Conference Session

Active and Project-based Learning

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Garrett Miles Clayton, Villanova University; Teresa Genevieve Wojcik, Villanova University; Aleksandra Radlińska, Villanova University; Noelle K. Comolli, Villanova University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

– theonly instructor guidance is rule clarifications.After the allotted time, students are asked to reflect in groups on their experience. The class thencomes together to share the reflections and a lecture is given regarding the underlying conceptscovered by the impromptu design exercise. Note that the reflection, discussion and lecture arecritical because they solidify the concepts that are somewhat self-taught during the impromptudesign exercise.2.1.1 Motivation for the use of Impromptu Design Exercises: The educational research on designeducation is specifically focused on design as a behavior – that is to say that the act of design is aset of actions that the engineer does [5]. Thus, in order to develop this behavior, engineeringstudents

Conference Session

Outreach, Engagement, and Undergraduate Research

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Karinna M. Vernaza, Gannon University; Mahesh C. Aggarwal, Gannon University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

level of frustration. Additionally, based on the undergraduate reflections, itappears that they understand the overall goal of the project: inspire the participants, withoutoverlooking the benefits that this type of activity provides to their own personal and professionaldevelopment. This has been observed in several of the reflections submitted. A couple ofexcerpts that attest to this statement follow. Reflection 1: “The first item that can be reflected upon is how this activity provided a learning experience for the college students themselves. It may seem like this day is mainly for the younger students, but it is prepared for mostly by college students. This allowed students an opportunity to understand how

Conference Session

Capstone Courses

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Martin Edin Grimheden, Royal Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

. This is due to the emphasis onearly prototyping, quick feedback and incremental development. It still might not be thefavorable method for use in large scale industrial development projects where formalprocedures might still be preferred, but the pedagogical advantages in mechatronics educationare valuable. Incremental development and rapid prototyping for example gives manyopportunities to reflect and improve. The Scrum focus on self-organizing teams also providesa platform to practice project organization, by empowering students to take responsibility forthe product development process.Among the results of this study, it is shown that it is possible and favorable to integrate Scrumin a mechatronics capstone course and that this can enhance

Conference Session

Learning and Assessment III

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jenna L. Gorlewicz, Vanderbilt University; Robert James Webster III, Vanderbilt University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

options: (1) at the beginning of a lab session,(2) after a pre-lab lecture, (3) immediately after completion of the lab, and (4) after completion ofthe lab report. This assessment architecture enables us to determine whether learning happened inlecture, in the lab itself, or during subsequent reflection on laboratory results during the process ofwriting the lab report. 1 Introduction A common challenge in engineering education is to develop students’ intuitive understandingof how physical systems behave, despite the fact that many students have never physically observedor interacted with the systems they are learning about. A variety of approaches have previouslybeen developed to address this, including implementation of hands-on

Conference Session

Learning and Assessment I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John K. Estell, Ohio Northern University; John-David S. Yoder, Ohio Northern University; Briana B. Morrison, Southern Polytechnic State University; Fong K. Mak, Gannon University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

reporting categories that include what course modifications were made, theoutcomes assessment information obtained, reflection on the part of the instructor, andsuggestions for curricular improvement. Through this approach, the instructor is guided througha systematic review of the course, with the additional benefit of clearly and succinctlydocumenting critical portions of the “closing the loop” process. At the center of this approach isthe concept of performance vectors, a 4-tuple vector that categorizes aggregate studentperformance on a directly measured assessment artifact. For each performance criterion to bereported, an entry is placed into the FCAR documenting the criterion, the outcome beingsupported, the assignment(s) used for acquiring

Conference Session

Simulations and Visualizations

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ricardo Medina, California State University, Los Angeles; Ashkan Motamedi, California State University, Los Angeles; Murat Okcay, Interactive Flow Studies Corporation; B. Uygar Oztekin, Interactive Flow Studies Corporation; Gustavo Borel Menezes, California State University, Los Angeles; Arturo J. Pacheco-Vega, California State University, Los Angeles

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

variety of inserts containingdifferent obstruction geometries, allowing for the study of different flow phenomena in differentgeometries. Neutrally-buoyant polyamide seeds (particles) are added to the water to enhanceflow visualization. The seeds reflect light emitted by attached LED lights, giving the students anexcellent opportunity to visually examine the effects the obstruction has on the flow. For theproblem being analyzed, the flow rate passing through the channel is set at 0.4 gpm which givesa uniform inlet velocity of 0.1869 m/s (in the x-direction).Flowcoach uses particle image velocimetry (PIV), a technique used to obtain instantaneousvelocities of the flow at given points in space. A mounted camera captures a short video of theflow

Conference Session

Learning and Assessment I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sriram Sundararajan, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Student Outcome 11 ME 4XX outcomesFigure 3: The relationship between course outcomes (far right), student outcomes (center) and program educational objectives.Mapping course outcomes to student outcomesAccordingly the first task was to engage the faculty in mapping each course outcome to studentoutcomes. The oversight team tasked each CDC to establish a set of course outcomes that reflectthe most important topics to be covered by the class, irrespective of who would teach them.Faculty could then additional course outcomes as necessary to reflect personal interest

