Conference Session

Teaching Mechanics: Modes and Methods

Collection

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert A. Hume, P.E., United States Military Academy; Adrian Biggerstaff, United States Military Academy; Eric B. Williamson, U.S. Military Academy

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Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

on their impressionof the self-revised assignments to evaluate the efficacy of these assignments in three areas: 1. Student academic performance on exams compared to previous cohorts 2. Student perception of the homework and learning experience 3. Instructor perception of the assignment style’s benefits to students and ease of gradingOutcomes proved neutral to slightly positive in each area. Student grades remained similar toprevious cohorts, but struggling students demonstrated increased time spent engaging with thematerial during the revision process. Students reported neutral to positive perceptions of themethod, and instructors generally favored the approach for its reduction in time spent grading.Overall, we recommend other

Conference Session

Keeping It Real: Real World Examples and Systems Thinking

Collection

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathryn Mary Rupe, Western Washington University; Eric Davishahl, Whatcom Community College; Lee Singleton, Whatcom Community College; Rebecca S. Borowski

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Diversity

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Mechanics Division (MECHS)

for others interested in designing and refining hands-on mechanics activitiestoward specific learning goals.IntroductionIn engineering statics courses students work with contexts and concepts from a broad range ofreal-world applications. While there are a variety of formulae and procedural ideas to be learnedand understood, it is also important to develop conceptual understanding of key course ideas.Active learning supports students’ performance in the STEM disciplines as compared totraditional lecture [1], particularly for students from historically marginalized groups [2], and cansupport the development of conceptual understanding. One way to do this is to use 3D models ofcommon statics concepts, such as vectors, forces, and moments to

Conference Session

Will This Be on the Mechanics Test? Concept Inventories and Understanding Exams

Collection

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christopher Papadopoulos, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez; Eric Davishahl, Whatcom Community College; Jean Carlos Batista Abreu, Elizabethtown College; Brian P. Self, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Dominic J. Dal Bello, Allan Hancock College; Kurt M. Degoede, Elizabethtown College; Anna K. T. Howard, North Carolina State University at Raleigh; Azize Akcayoglu; Hadas Ritz, Cornell University; William A. Kitch, Angelo State University

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Diversity

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Mechanics Division (MECHS)

hasmatured and expanded, and through a regular meeting Community of Practice, they have debateddetails of question phrasing to larger questions of how to make use of student responses.Additional issues that are addressed in this article relate to the effect of timing, repetition, andmodality of deployment on student performance.2. Institutional ProfilesTables 1 and 2 provide descriptions of the participating institutions and the modality ofdeployment of the CW questions. Table 1. Summary of Institutions and Modalities for Statics. Institution Description S1: University of Puerto Public, mid-sized, urban, bilingual, HSI. Primarily deployed in class after substantial discussion Rico, Mayagüez (UPRM) on

Conference Session

Digital Methods in Mechanics: Teaching with Digital Tools

Collection

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew R. Sloboda, Bucknell University; Sarah Wodin-Schwartz, P.E., Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Kimberly Lechasseur, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Jennifer deWinter, Illinois Institute of Technology

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Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

called out how theapp provided feedback. They specifically mentioned the positive experiences of receivingfeedback that is immediate, that explains boundary connections, and that deepens learning aftermistakes are made. These and other findings from the pilot study are discussed withcorresponding next steps for development.IntroductionNo skill is more important for a student of mechanics than the ability to draw a complete andaccurate free-body diagram (FBD). FBDs are foundational to all mechanics courses in civil,mechanical, and biomedical engineering programs. Together, these courses enroll a significantportion of the over 600,000 students who enter engineering programs in the United States eachyear [1]. Thus, educational approaches that

Conference Session

Will This Be on the Mechanics Test? Concept Inventories and Understanding Exams

Collection

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Maxine Fontaine, Stevens Institute of Technology

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Diversity

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Mechanics Division (MECHS)

set at60% or 70% to identify students with low spatial ability. At Stevens Institute of Technology,thresholds of 70% and 80% are used to separate students into groups of low, medium, and highspatial ability. The performance of these three groups in the statics course are compared usingone-way ANOVA.Preliminary results indicate significant differences between the high spatial ability and lowerspatial ability groups for specific concepts that require thinking in more than two dimensions,such as bending stresses, and specific problems that require more complex free-body diagrams.IntroductionThe link between strong spatial visualization skills (SVS) and success in engineering is wellestablished [1], [2]. Higher spatial ability has been correlated

Conference Session

Unique Pedagogies for Mechanics Education

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adrian Rodriguez, The University of Texas at Austin

