Conference Session

The 2017 Zone Best Paper Session

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Eileen Haase Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University; Harry R. Goldberg, Johns Hopkins University

Tagged Topics

Council of Sections

high school, while many only have a weakbiology background. At the start of the course, the students were asked to complete a survey usedto assess their learning preferences1. Almost two-thirds of the students (62%) were multimodal,learning through a combination of visual, aural, read/write, or kinesthetic modes. For the 38% ofstudents who preferred a single learning style, most preferred read/write (18%) modes oflearning. Only 3% of students had an aural learning preference, while 9% had a visual learningpreference, and 8% leaned towards kinesthetic (Fig. 1). We used this information to support ourview that a diverse learning environment with a variety of activities would significantly enhancethe students’ understanding of the material

Conference Session

The 2017 Zone Best Paper Session

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sean St. Clair, Oregon Institute of Technology

Tagged Topics

Council of Sections

, taught the same material to each section, and ensuredthat each section was working with the same knowledge base and skill set. Students wereintroduced to the basics of truss analysis during the first two lecture periods. The interventiontook place during the third lecture period, wherein each of the three sections had a differentexperience. 3One group used a tool-type software to complete a truss analysis exercise. Dr. Frame17, thesoftware used, is a structural analysis program used in both industry and education. It allows theuser to quickly model, analyze, and manipulate two-dimensional structural models. Figure 1 is ascreenshot of the software showing a truss model that has been built and

Conference Session

The 2017 Zone Best Paper Session

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Todd Easton, Kansas State University

Tagged Topics

Council of Sections

the basicvariables can be identified with the identity matrix in the tableau. The value of these variablesare the right hand side. All other variables are called nonbasic and have a value of 0 at thecurrent solution. The algorithm finds the most improving column (most negative element in thefirst row) and enters it. The algorithm selects a row through the ratio test, which is the right handside divided by the selected column element, if the column element is positive and infinityotherwise. The minimum value of the ratio test selects the row. The intersection of the selectedrow and column is the pivot element. A pivot uses elementary row operations to make thepivoted element a 1 and every other element in the column a 0. This process repeats