Conference Session

Evaluation of Teaching Methods for Mechanics Courses

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jacob Preston Moore, Virginia Tech; Robert Scott Pierce, Sweet Briar College; Christopher B. Williams, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

concepts. Taken as a whole, theconcept map should represent the extent and the organization of knowledge that a personpossesses. Figure 1 A concept map about concept mapping [1] Page 25.1365.32.2 How Do Concept Maps Aid Learning?Concept maps can fill one of two instructional roles: (i) students can either be assigned to createa concept map of their knowledge as a reflective learning exercise after instruction, or (ii)students can be given an “expert-generated concept map” before instruction which serves as an“advance organizer” [2] – a type of scaffolding tool. In

Conference Session

Technology in Mechanics Education

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michelle Marie Grau, Stanford Univeristy; Sheri Sheppard, Stanford University; Samantha Ruth Brunhaver, Stanford University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

impact offaculty-mentored learning versus online learning conducted with freshmen at MIT [6].At the graduate level, the Delta Design game has been used as a tool to teach graduate studentsreflective practice. Instead of using a real problem, instructors chose to use the Delta Designgame to because it is easier to control the amount of training each student receives and levels theplaying field since no student has outside knowledge of the challenge. Additionally, theinstructor can control the focus of the game such that if the students are having difficulty creatinga viable structure, he or she can draw their focus back to reflective practice by changing thevalues of constraints to make the task easier [4].Details of the RedesignThe Delta Design

Conference Session

Mechanics Concepts I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Luciano Fleischfresser, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná; Mariana Nascimento Casarin, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná; Evandro Eizo Roncaglia Yabushita, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

expression. In effect: · = -19.69 + 30.78 – 30.78Error type 2 showed evidence of performing the dot product as typically learned in mathclasses. It was apparently a problem of lack of attention in converting units rather than withthe way the calculation was performed. = = = 1.98 (no units)Sign errors are common during timed exams and they do not necessarily reflect a conceptualproblem if all else is in order. For error type 3, a student had the unit vector with sign errorsthat prevented reaching the final correct numerical answer. Or: = 0.4924 + 0.6155 + 0.6155Which lead to

Conference Session

Mechanics Concepts II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sinead C. Mac Namara, Syracuse University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

the course validation techniqueswere discussed in class and demonstrations of how to self evaluate an answer to a newproblem were presented. Additionally, the students had at least one question on everyhomework assignment that either was non-numerical and open ended, or required somekind of reflective statement on the numerical answer.A few of the responses indicated that the project helped engender increased enthusiasmfor the course material and engineering more generally. “It was cool to see that what we learned in class really could apply to something that we could make.”There was a small minority of students who did not feel the project was useful in learningthe course material but interestingly their comments implied that the

Conference Session

Mechanics Classroom Demonstrations

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brianno D. Coller, Northern Illinois University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

complexity are revealed. Education scholars3-7 who study videogames have found that the most successful games often incorporate mechanisms that “teach”their players to solve complex problems by leveraging learning pedagogies such asconstructionism, inquiry-based learning and anchored instruction. Players are motivated to learnwithin video games because it is clear that knowledge is powerful. Learning is situated, and Page 25.1055.2occurs through a process of hypothesizing, probing, and reflecting upon the simulated worldwithin the game. The goals are clear. Games provide players immediate and unambiguousfeedback on how well they are progressing