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

at a high level of abstraction. Due to problemsin interpreting concept maps with numerous nodes and links, maps of larger domains are limitedin the detail the can represent. The authors are exploring the use of interactive digital tools as away to present large-scale concept maps that organize information and show connections acrossthe curriculum without overwhelming the user visually. As an exemplar, the authors havechosen the content in an engineering statics course. If successful, the concept mapping toolcould be used to cognitively link information between courses in engineering mechanics andthen across the entire engineering curriculum. As the first step in this process, the authors set outto capture an expert’s knowledge of engineering

Conference Session

Innovations in Solid Mechanics

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Irina Nicoleta Ciobanescu Husanu, Drexel University; Yalcin Ertekin, Drexel University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

development of pilot testing fa- cility, mechanical instrumentation, and industrial applications of aircraft engines. Also, in the past seven years, she gained experience in teaching ME and ET courses in thermal-fluid and energy conversion ar- eas from various levels of instruction and addressed to a broad spectrum of students, from freshmen to seniors, from high school graduates to adult learners. She also has extended experience in curriculum development.Dr. Yalcin Ertekin, Drexel University Yalcin Ertekin received his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Istanbul Technical University. He attended the Business School of Istanbul University and received M.S. degree in production management. After working for

Conference Session

Mechanics Classroom Demonstrations

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brianno D. Coller, Northern Illinois University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

something we had tentatively calledDynaMonkey. It was similar to a three dimensional version of Pong, very different fromSpumone.Although the control group did not have a video game to use for learning, students were requiredto complete two semi-structured, project-based assignments. The first project was a dynamicanalysis of the Vancouver luge track where a 21 year old Olympic athlete had recently lost hislife. In the second assignment, students had to derive equations of motion for an electric cart(four rigid bodies connected by axle bearings and a chain/sprocket) and integrate the equationswith Matlab. Through intuition-guided iteration, students selected cart parameters they thoughtwould give them the best chances of winning a class-wide

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

. Anotheroption is to impose a shorter time limit to add pressure, as tough time constraints are often areality in real engineering practice. As far as integrating the game into the ENGR 14 curriculum, the leading idea proposed by thestudents was to have the students play after learning about moments but before starting thebridge project. The students could also work on the same team they would work on for thebridge project to help them to learn how to work together and to work through issues they mightotherwise have later.Going forward, we plan to administer pre- and post-game surveys to ensure that students meetthe stated learning objectives. As previously mentioned, these include becoming morecomfortable working in teams and dealing with problems in

Conference Session

Mechanics Concepts II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Xiaobin Le P.E., Wentworth Institute of Technology ; Richard L. Roberts, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Ali Reza Moazed, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Anthony William Duva, Wentworth Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

Materials, many students have ahard time understanding the stress concentration phenomena and some assumptions for stressformulas under different loadings. Some students are puzzled about the purpose and theapproach of the Mohr’s circle so they only sketch the Mohr’s circle for visualization purposesbut still use stress transformations to calculate the stresses at different orientations. Since 2010we have introduced the idea of using the sketch tools in SolidWorks to run vector operations forstatics and to draw Mohr’s circle for determining the stresses at a given orientation. We alsohave used SolidWorks Simulation as a virtual lab and an alternative approach to visualize thestress distributions to facilitate student’s understanding of stress

Conference Session

Mechanics Concepts II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sinead C. Mac Namara, Syracuse University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

engineer.Engineering education researchers and practitioners have acknowledged the problem ofdesign education in engineering programs. In the 1990s first-year design courses werewidely introduced in engineering programs in an attempt to introduce students to thenature of their chosen profession earlier in their college careers.5,6 Capstone designcourses at the end of engineering programs likewise represent an opportunity for studentsto take on both design work and a holistic real world project. However, design is notgenerally included as part of the curriculum in core courses in the second and third yearsof study. There is a critique that this bookending approach (with cornerstone courses inthe first year and capstone in the final year) can create a “valley

Conference Session

Mechanics Concepts II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert E. Efimba P.E., Howard University; Tori Rhoulac Smith, Howard University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

-22057. Zanganeh, S.E. and R.E. Efimba (1994). "A Computer-Integrated Approach to Teaching Engineering Mechanics," paper presented at the First ASCE Congress on Computing in Civil Engineering, Washington, DC, Proc. v.2, pp. 1265-1272.8. Zanganeh, S.E, and R.E.Efimba (1997), “Integration of Design in Engineering Mechanics Courses: A Practical Approach,” Paper presented at an ECSEL Coalition Workshop on “Learning by Design” held at Howard University, October 1997.9. Bedford, A., and W. Fowler (2008, Engineering Mechanics: Statics, 5th ed., Pearson/Prentice-Hall.10. Beer, F.P., and E.R.Johnston (2007), Vector Mechanics for Engineers: Statics, 8th ed., McGraw-Hill.11. Hibbeler, R.C. (2004), Engineering Mechanics: Statics, 10th ed