Conference Session

What's New in the Mechanics of Materials?

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arturo Fuentes, University of Texas-Pan American; Stephen Crown, University of Texas-Pan American

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

shear and moment diagrams. Students were provided with the basic platform for thegame but created their own shear and moment diagrams along with the logic for the solution.The games of individual students were compiled in a multilevel game that proved beneficial tostudent learning. The feedback based on student input in the games allows the students to learnand apply new concepts simultaneously. The impact of the games and the student involvementin the game design process have been positive as evidenced by performance on exams andpositive feedback on surveys. Students are motivated to get involved in the game design processby the fact that their work is being evaluated by their peers and that it has some useful purposethat will continue to

Conference Session

Innovative Mechanics Education Programs and Projects

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Morgan, Texas A&M University; Luciana Barroso, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

, students initially are overwhelmed and frequentlystate “I don’t know how to start the solution.” Active problem solving helps them piece togethersmaller problems that they do know how to solve in order to reach the solution of the complexproblem. This also leads to more efficient office hours, where students come as a group with anattempted solution to various problems. Instruction Team (PT, TA, Profs):A coordinated effort by the two instructors, teaching assistant, and peer teacher results in officehours that span the entire week. Students are repeatedly told they can see any person involved,including professor from other section. This team approach allows for students to get help moreeasily, as well as seeing different approaches to solve the

Conference Session

What's New in the Mechanics of Materials?

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrea Surovek, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

internal stresses in the member. If you cannot measure the structure, object or member, estimate the sizes to calculate the stress. For tension and compression, determine the change in length of the member due to your assumed loads. For beams, draw shear and bending moment diagrams of the member that is bending. STEP 3 – Describe and Evaluate your system, structure or object For each of your photographs: Write ½ to 1 page describing the object of the photograph. Include descriptions of where it is located, its function, and the material from which it was constructed or fabricated. Using your analysis results, state whether you think the design is a good one or not, and why (e.g. Was the material a good choice? Is the