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Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

throughoutthe semester (before, during, after), homework grade data, and exam grade data. Studentengagement increased 17% in Cohort 2022 compared to 2021, which validated the support forusing chat and polling. Students reported in polling that they needed the lean methodology moreas the semester progressed even though homework performance wasn’t positively impacted. Itwas also found that students relied on the lean methodology to complete the midterm and finalexams. An analysis of both HW 1 and HW 2 revealed a statistically significant performancebenefit in homework assignments by using the lean methodology with a moderate to large effect.EFL students, engineering, pedagogy, efficacyIntroductionAn English as a foreign language (EFL) student is a

Conference Session

Learning Mechanics through Visual and Tactile Modalities

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarira Motaref, University of Connecticut

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Diversity

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Mechanics Division (MECHS)

ofexperiential learning empowers students to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world scenarios,thereby deepening their comprehension of complex engineering concepts [1]. This approacheffectively bridges the gap between theory and practice.To cater to diverse learning preferences, facilitate visualization, promote real-world applications,and implement experiential learning, a variety of methods have been integrated over the pastdecade in this course. These methods include augmented reality (AR), discussions using real-world example pictures, and interactions with physical models—both through studentengagement and instructor demonstrations.Research has indicated that some students may not fully demonstrate their learning within theconstraints of

Conference Session

Unique Pedagogies for Mechanics Education

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marguerite Matherne, Northeastern University

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Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

objectives on theunderstand level of Bloom’s taxonomy and multiple-choice questions for learning objectives onthe analyze level are shown to moderately achieve this goal. The feedback loop between studentsand instructor was instrumental in determining how to best use class time to support studentlearning. Recommendations for best practices, including how ChatGPT can be leveraged toquickly summarize student responses, based on the instructor’s experience and student feedback,are given.IntroductionStudies have shown that students who read assigned textbook sections before coming to classfind it beneficial for their learning. They have also shown that today’s engineering studentsrarely read the textbook [1]. Just-In-Time-Teaching (JiTT) is a pedagogy

Conference Session

Understanding the Student Experience in Mechanics Courses

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rawan Aqel, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Samia Tarannum, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

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Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

barriers exist for minoritized students in a solid mechanicscourse?Sampling for this project included 50 students who took the course during the Fall 2021-Spring2023 academic years. The case study unit is the students who took the course at this time with thesame teaching assistant.Literature ReviewFor the purposes of this study, we explored literature related to second and third-year engineeringcourses and the success of minoritized engineering students. Literature shows that successfulengineers require a diverse range of knowledge and skills that extend beyond what is typicallytaught in engineering programs [1]. Future engineers should have professional practiceopportunities in real-world team-based settings to become collaborative and

Conference Session

Applications and Computational Tools for Mechanics Education

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew R. Sloboda, Bucknell University; Kimberly LeChasseur, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Sarah Wodin-Schwartz P.E., Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

for some students.This is because opportunities to practice drawing FBDs have traditionally been in the context ofhomework, using problems sourced from a textbook. This type of learning environment suffersfrom drawbacks because (1) the process of drawing FBDs is not scaffolded into discrete tasks(e.g. isolating the body), (2) the ability to practice only a particular task is not possible, and (3)feedback is not immediate. The lack of immediate feedback is a particularly important issue, asimmediate feedback is necessary to prevent students from reinforcing bad practices and has beenshown to be an important factor in learning [1,2].Although learning to reliably draw accurate FBDs is difficult for most students, women may beat a disadvantage

Conference Session

Assessing Conceptual Thinking about Engineering Mechanics

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alexander John De Rosa, University of Delaware; Samuel Van Horne, University of Delaware

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Diversity

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Mechanics Division (MECHS)

highly valued [1-5].These problems students face when tasked with transferring knowledge have been citedpreviously by various authors. In particular, the (in)ability of students to utilize fundamentalconcepts they learned in mathematics and physics in the context of thermodynamics have beendescribed by both the mathematics and physics communities [6-9]. In these studies, studentswere shown to have only a cursory understanding of the core math and physics concepts at playto view these ideas as isolated elements lacking connections to other aspects of their curriculum.An important conclusion of this work (that was not studied) was the idea of promoting priorknowledge activation as a mechanism for potentially remedying these issues [6].In the field

Conference Session

Mechanics Division (MECHS) Technical Session 7B

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Huihui Qi, University of California, San Diego; Richard Eugene Vallejo Jr, University of California, San Diego; Changkai Chen, University of California, San Diego; Minju Kim, University of California, San Diego; Alex M. Phan, University of California, San Diego; Marko Lubarda, University of California, San Diego; Celeste Pilegard, University of California, San Diego; Curt Schurgers, University of California, San Diego

