Conference Session

Statics Online

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peggy C. Boylan-Ashraf, Stanford University; Sarah L. Billington, Stanford University; Sheri Sheppard, Stanford University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

Independent Study Presentations Solve equilibrium problems and Peer Review based on friction forcesLectureClass was held two times per week for 110 minutes each period. Lectures, in general,covered about 20 minutes of class and were planned with a minimalistic approach,focusing on the essential points. The remainder of class period was designed for in-classactivities, including problem-solving as well as hands-on lab experiments.In-Class ActivityIn-class activities were based on active-learning strategy, in which students worked on aproblem posed by the instructor –at times individually and other times in pairs or ingroups, before participating in a class-wide discussion. The motivation of

Conference Session

Dynamics

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brianno Coller, Northern Illinois University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

the class sizewas smaller and it was more convenient to run a Think-Pair-Share6 activity, not all that differentfrom Mazur’s Peer Instruction pedagogy. When I ask students to explain their answers to thequalitative concept questions, I was astonished to discover that students rarely drew free bodydiagrams. They ignored the physical principles discussed in class and, instead, relied on theirown physical intuition. Mazur2 reported something similar when he recalled a student asking,“… how should I answer these questions? According to what you taught us, or by the way I thinkabout these things?”During the recitation sections, starting in 2007, we would discuss how the systematic problem-solving process, including free body diagrams, could be

Conference Session

Statics Online

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Devin R. Berg, University of Wisconsin, Stout

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

Participation in the Engineering ClassroomIntroductionThe use of Twitter (http://www.twitter.com), a micro-blogging platform, in the higher educationclassroom has expanded in recent years as educators come to realize the benefits of social mediause as a tool for faculty-student communication or for inter-student communication 1 . While theliterature on the use of Twitter in the classroom is emerging, recent studies have found theplatform functional for promoting concise expression of ideas, critical reading and writing skills,stronger student-teacher relationships, self-learning in an informal environment, andaccountability among other benefits 2 . Further benefits have been found in relation to askingstudents to communicate the content of a given

Conference Session

Computer Tutors, Simulation, and Videos

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Moe Tajvidi P.E., Utah State University; Ning Fang, Utah State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

. Limited research studies involve rigorous assessments of the effects of CSA moduleson students’ learning and problem solving15, 16.It has become a widespread practice to use computer-based tools to enhance learning. However,using computers just for the sake of using computers or to appear “modern” can be adisadvantage to teaching engineering mechanics. In spite of significant progress in computer-assisted teaching, most students need to draw free-body diagrams and then write equilibriumequations, kinematic constraints, etc., to grasp different concepts of engineering mechanics. Forthis reason, the most successful methods, such as computer-aided instruction problems andinteractive computer tutorials, are an augmentation of the traditional context7

Conference Session

Statics Online

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul S. Steif, Carnegie Mellon University; Anna Dollár, Miami University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

 should  be  learner-­‐centered.  In  addition,  it  is  well  established  that  assessment  should  be  integrated  into  the  learning  process1.  In-­‐class  assessments,  such  as  peer  teaching,  minute  papers,  muddiest-­‐point  exercises,  and  other  classroom-­‐based  assessments  2,  can  give  insights  into  student  progress.  Computer  technology  can  further  integrate  assessment  into  the  learning  process  by  offering  students  individualized,  timely  help  and  feedback,  which  is  known  to  be  beneficial  3-­‐5.  One  effort  to  embed  such  individualized  assessment  into  learning  materials  for  an  entire  engineering  subject  has  been  the  Open Learning Initiative Engineering Staticscourse.    The OLI

Conference Session

Computer Tutors, Simulation, and Videos

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Colin Engebretsen, U.S. Air Force Academy; Paul S. Steif, Carnegie Mellon University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

instruction to lead to equivalent outcomes13, and in some cases even improved outcomes14.In this paper we describe a controlled study testing how students who used truss tutor forhomework performed on examinations in comparison with peers who did handwrittenhomework.  1. Description of computer tutorThe tutor has been described previously8. As seen the screenshot in Figure 1, the user can definemultiple subsystems, by selecting bars, partial bars, and pins.   Page 26.384.2   Figure 1. Screen shot of full display of tutor for

Conference Session

Dynamics

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jacob Michael Wild, James Madison University; Robert L. Nagel, James Madison University; Robert J. Prins, James Madison University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

the laboratory exercise created.The student was given the full Spring 2014 semester to develop the rotational mechanicslaboratory assignment as well as all of the equipment required to develop the assignment, the labassignment write-up, and a sample lab report representing what a student assigned the laboratoryassignment might ideally turn in as their report. The lab assignment write-up and the sample labreport are provided as Appendices 1 and 2, respectively.Coincidentally, it should be noted that the student was also enrolled in two technical electives,Introduction to Sensors and Solid Modeling & Prototyping. Through the student’s course workin Introduction to Sensors, the student was able to gain an understanding of how to work with

Conference Session

Flipped Classrooms in Mechanics

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Keri Ryan, University of Nevada, Reno; Adam Kirn, Univeristy of Nevada, Reno

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

, such as socio-economic status, make this institution unique. Students tend to comefrom low socio-economic status; 24% of our students are Pell grant eligible with householdincomes under $30,000. The state subsidizes the cost of education to in-state students byproviding a reduction in tuition of approximately 90% relative to the full cost of tuition to out-of-state students. The in-state tuition is one of the lowest in the country among four year nationalresearch universities, and provides access to engineering for a high number of students who maynot otherwise afford it. Students coming from low-income backgrounds often suffer from anumber of disadvantages when compared to their more affluent peers. The low-income status ofmany students