Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching: Mechanics

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeffery S. Thomas, Missouri University of Science & Technology; Richard H. Hall, Missouri University of Science & Technology; Timothy A. Philpot, Missouri University of Science & Technology; Douglas R. Carroll, Missouri University of Science & Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

possible inthe traditional lecture-and-textbook class format. The study described in this paper examines theeffectiveness of asynchronous online video that has been used in various ways in a Mechanics ofMaterials course over the past four years. The content delivered via the Internet includedconcept videos, problem-solving videos, and videos of demonstrations and laboratory activities. In this study, four differing approaches to present the Mechanics of Materials course toapproximately 1000 students in 17 course sections over a four-year period were compared. Thefirst approach involved traditional, face-to-face lectures. The second approach completelyreplaced the face-to-face lectures with videos recorded by the instructor outside of the

Conference Session

Innovative Teaching Techniques in Mechanics

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rick Williams, East Carolina University; William Howard, East Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

-onexperiments and demonstrations. For many students, the concepts of vectors, particleequilibrium, and rigid body equilibrium can be difficult to comprehend. In order to improvecomprehension in these areas, we developed a single apparatus that provides for the operation ofat least five experiments relevant to the study of statics. These experiments are well-suited foreither laboratory studies or, due to the device’s portability, for in-class demonstrations.In this paper we present the complete design, including the bill of materials, assembly drawings,and assembly instructions for the apparatus. The apparatus is easily assembled from readilyavailable parts and materials, especially sturdy, easily expandable, and very affordable(approximate cost of

Conference Session

Mechanics Division Poster Session

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hirohito Kobayashi, University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

created, as part ofthe software termed Virtual Mechanics Laboratory (VML). We have created VML as a unifiedvideo motion and deformation analysis tool that can be used in both dynamics and mechanics ofmaterial course projects. In the project with VML mechanics of material module, first, studentswill capture a digital video image of a plate-shaped elastic object subjected to a plane-stressloading with a high-resolution digital camera that is widely available nowadays. Subsequentlyin the computer laboratory, students will select target region of interest (ROI) to “measure” thepixel displacement and material deformation within the ROI, using the digital motion trackingalgorithm termed “Digital Image Correlation (DIC)” algorithm built in the VML

Conference Session

Learning Environments for Statics, Dynamics, and Mechanics of Materials

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Brian Dittenber, LeTourneau University; Allyson Jo Barlow, Oregon State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

to be reliablyavailable and accessible, and a broad spectrum of topics needs to be offered. The latter tworequirements are more applicable at the program and administrative levels, while the firstinvolves the development of the online engineering course itself and is the focus of this currenteffort.Online Engineering LabsMany student laboratory experiences, even in traditional courses, need more clearly definedlearning objectives and assessment methods [7]. Having these items in place will contribute tothe ongoing development and discussion of appropriate educational laboratory experiences andlead to the improvement of engineering education overall. To effectively translate labexperiences into a distance-delivered course, the fundamental

Conference Session

Evaluation of Teaching Methods for Mechanics Courses

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Somnath Chattopadhyay, Georgia Southern University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

tool in its ability to determine the principalstresses and the associated principal directions. The features of proportional and non-proportional loadings have been exemplified in this paper by studying the stresses in a shaftunder combined bending and torsion using Mohr’s circle.INTRODUCTIONThis study constitutes a laboratory component of the Mechanics of Materials courses taught toengineering students at the sophomore or junior levels. It is important that the students learn howthe external loads combine to produce stresses in a critical location of a structure or acomponent. This is fundamental to the understanding of the response of a structural componentto a combined system of loads that result in normal and shear stresses. Mohr’s circle

Conference Session

Anything New in the Mechanics of Materials?

