pm CST
Agenda:
Presented by Bill Simpson, P.E.
- Preventing problems or wall failures through improved site layout
- Preventing problems or failures through proper wall design techniques
- Commonly overlooked design code requirements related to retaining wall layout and design
- Roles and responsibilities of the design and construction team to ensure structure success
- Typical causes of problems or structure failure
- Recognizing and preventing a problem during construction
- How water (both surface and below ground) effects an earth structure
- What measures to take during construction to ensure long term earth structure success
- Case histories and examples of failed structures
Webinar Instructions
All attendees must log-on through their own email – attendees may not watch together if they wish to earn continuing education credit. HalfMoon Education Inc. must be able to prove attendance if either the attendee or HalfMoon Education Inc. is audited.
Certificates of completion can be downloaded in PDF form upon passing a short quiz. A link to the quiz will be sent to each qualifying attendee immediately after the webinar. The certificate can be downloaded from the Results page of the quiz upon scoring 80% or higher.
Webinars are presented via GoToWebinar, an easy-to-use application that can be run on most systems and tablets. Instructions and login information will be provided in an email sent close to the date of the webinar. It is highly recommended that you download, install and test the application before the webinar begins by clicking on the link in the email.
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Windows 10 or higher, macOS 11 or higher, Linux, Google Chrome OS
Web Browser:
Google Chrome (most recent 3 versions)
Microsoft Edge (most recent 3 versions)
Internet connection: 1 Mbps or better
Hardware: 2GB of RAM (minimum), 4GB or more of RAM (recommended)
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Credits
Engineers
20.5 PDHs (2.0-4.0 per course)
Architects
20.5 HSW CE Hours (2.0-4.0 per course)
AIA - American Institute of Architects
20.5 HSW LUs (2.0-4.0 per course)
Landscape Architects
20.5 HSW CE Hours (2.0-4.0 per course)
LACES - Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System
20.5 HSW PDHs (2.0-4.0 per course)
ICC - International Code Council
2.05 CEUs (Sitework) (0.2-0.4 per course)
Floodplain Managers
20.5 ASFPM CECs (2.0-4.0 per course)
Continuing Education Information
These webinars are open to the public and are designed to qualify for 20.5 PDHs for professional engineers, 20.5 HSW continuing education hours for licensed architects, and 20.5 HSW continuing education hours for landscape architects in all states that allow this learning method. Please refer to specific state rules to determine eligibility.
HalfMoon Education is an approved continuing education sponsor for engineers in Florida (Provider License No: CEA362), Indiana (License No. CE21700059), Maryland, and New Jersey (Approval No. 24GP00049300). HalfMoon Education is deemed an approved continuing education sponsor for New York engineers, architects and landscape architects via its registration with the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System (AIA/CES) and the Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System (LA/CES). Other states do not preapprove continuing education providers or courses.
The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System has approved each of these courses for 20.5 HSW LUs (Sponsor No. J885). Only full participation is reportable to the AIA/CES.
The Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System has approved each of these courses for 20.5 HSW PDHs. Only full participation is reportable to the LA CES.
The International Code Council has approved this event for 2.05 CEUs in the specialty area of Sitework (Preferred Provider No. 1232).
The Association of State Floodplain Managers has approved each of these courses for 20.5 CECs for floodplain managers.
Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the webinar for those who attend the entire course and score a minimum 80% on the quiz that follows the course (multiple attempts allowed).
*On-Demand Credits*
The preceding credit information only applies to the live presentation. This course in an on-demand format is not pre-approved by any licensing boards and may not qualify for the same credits; please consult your licensing board(s) to ensure that a structured, asynchronous learning format is appropriate. The following pre-approvals may be available for the on-demand format upon request:
20.5 HSW LUs (AIA)
20.5 HSW PDHs (LA CES)
Speakers
Bill Simpson, P.E.
Geotechnical Structure Design Specialist at Gradelta EngineeringMr. Simpson founded Gradelta Engineering in 2020 with the intent to help clients better understand the combination of geotechnical and structural engineering that he has worked with for the past 20 years. He earned his B.S.C.E. and M.S.C.E. degrees from Georgia Institute of Technology. He currently provides engineering services to contractors and fellow engineers for earth structure pricing, along with the plans and calculations needed for construction. He frequently consults with clients regarding the optimal structure type and location on the construction site to minimize risk and maximize useable space. He also works in the education sector providing not just seminars such as this one, but also acting as a subject matter expert creating study guide and test prep content for the NCEES Professional Civil Engineer exam. Mr. Simpson has also worked with lawyers and insurance companies during forensic investigation and lawsuits surrounding retaining walls and slope failures. His hope is that through the instructional services that he currently provides, slopes will remain stable and retaining wall failure will be eliminated.