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Diversity

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Mechanics Division (MECHS)

week: on Tuesday and Thursday, the class meets for an 80-minute lecturetaught by a professor, where new concepts were introduced; on Friday, the class met for a 50-50-minute-long discussion session, which was led by a Teaching Assistants (TA), whereproblem-solving about same week’s content was practiced. There were two 50-minute longquizzes, one in week 3, one in week 8, and a 3-hour long final exam. The Intervention The course-integrated learning strategies intervention was introduced to students in thename of the “Learn Smart” program. A program introduction lecture was given in week 4(lecture 9) after quiz 1. Then, a series of supplemental learning strategy training materials andassignments were given throughout the rest of

Conference Session

Mechanics Division (MECHS) Technical Session 3

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christine F. Goble, Centre College; Martha E. Grady, University of Kentucky

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Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

resources required to implement a set ofsix hands-on statics activities. It is well established that active and hands-on learning canimprove student outcomes. However, planning, resourcing, and implementation can be a barrierto their use. Our goal is to lower the implementation barrier for busy faculty that are hesitant toadopt active learning despite awareness of the research. We have created an easily accessiblerepository of the resources required to source, assemble, and implement Statics Shoebox Kits.Five criteria were considered in the development of the kits and activities. 1) Very little prep timeshould be required from the instructor. 2) The materials should be readily available, portable,inexpensive, and reusable. 3) Activity worksheets

Conference Session

Mechanics Division (MECHS) Technical Session 1A

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christian J. Schwartz P.E., Iowa State University of Science and Technology; Hartanto Wibowo, Iowa State University of Science and Technology; Nathan Miner, Iowa State University of Science and Technology; TRAVIS HOSTENG, Iowa State University of Science and Technology; Sriram Sundararajan, Iowa State University of Science and Technology

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Diversity

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Mechanics Division (MECHS)

course structure itself as well as bigger-picture upstream curricular issues. Thethree primary phases of this investigation included: 1) identifying and objectively exploringcommon anecdotal assumptions about root causes, such as ‘poor’ trigonometry skills, a lack ofphysics ‘knowledge’, not ‘understanding’ vectors, etc.; 2) developing a conceptual map of coursetopics that clearly identified precedence and dependencies among topics; and 3) aligning learningassessments with the conceptual mapping to determine specific topics where students firststruggled, thus leading to the inability to master concepts later in the course. Key findings of thework have included relatively precise identification of the basic vector arithmetic skills necessaryfor

Conference Session

Mechanics Division (MECHS) Technical Session 7B

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer E. Holte, University of St. Thomas

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Diversity

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Mechanics Division (MECHS)

brains.One obstacle in moving to better study practices is that students may believe they are learningbased on the sheer magnitude of their efforts and the homework points in their teacher’s gradebook. The goal of this work in progress is to incentivize more frequent touches with the coursecontent and to raise the students' awareness of what they are learning. Short, frequent digitalquizzes is the solution explored in this work.Students in a statics section submit a mix of digital or written homework each day that the classmeets. On the days that digital homework is due, the class class period begins with a five-minutedigital Progress Check Quiz (PCQ). PCQs consist of 1-2 simple conceptual questions orcalculations related to their assignment. The

Conference Session

Mechanics Division (MECHS) Technical Session 4

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rosemary Yahne, Utah State University; Daniel Kane, Utah State University; Wade H Goodridge, Utah State University

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Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

that involve spatial skills.IntroductionThere is a significant body of research that indicates a correlation between spatial ability andsuccess in STEM fields [1], [2]. Specific studies have determined correlations between spatialability and medical sciences [3], computer drafting [4], chemistry [5], and calculus [6]. Withinengineering, spatial ability has been correlated to academic performance, retention rates, andprofessional success[5], [7]. This correlation has led to an interest in developing and trainingspatial ability in engineering students.Over the years, several spatial ability training courses have been developed. Many of thesecourses offer spatial training as a supplemental or required aspect of intro-level engineeringcurriculum

Conference Session

Mechanics Division (MECHS) Technical Session 2

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anthony Battistini, Angelo State University; Mohammad Shafinul Haque, Angelo State University; William A Kitch P.E., Angelo State University; Soyoon Kum, Angelo State University