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rani Sullivan, Mississippi State University; Masoud Rais-Rohani, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

to only one or two laboratory courses. Recent research1-6 on the merit of active studentinteraction with physical models has revitalized interest in the use of such models, not just inlaboratory classes but—more importantly—as an integral part of traditional lecture-basedengineering courses.Couple of years ago, the authors had an opportunity to design and develop a structural testingsystem at the Raspet Flight Research Laboratory at Mississippi State University. In oneexperiment, a whiffletree loading mechanism (WLM), as shown in Fig. 1, was designed and usedfor static testing of a full-scale composite aircraft wing. For simplicity, the wings were mountedupside-down and loaded downward to simulate the lift force distribution. Whiffletree

Conference Session

Statics & Strength of Materials - A nice couple

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jamie Douglas, University of Wisconsin Colleges; Mark H Holdhusen, University of Wisconsin, Marathon County

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

using readilyavailable materials. The labs were developed using materials that had properties whichmimicked the behavior of traditional materials like steel or aluminum, but exhibited thosebehaviors at much lower applied loads and stresses. Most labs allowed for actual data to betaken and analyzed while a few labs qualitatively demonstrated the concept. These labs wereinitially integrated into an existing Mechanics of Materials course offered via both audiographicsand will be offered in conjunction with an online course in a coming semester. An assessmentwas given to determine how comfortable students were with laboratory concepts before and afterthe course. In addition, feedback was solicited after each lab to get feedback from students

Conference Session

Hybrid and Online Teaching of Mechanics

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Serge Raymond Maalouf, University of Maine; Olivier Putzeys P.E., University of Maine

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

new material. In the activity sessions, students work on hands-onexperiments, computer simulations, and/or problems with support from the instructor andteaching assistant. The new aspects of this statics course are: (1) the blended format; (2) thedevelopment of novel activities for the classroom and laboratory; (3) the use of a “lightboard”, inwhich the instructor writes on a glass board while facing the video camera, to record the mini-lecture videos; (4) the flexibility for the instructor to “flip” any desired percentage of thesemester’s lectures; (5) the collections of videos and activities are available for instructors acrossmultiple campuses. Direct assessments and student surveys indicate that the blended format wasgenerally effective

Conference Session

Improving Mechanics Courses

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amir Rezaei, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona; Mariappan Jawaharlal, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona; Kyu-Jung Kim, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona; Angela Shih, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

students.The problems addressed by the hybrid courseThe ME department has addressed the failure problem in many different ways. One way was toprovide an additional one-unit Vector Statics Mechanics Laboratory, which was developed basedon the study on cooperative learning in engineering through academic excellence workshop [3].Under the cooperative learning environment, the students demonstrated significantly betterperformance in learning Vector Statics as noted in their final grade of 2.88 as compared with1.33 for those who only took Vector Dynamics [4]. In the laboratory, the students learnfundamental concepts of Vector Statics through teacher demonstrations, group projects &discussion, and additional exercises. However, it is a co-requisite to

Conference Session

Enhancing Mechanics Instruction

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gangbing Song, University of Houston; Mithun Singla, University of Houston; Christy Chang, University of Houston; Richard Bannerot, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

can be changed without altering the Simulink file. ̇ Remote Controller Testing – Again, the micro-controller’s ability to allow programmed controllers to be downloaded to the smart beam’s hardware allows the remote implementation of control schemes. However, it should be noted that this ability extends to remote implementation of controllers. The implementation of remote controlled laboratories with student access over the internet using the smart flexible beam with a similar electronic architecture has previously been reported 8. Through the use of web-based virtual instruments (VI), students could access the smart beam hardware remotely. The VI allows students to upload their controller

Conference Session

Mechanics Division Technical Session 5

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brian P. Self, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Sonya Dick, California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo; Jay Tyler Davis II, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Bradley Wash, California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

Paper ID #25896Teaching Mechanics Concepts Using a Motion Analysis SystemDr. Brian P. Self, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Brian Self obtained his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Engineering Mechanics from Virginia Tech, and his Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Utah. He worked in the Air Force Research Laboratories before teaching at the U.S. Air Force Academy for seven years. Brian has taught in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo since 2006. During the 2011-2012 academic year he participated in a professor exchange, teaching at the Munich University of

Conference Session

Hands-On in the Online Classroom

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Md Rashedul Hasan Sarker, University of Indianapolis; Najmus Saqib, University of Indianapolis; George D. Ricco, University of Indianapolis; Megan Hammond, University of Indianapolis; Alexander Quinn Ruble, University of Indianapolis; Bill Faton, University of Indianapolis; James T. Emery II, University of Indianapolis; Kenneth Reid, University of Indianapolis