Conference Session

Learning and Assessment III

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Firas Akasheh, Tuskegee University; Raghu Echempati, Kettering University; Anca L. Sala, Baker College, Flint

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

INTERVENTION METHODAbstract The work presented in this paper is based on a certain type of intervention strategy tothe traditional college homework practice presented at the recent ASEE Conference inVancouver [Akasheh and Davis, AC 2011-565, ASEE Conference, Vancouver, 2011]. Followingthe modern cognitive theories of learning and motivation, the intervention strategies proposed inthat preliminary showed potential to restore the effectiveness of homework as a learning toolwhich in turn reflected on better student academic achievement and attitude. Following similarstrategies, this work seeks further validation of the influence of such interventions on studentlearning outcome. It also tests these interventions in different courses and in different

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering: Trends and Tools

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Aaron P. Wemhoff, Villanova University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

disadvantages of applying the three problem-solvingapproaches: experimental, theoretical, and computational. Experimental approaches can be tooexpensive or require too much lead time, and in some cases the use of experiments is not alloweddue to legal or political reasons8. Theoretical approaches may oversimplify problems byapplying invalid approximations and assumptions to make it analytically solvable. Likewise,computational approaches may inherently contain simplifications that may not reflect reality.Furthermore, computational approaches can often provide solutions that theoretical approachescannot feasibly solve, but the risk of a poor computational setup will result in poor answers. Forthis reason, software users must recognize these limitations

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering: Curricula and Courses

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Simin Hall, Virginia Tech; Catherine T. Amelink, Virginia Tech; Deyu Hu, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

in traditionallearning environments are not always effective in the new settings9. To facilitate self-regulatedlearning in students, the assessment therefore has to be formative and promote continuedimprovement in student performance in addition to assisting students to reflect on their ownlearning during the assessment exercises.Research suggests that there is a connection between motivation and SRL. Students must havemotivation to use the SRL strategies and regulate their learning efforts. The instructional strategyin a recent study by Shih et al.10addressed three motivational components from Pintrich’s11model for promoting use of SRL. Shih et al. delivered these motivational strategies to studentsthrough lecture that consisted of

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering: Trends and Tools

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Vincent Capece, University of Kentucky

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

to write a description of the wind tunnel and the experimentalprocedure used to acquire the data. This assignment was read by each faculty member andreturned to the students at the beginning of the next class period. To encourage reflection, Page 25.459.3grammar, style, word choice, etc. issues were simply underlined so that the students could thinkabout their individual writing challenges. During a one-on-one meeting with each student, anyquestions concerning corrections were addressed. The most common problem encountered wasthe challenge of being able to proofread their writing. Table 1. Workshop

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering: Curricula and Courses

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Timothy M. Hodges P.E., Virginia Military Institute; Elizabeth White Baker, Wake Forest University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

theexperience was positive and that they would want to do further research work.Initial Conclusion and Future WorkThis initial study indicates that some students who performed an undergraduate researchexperience are not encouraged to continue with post-graduate education. Students whoparticipated in the summer were required to work continuously for about two years giving littletime for reflection, relaxation and regeneration. Those that originally wanted to pursue post-graduate education where encouraged and those that had questioned the benefit werediscouraged. This may truly make for a better graduate student once they get into a graduateprogram. The students that attended the Graduate Institution did not have that same benefit. Inevery category in

Conference Session

Outreach, Engagement, and Undergraduate Research

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Natalie Barrett, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

roadtransfer and they will have opportunity for reflection in their learning portfolio where they willreflect on three problems for high road transfer.Uncover the hidden game- Several strategies will be used to make the implicit explicit. Studentswill be given authentic tasks like the open-ended problem assessment for the third learning goal.In addition, I will use narrated modeling to help students discover the underlying rules of theproblems. Scaffolding will be used to help students to surface previously learned material that isrelevant to the problem being worked. Again, students will have a chance to articulate the stepswhen they present a problem as a group. Finally, students will be able to reflect on their processin their learning

Conference Session

Learning and Assessment I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert G. Ryan, California State University, Northridge

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

decisions is also a concern, which is reflected in the ratingsfor the “Analysis” criterion. Students often fall in love with modern computational tools likeFEA and don’t pay enough attention to fundamentals. Use of basic tools like free body diagramsto obtain the design loads on a part is critical for proper mechanical design; the FEA results froma beautifully meshed part means nothing if the boundary conditions are not realistic.Looking past the numbers, it was interesting to see the types of design experiences that are nowavailable to our students as they move through the curriculum. Since the author has taught seniordesign for a number of years, this project review process made it abundantly clear that the newdesign stem of courses will continue

Conference Session

Laboratory Innovations

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Claire Yu Yan, University of British Columbia; Carolyn Labun, University of British Columbia