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Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

mechanical and civil engineeringstudents that build the foundation to be able to analyze and design a system that is at rest(Statics) and in motion (Dynamics). Thus, these courses serve as a prerequisite for manyupper-level engineering courses in most universities; however, high drop-out rates in Statics andDynamics are widely reported [1], [2].From 2016-2024, the David L. Hirschfeld Department of Engineering at Angelo State Universityhas internally examined the DFW rate (percentage of total students receiving a grade of D or F orWithdrawing from a course), particularly in foundational courses typically taken in the students’first two years of the program. Table 1 summarizes the results.Following the completion of Statics and Dynamics, anecdotal

Conference Session

Mechanics Division (MECHS) Technical Session 6

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kapil Gangwar, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Gloria Guohua Ma, Wentworth Institute of Technology

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Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

outcome, innovative and non-traditionallabs were developed with a focus on solid mechanics where hands-on experiments help bridgethe gap between theory, numerical analysis, simulations and real-world applications. Thetraditional lab exercises at majority of undergraduate engineering colleges (including ours)include compression, tension (flat and threaded), double shear, and torsion (circular and non-circular specimens). In this paper we have identified 6 different labs 1) Stress ConcentrationAnalysis Around a Circular Hole, 2) Testing of Riveted Connections, 3) Beam Deflection, 4)Tensile Testing at Extreme Temperatures, 5) Buckling of Slender Columns and 6) Thermal Stressin Bimetallic Strips to assess SO6. The assessment data from Testing of

Conference Session

Mechanics Division (MECHS) Technical Session 4

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Patrick Coughlin, University of Colorado Denver; Heather Lynn Johnson; David C. Mays, University of Colorado Denver

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Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

theclassroom transition between torque with external forces and internal forces should fosterimproved curricula and pedagogy for improved student learning. Keywords: Higher Education(4.c), Undergraduate (4.f), Engineering Curriculum (5.a), Conceptual Learning (7.a), Interviews(12.a.iii), Phenomenography (12.d.v.7). 1. IntroductionTorque, the rotational analog of force, is defined as follows: τ = r × F, (1) |τ| = |r| |F| sin(θ), (2) τ=𝐼𝛼, (3)where τ is the torque

Conference Session

Mechanics Division (MECHS) Technical Session 5

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew R. Sloboda, Bucknell University; Sarah Wodin-Schwartz P.E., Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Kimberly LeChasseur, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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Diversity

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Mechanics Division (MECHS)

teaching assistant for both mechanical and electrical engineering courses including Introduction to Mechatronics for which she received thDr. Kimberly LeChasseur, Worcester Polytechnic Institute Dr. Kimberly LeChasseur is a researcher and evaluator with the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She has a dual appointment with the Center for Project-Based Learning and the Morgan Teaching and Learning Center. She holds a PhD in Educational Leadership ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2025 Closing Equity Gaps in Statics for BIPOC Students with a Free-Body Diagrams AppObjectives: This paper 1) examines the potential of an FBD App to close equity gaps in

Conference Session

Mechanics Division (MECHS) Technical Session 7B

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Olivia Ryan, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Jacob R Grohs, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; David A. Dillard P.E., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; James Lord, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Cassie Wallwey, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Benjamin Edward Chaback, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Anita Walz, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

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Mechanics Division (MECHS)

educational resources (OER) in‬ ‭alleviating financial strain, improving student engagement, and enhancing learning experiences‬ ‭in engineering education.‬I‭ ntroduction‬ ‭Engaging in continuous improvement is a good practice for any course, and providing instructors‬ ‭with the tools to make effective data-driven changes can enhance student learning‬‭[1]‬‭. In‬ ‭engineering education, there has been a call to make changes to curricula and learning‬ ‭experiences to ensure that engineering students are ready to meet the complex challenges of the‬ ‭future‬‭[2]‬‭. This is compounded by the looming enrollment‬‭cliff in higher education, where fewer‬ ‭students are expected to pursue higher education

Conference Session

Mechanics Division (MECHS) Technical Session 5

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anyerson Cuervo-Basurto, Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE); Hong Tran, Purdue Engineering Education; Edward J. Berger, Purdue University at West Lafayette (PWL) (COE); Fredy Rodriguez, Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE)

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Diversity

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Mechanics Division (MECHS)

clearto the students, the student’s role in learning is recognized, and students have the agency toengage in the course material in ways that respect their identities (Holmes et al., 2023). Eventhough equitable and effective teaching depends on changes to the larger higher educationsystem, instructors play a crucial role in serving their students. The framework consists of sevenprinciples: (1) students need opportunities to engage in disciplinary learning actively, (2) toconnect to and leverage students’ diverse interests and goals, prior knowledge and experiencesenhance learning, (3) STEM learning involves affective and social dimensions, (4) identity andsense of belonging shape STEM learning, (5) multiple forms of data can provide evidence