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

Indianapolis. I like researching additive manufacturing as well as new forms of education for engineers.Mr. Bill Faton, University of Indianapolis I am a junior studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Indianapolis. I have interests in coding, additive manufacturing, and engineering education.Mr. James T. Emery II, University of Indianapolis James Emery is the Laboratory Manager for Mechanical Systems at the R.B. Annis School of Engineering at the University of Indianapolis. Prior to coming to the University of Indianapolis James worked as a lead model maker at a scale model wind tunnel.Dr. Kenneth Reid, University of Indianapolis American c Society for

Conference Session

Teaching & Learning Dynamics, Vibration, and Mechanics More Broadly

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Geoff Rideout, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

would not feel that the course content was going beyond what was appropriate for a 3 credit-hour course. 5. Recognizing that some students simply do not need to avail of problem-solving sessions or instructor assistance. 6. Motivating students to watch the videos, in an institutional culture where pre-lecture assigned readings (or assigned videos) are unusual.Choice of CourseMechanical Vibrations is a compulsory fourth year course taken by approximately 80Mechanical and 30 Ocean and Naval Architectural Engineering students in their sixth of eightacademic terms in a co-op program. Lecture slots were 9:00-10:15 Tuesdays and Thursdays,with no extra tutorial period. A laboratory slot was scheduled from 2:00-5:00 Tuesdays

Conference Session

Mechanics Education Programs and Projects

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sridhar Condoor, Saint Louis University, Parks College of Eng.; Sanjay Jayaram, Saint Louis University, Parks College of Eng.; Lawrence Boyer, Saint Louis University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

media/interactive video) in comparison to a traditional instructor-led course.Several teaching instruments focused on exploiting the role of physical experience in teachingthe concepts. Ji and Bell12 argue that making abstract concepts more observable and tangibleenable students to better learn them. To make concepts observable and tangible, they use threethemes in their teaching: providing simple demonstration models, providing good engineeringexamples, and improving teaching material by including new research concepts. A goodcollection of the teaching material is available online13. Williams and Howard14 emphasize therole of laboratory experience for a physical insight. They outline the design of a versatile andeconomical apparatus for both

Conference Session

Learning Mechanics Through Experimentation

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

William E. Howard, East Carolina University; Colleen Janeiro, East Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

teaching interests include development of solid communica- tion skills and enhancing laboratory skills. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2020 Simple Lab Exercises Using Composite MaterialsAbstractMany engineering programs include a course in composite materials, usually as an electivecourse at the advanced undergraduate or graduate level. These courses typically focus on themechanics of fiber-reinforced composites. At East Carolina University, the elective compositescourse also contains some laboratory exercises that give the students a hands-on experience inthe layup and testing of carbon-epoxy specimens. In this paper, the authors share lessons learnedin making and testing these

Conference Session

What's New in Statics?

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shane Palmquist, Western Kentucky University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

engineering problem solving. However, there is a disconnect between Page 11.1042.2academia and engineering practice6. The classroom learning environment is typically a passiveexperience such as in a lecture hall (with the exception of the laboratory courses), whereasengineering practice is an active experience. Students in a classroom setting need more activeand engaged experiences7. Real life engineering projects encouraging active participation andphysical exposure to real structures such as buildings and bridges can significantly improvestudent understanding of the applied principles of engineering mechanics and help bridge the gapbetween

Conference Session

Innovative Teaching Techniques in Mechanics

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rungun Nathan, Villanova University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

under thirty students meeting for fifty minute period, threetimes a week during the fall semester. A total of three sections were taught in the fall thispast year. There were no laboratories as part of this class, though all the students had anengineering laboratory during their freshmen year in which they had built bridges frompopsicle sticks. This had made them aware of problems in statics in general. All studentshad a common final examination and there was no differentiation in grading for studentswho had challenges in the class.Typically most instructors pick a teaching strategy and continue to use this based onprevious experiences and successes they have had with this approach. The strategy isthen modified on an as needed basis, but

Conference Session

Measuring Learning in Statics & Dynamics

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Roger G. Hadgraft, University of Technology Sydney; David Lowe, The University of Sydney; Justine Lawson