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

.”“The assignments and tutorials were helpful in that they provided many practice problems.”“Group size for project is almost too big, as we are only working on one design with 5 people sometimesI was left with no work to do.”“I previously had mentioned that I felt the assignments were more important than the project inunderstanding the course content. However, I feel there were parts of the project that I found to be verypractical.”“Tutorials that reflect examination questions and show a complete step by step approach to solutions.”These comments revealed two key factors affecting the rating of the project. The first factorrelates to time management issues. Third-year engineering students typically take 6 courses perterm, with transfer students

Conference Session

Outreach, Engagement, and Undergraduate Research

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Benson H. Tongue, University of California, Berkeley

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

is a big picture as well as each weekly “little picture.” The sequence ofclass discussion topics should reflect this larger framework in such a way that the studentscan see how each week’s work has more completely limned the overall theme of the class - inthis case automotive-bicycle technology as a microcosm of mechanical engineering in general. Day oneThe first day of the class is used to introduce the philosophy and goals of the course. Beinga freshman class, with students unaccustomed to university rigor, the author has found itimportant to indicate clearly what will be expecting of the students over the semester. If anyof them were thinking that the course would be no work and an easy pass, they

Conference Session

Active and Project-based Learning

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joakim Sigurd Wren, Linköping University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

athand without much relation to earlier knowledge. The types of questions asked are often ofthe type: “How do I solve this problem?”, “Why cannot this equation be used?” or “What iswrong with my solution?”. Although these kinds of questions are perhaps necessary, they arequite narrow and give not a deeper level of understanding. During the projects in the course,however, the students proceed further, for example reflected over the theory and its practicalimplications. The students are enforced and/or motivated to really understand how things aretied together – to understand “the whole picture”. Similar results were obtained in 16, wherealso new kind of learning emerged in the group.The method used in this study is mostly qualitative. It would be

Conference Session

Learning and Assessment II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John W. Evangelista P.E., U.S. Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

graded events aredue. Instead, their perceived time spent on class is likely a reflection of classes when nothingspecial was due.Table 2-Summary of students surveyed Average Actual Sample Sample Average Actual Course Reported Prep Course Prep Surveyed Size Reported GPA GPA Time (min) Time Control course 54 3.41 3.23 36.1 63.0 Course using 39 3.1 3.05 43.3

Conference Session

Learning and Assessment I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David B. Benson, Kettering University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

learning as an acquisition and integration process, thisis further reinforced when the concept of a spiral curriculum is also considered. Kolb (2000) in his Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) highlights the necessity ofcyclical instruction. ELT divides the learning cycle in to four phases: experiencing, reflecting,thinking, and acting. As a model for education, this process is both planned (formatted) andresponsive to the situation and content/skills being learned: activities are structured and plannedbut flexible to include individual. The cyclical nature of ELT supports this project in thenecessity of revisiting concepts at various points, over time to solidify and deepen a learner’sknowledge or concept acquisition and mastery

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering: Curricula and Courses

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa Abrams, Ohio State University; James William Altschuld, Ohio State University; Blaine W. Lilly, Ohio State University; Daniel A. Mendelsohn, Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

could be in oneresponse. This also applies to the responses to the other three questions with the overallcomments being slightly less than for the first one. Table 3 shows a summary of the responseswith number of responses are indicated in parentheses. Since these students are self-selected forthis course, these responses may not necessarily represent the overall population of studentsmajoring in Mechanical Engineering at Ohio State. Question Main Categories Themes Comments Content Focused Heavier emphasis Comments reflect where Thermodynamics (11) on content than students are in the Kolb13 Physics (11

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering: Curricula and Courses

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Benita M. Comeau, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Rohit Karnik, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Sang-Gook Kim, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

. They utilizethree interdigitated (ID) cantilever beams to minimize the sensitivity to external vibrations.The students begin by calibrating the AFM. For this system, the laser spot is centered on the IDportion of the beam. Thus the reflected laser beam is not a focused spot, but rather a diffractionpattern. The laser and detector positions must be adjusted so that a single mode (preferably 0thmode) passes through the detector’s slit. Next, the students mount a sample and bring the tip intocontact. They must bias their system so that the z-displacement is centered around zero and theAFM is at its point of maximum sensitivity when the cantilever tip just comes into contact. Thesystem is calibrated by applying a cyclic z-input with the piezo

Conference Session

Learning and Assessment I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Randall D. Manteufel, University of Texas, San Antonio; Amir Karimi, University of Texas, San Antonio

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

. Hisrationale is that if the student makes an attempt to solve the problem, they should get something.He has given up to 75% credit for a problem if a student solved half of the problems correctly.In discussions, it was found that there are significant differences between the gradingphilosophies of the instructors and this is the greatest source of difference in the final gradesissued in a class. The work of a “C” student in the eyes of one instructor could as easily be an“A” or “F” in the eyes of another instructor.SummaryOverall, the committee was effective at improving consistency in the coverage and rigor of thematerial. This consistence is reflected in the material covered on the exams and on the overallgrade distribution for the class. There were

Conference Session

Learning and Assessment II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amir Karimi, University of Texas, San Antonio; Randall D. Manteufel, University of Texas, San Antonio

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering