Design of Experimental Seismic Tests with Didactic Approach Fortunato Espinoza Barreras & Carlos Flores Aburto Instituto Universitario Integral (IUNIVERSI A.C.) y Facultad de Ingeniería, Arquitectura y Diseño, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC). Carlos Isidro Huerta López Departamento de Sismología-División de Ciencias de la Tierra (CICESE). Sabbatical leave at University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. Puerto Rico Strong Motion Program. Jessica Villagómez López Departamento de Sismología-División de Ciencias de la Tierra (CICESE) Manuel Moisés Miranda Velasco, Gabriel Ortiz Alvarado & Héctor Burrola Noriega Facultad de Ingeniería, Arquitectura y Diseño, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, (UABC). Ubaldo Cortés Jiménez Instituto Universitario Integral (IUNIVERSI A.C.) KEY WORDS: seismic tests, earthquake engineering, damping, shake table, vibration measurements SUMMARY In-depth understanding and knowledge of structures behavior due to external dynamic loads is eagerly needed to mitigate the expected damage produced by the vibrations produced by earthquakes. Currently, seismic design study is of interest among the engineers/seismologists, and investigations have been evolving to become complex task. An straightforward way for better understanding the dynamic behavior of a structure, is by using didactic material and by doing small scale laboratory experiments, which allows diminishing economic risks, costs in addition to the saving time, increasing the knowledge through experimental/empirical observations and measurements. Experimentation is an effective method to introduce basic concepts of structural dynamics like frequencies, or normal modes in which the structures vibrate. In this work, a set of experimental tests realized in laboratory with small scale prototypes, are presented. Those experiments are part of the courses on soil response/behavior and structural analysis of the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC) and are conducted on the laboratory of Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics. The conducted tests included: 1) a vibratory table designed and constructed by one of the coauthors and 2) an equipment of measurement of vibration with four uniaxial accelerometers. Through the completion of the experiments, the topics of resonance, damping, and soil liquefaction, which are within the branches of earthquake engineering and engineering seismology were studied. 1. INTRODUCTION The potential adverse effects of an earthquake on the persons are determined by the quality of the buildings in which they live or work. In spite of the technological advances and the experiences of previous seismic crises, enormous accumulation of population in big cities, the improvised and urgency on having built, and the unfavorable behavior of some buildings, do nothing but increase the number of victims caused by the earthquakes, particularly in needy regions or in development nations. The vulnerability or seismic behavior of buildings is a parameter that not only can be used, but is indispensable to evaluate, so the engineers who construct should have a well rounded knowledge in engineering seismology/earthquake engineering allowing to achieve safe and secure buildings during and after the occurrence of an earthquake.