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

Engi- neering and ICT, having co-developed the draft Australian national academic standards for the discipline. He is a passionate advocate of national and international cooperation in engineering education, particu- larly the sharing of best-practice learning materials.Prof. David Lowe, The University of Sydney Professor David Lowe is Associate Dean (Education) and Professor of Software Engineering in the Fac- ulty of Engineering and Information Technologies at The University of Sydney. He has active research interests in real-time control in the web environment and remote laboratories. He has published widely including over 150 papers and three books (most recently Web Engineering: A Practitioner’s Approach

Conference Session

Internet Delivery of Mechanics Courses

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peter Boyle, Saint Mary's University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

supplement. They were encouraged to read the supplement before the first day of lectures. About sixty interactive models and six animated screen videos prepared the student for self-test exercises. About ten hours were required for a student to assimilate the material in the software supplement, and the paper discusses the value of this time commitment. 7) The role of virtual laboratory exercises included in the ePAC is briefly described.IntroductionImprovements in online learning tools, evolving student demands and universal computer access,prompt the initiation of course delivery methods that challenge the hegemony of traditionalpresentation formats. The courses described here were not offered by distance delivery, but

Conference Session

Statics & Strength of Materials - A nice couple

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Somnath Chattopadhyay, Georgia Southern University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

Paper ID #7723A Study of Warping of Non-circular Shafts in TorsionProf. Somnath Chattopadhyay, Georgia Southern University Page 23.115.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2013 A STUDY OF WARPING OF NON-CIRCULAR SHAFTS IN TORSIONABSTRACTThis project is geared towards the study of warping as that takes place in non-circular shaftsunder torsion loading. For this purpose specimens of square cross-sections were used. .Thisactivity constitutes a laboratory unit in Mechanics of Materials course taught at the junior level.The students

Conference Session

Teaching Statics

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carisa H Ramming P.E., Oklahoma State University; John J. Phillips P.E., Oklahoma State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

% indicated that exams gave them the most difficulty and 62.5% said that trussanalysis was the most troublesome topic. The poll also questioned attendance of lecture anddiscussion. In lecture, 62.5% attended regularly while 37.5% attended somewhat or never.When asked about discussion, the numbers shifted with 50% attending regularly and 50%somewhat or never. With the intent of changing the structure of the discussion section in mind,the question “would hands-on laboratory experiments be of interest to you?” was asked and wasmet with a response of 83.3% for yes.Based on this data, the instructors were hopeful that the addition of the hands-on experimentswould have a compounding effect. If the students were interested in the discussion activities,they

Conference Session

Statics - They can move at constant velocity!

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Abhijit Nagchaudhuri, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; Rajnish Sharma, University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

logistics associated with credit-hour limitation and student contact hours provideenormous challenges to faculty to cover all fundamental concepts and assess student outcomesthat demonstrate their readiness to move on to engineering mechanics courses that follow.Recognizing the difficulty students have in Statics, engineering faculty have discussed aboutintroducing an additional laboratory hour in the curriculum to motivate students and provide aphysical framework to demonstrate the abstract concepts. While additional contact hours willcertainly enhance learning; credit hour limitation of curricula is also a “realistic constraint”around which engineering curricula has to be designed. Integration of realistic computersimulations in and

Conference Session

The 'Strengths' of Mechanics

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Reihaneh Jamshidi, University of Hartford

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

Work in Progress: Thematic Analysis of Engineering Students’ Technical WritingAbstractThis study describes the process of thematic analysis within the context of teaching and learningtechnical writing in a materials testing laboratory course. This process involves searchingstudents’ lab reports for their writing mistakes and sorting the relevant extracts into categoriesand identifying themes. Characterization and theme identification are made by analyzingprevious semesters’ reports for a total of 140 lab reports and pre-defining the themes for futureapplications. Observations may be made at each semester that do not fit into any of the pre-defined categories. For this reason, the themes will grow over the course

Conference Session

MASS: Mastery, Assessment and Success of Students

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Brad Gregory Davis, United States Military Academy; Kevin Francis McMullen, United States Military Academy; J. Adam Pegues, United States Military Academy at West Point

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

included homework assignments, comprehensive problemsets, a laboratory report, two engineering design projects, two midterm examinations, and a finalexamination. The number of assessments by topic are shown in Table 1. A full breakdown of thegraded requirements for the previous and new versions of the course are shown in Table 2.Previous studies indicated out-of-class assignments increased student engagement with thematerial more than in-class exercises [18]. Therefore, the reading quizzes in the previous versionof the course were replaced with out-of-class homework assignments focused on both problemsolving and self-learning. Table 2: Graded requirements for the two versions of MC300

Conference Session

Teaching Dynamics

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

J. Shelley, United States Air Force

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

satisfaction. CPI is one of the results of applicationof statistical process control, which originated in Bell Telephone Laboratories in 1924 byDr. Walter Shewhart1. ABET evaluation criteria espoused application of continuousimprovement philosophies to Engineering Education with the Engineering Criteria 2000published in 19962 and continue to propagate the application with the current standards3.The practice has become so ingrained in American industry that in May 2006, all USDepartment of Defense (DoD) activities were required to implement CPI and theContinuous Process Improvement Transformation Guidebook was published4. Thepersonnel conducting this study were trained in CPI through DoD activities and broughtthat experience into the educational

Conference Session

Teaching Statics

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Masoud Rais-Rohani, Mississippi State University; Andrew Walters, Mississippi State University; Anthony Vizzini, Western Michigan University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

all students to completely work all the emporiumassignment problems, students are given an opportunity to return later in the same or the nextday to complete the unfinished problems in what we call post-emporium sessions.2. Encourage Active LearningActivities in the emporium focus principally on solving problems towards deeper understandingof the course contents. Students work assignment problems on paper and submit their resultsonline for a prompt feedback. While the same set of problems is assigned to all students, thenumbers in each problem are algorithmically assigned (different) to encourage students to workon their own problems, although peer interaction is allowed and indeed encouraged.Hands-on laboratory activities with physical

Conference Session

Teaching Dynamics

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Hildebrand, Lake Superior State University; Wael Mokhtar, Grand Valley State University; Steve Bryan, Continental Automotive Systems

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

wasconsciously built-in; of course, this has the benefit of bolstering enrollment in thesecourses.4.3 Course Content & ObjectivesTable 3 lists, for each of the component courses of the two options presented above, theinstructional formats, i.e., respective weekly lecture and laboratory hours allocated, andthe specific course objectives (as tracked in the course assessment schemes). Page 14.1345.6 5 Table 3. Instructional Format & Course Objectives of the ElectivesEGME240 Assembly Modeling & GD&T

Conference Session

Mechanics Division Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Raghu Echempati, Kettering University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

-student interaction through assessment andreal-time feedback.Elahinia and Ciocanel5 presented a redevelopment method and process of the laboratoryexperiments for the Mechanics and Vibration Laboratory in which the objective was totransform the learning process from a subject-based learning to a problem-solvinglearning. Particular objective was to provide the students with more hands-on experienceand to challenge them by requesting the procedure for each laboratory experiment to bedesigned and carried out by each group of students. Their method was in line with theprogram objectives of their department.Integration of Concept Inventories is another method used by many researchers ingauging student knowledge. The commonly employed metrics (such as

Conference Session

Dynamics - Wow! They accelerate

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brian P. Self, California Polytechnic State University; James M Widmann, California Polytechnic State University; Michael J. Prince, Bucknell University; Jeffrey Georgette

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

Paper ID #7412Inquiry-Based Learning Activities in DynamicsDr. Brian P. Self, California Polytechnic State University Dr Self has taught in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo since 2006. Prior to that, he worked in the Air Force Research Laboratories before teaching at the U.S. Air Force Academy for seven years. During the 2011-2012 academic year he participated in a professor exchange, teaching at the Munich University of Applied Sciences. His engineering education activities include collaborating on the Dynamics Concept Inventory, developing model-eliciting activities in mechanical

Conference Session

Computer Tutors, Simulation, and Videos

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Edward J. Berger, Purdue University; Edward A. Pan, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

and specific learning outcomes. Much of the worked example literatureused a fairly controlled laboratory setting rather than an actual higher education classroom. Someof that literature focuses quite closely on mechanics related learning outcomes. Recent workusing controlled eye gaze experiments examined how students learn physics concepts fromworked examples[10], with the conclusions supporting the central tenets of both the workedexample effect (via cognitive load theory[11]) and effective multimedia design that leveragesspatial contiguity principles[12]. Quite a bit of work in similar laboratory settings has focused onquantifying specific aspects of physics or mechanics problem solving using eye gazetechnologies and other instruments to