Paper ID #41253Incorporating Design Projects to Facilitate Students’ Understanding of MechanicalVibrationsDr. Xiaobin Le, Wentworth Institute of Technology Professor, Ph.D, PE., Department of Mechanical Engineering and Technology, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA 02115, Phone: 617-989-4223, Email: Lex@wit.edu, Specialization in Computer Aided Design, Mechanical Design, Finite Element Analysis, Fatigue design and Reliability design. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2024 INCORPORATING DESIGN PROJECTS TO FACILITATE STUDENTS' UNDERSTANDING OF MECHANICAL
ask.After students generate their questions, the instructor brings the class back together to discuss thegiven prompts and develop potential next steps as a group. While students are able to ask theirquestions, there is no requirement that they do so to avoid development of artificial orconstrained questions for fear of peer and instructor judgement [12]. Some example questionsthat lead to next steps will be discussed in one of the first lab sections to model how askingquestions can move a project forward.Students then are tasked with designing an experiment to measure the values they need with theequipment they are given. There are often multiple ways a student could successfully approachthe problem. In early labs, the class will come together
Paper ID #43608Testing an EML Activity in StaticsDr. Seyed Mohammad Seyed Ardakani, Ohio Northern University Dr. Ardakani is an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at Ohio Northern University. He has previously served as a Project Engineer at Englekirk Structural Engineers and a Lecturer at South Dakota State University. He obtained his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno. His research interests include engineering education, seismic performance and design of reinforced concrete structures, and computational modeling of structures. He received the 2020-21 Professor Henry Horldt Outstanding
. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2024 Link Element Design for a Landing Gear Mechanism in a Statics and Mechanics of Materials CourseAbstractIn this work, we describe a project involving a link element design for a landing gear mechanismas part of our Statics and Mechanics of Materials I course. During this project, students are askedto design a safe and lightweight linkage that will allow the landing gear to safely and slowlyretract from a vertical position to a nearly horizontal one without breaking or stretching more than10% of its original length. This project is introduced at the halfway point of the 10-week term, atwhich point students are familiar with the 2D equilibrium of rigid bodies and the concepts
Paper ID #37981Modifying a Junior Year Machine Design Project to Break Down KnowledgeSilos in the Mechanical Engineering CurriculumDr. Ashley J. Earle, York College of Pennsylvania Ashley is an Assistant Professor in the Mechanical and Civil Engineering department at York College of Pennsylvania. She received her B.S in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and B.A. in Interna- tional Studies from Lafayette College. She then pursued her Ph.D in Biomedical Engineering at Cornell. During her Ph.D. she discovered her love of teaching and decided to pursue a future at a Primarily Un- dergraduate Institution, bringing her to
-class work time. The students were able to seek helpfrom the instructor, TAs, and their peers to complete these assignments. Students were given at leastthree attempts to demonstrate mastery on Level 1 computer apps skills (Tab. 4). Eight skills (Tab. 2; -HW) were developed to motivate the students to regularly watch the lectures, attend class, andcomplete homework assignments. Essentially, these eight homework skills provided a “participation”grade for this system. Finally, a semester long project, described elsewhere [10], accounted for a totalof four skills. For comparison, a table relating the 2021 mastery-skills to the 2023 skills is provided inAppendix 3. Table 2: 2023 Mastery
professor and a lab taught by a graduateteaching assistant (GTA) each week. Since the transition to one course, instructors, students, andTAs have noticed otherwise talented students are struggling in the new course. Our overallresearch project focuses on the student experience in this course through the grounded theorymethodology. It aims to provide actionable feedback for GTAs and professors teaching the course,data the college can use to apply widely in engineering courses and provide the groundwork forfuture grants to improve the engineering curricula at this university to improve its access mission.For this work-in-progress paper, the goal is to discuss the results through the lens of one case studyusing the question: What supports and
an engineering students’ weekly activity is completing homeworkproblems, problem sets, or working on projects. While a significant amount of research hasexamined how students work together to complete design projects and learn design [4]–[6] fewstudies have examined students solving homework problems or projects in engineering sciencecourses, an understudied area of research [7]. Lord and Chen [8] have called for more researchinto the “middle years” of the engineering degree, where students must take a number ofdisconnected courses with high levels of mathematical problem solving that are not highlyengaging for students.Douglas and colleagues have answered this call by examining the types of problems in typicaltextbooks [9], students' use of
design, and inquiry-guided learning. He has supervised undergraduate and master’s student research projects and capstone design teams.Dr. Heather Dillon, University of Washington Dr. Heather Dillon is Professor and Chair of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington Tacoma. Her research team is working on energy efficiency, renewable energy, fundamental heat transfer, and engineering education. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2024 A secure, scalable approach to student-graded homework for self-reflectionAbstractA large body of research shows that deliberate practice is essential to developing expertise in anyskill. The essential
. Fig. 3. The leaning tower of Pisa3.3. Pedagogical ActivitiesTo engage students, the suggested pedagogical activities include: 1. Discussion of tipping and footprint concepts – Reflective discussion can help students to understand the two approaches clearly, and when and how to apply them to their lives. These discussions can be constructive for students who need help with the retention and application of information. 2. Demonstration of tipping, even applying forces on the table in the classroom to using an elastic band to capture the geometry of the footprint, can help students to retain the concept. 3. Design projects foster the ability to formulate, ideate, experiment, and learn from concrete
Paper ID #41518Impacts of a Free-body Diagram Mobile App on Content Mastery and Women’sSelf-EfficacyDr. Andrew R. Sloboda, Bucknell University Andrew Sloboda is an Assistant Professor at Bucknell University where he teaches a variety of mechanics- based courses. His research interests lie primarily in the fields of nonlinear dynamics and how context impacts student learning.Dr. Kimberly LeChasseur, Worcester Polytechnic Institute Dr. Kimberly LeChasseur is a researcher and evaluator with the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She holds a dual appointment with the Center for Project-Based Learning and the Morgan Teaching and
Abstract Oscillators are a very important topic in undergraduate Dynamics, both in a lab and lectureproject setting. This paper shares our experience and lessons learned over many years using twosystems: (1) a low-cost translational damped oscillator instrumented with an infrared proximitysensor, along with LabVIEW and the myDAQ from NI in lab for use in a system identification(ID) problem and (2) a cable-based rotational oscillator in lecture as an integrated theory-simulation-design-manufacturing-measurement final project that permits determination of themass moment of inertia of a symmetric rigid body about a fixed axis. In each case, there is aspectrum of content, from mathematical modeling, to numerics and simulation usingMATLAB/Simulink
Paper ID #43735Can Hands-on Statics Improve Student Learning?Prof. Eric Davishahl, Whatcom Community College Eric Davishahl serves as professor and engineering program coordinator at Whatcom Community College in northwest Washington state. His current project involves developing and piloting an integrated multidisciplinary learning community for first-year engineering. More general teaching and research interests include designing, implementing and assessing activities for first-year engineering, engineering mechanics, and scientific computing. Eric has been an active member of ASEE since 2001. He was the recipient of the
leading software development teams towards de- livery of digital projects for organizations such as Coca-Cola, Chrysler and the State of Florida. Currently leading IT innovation at the University of Miami, involving AI, mixed and virtual reality (MR/VR). SAFe, PMP and Scrum certified, winner of Project Management Institute (PMI) competition, quick to zero in on key performance indicators and harness technology to improve them. Published business writer. Prince- ton University computer science graduate. University of Miami MBA. Fluent in English, French, Italian and Spanish.Mert Okyay, University of Colorado, Boulder I am a theoretical physicist working in quantum information and condensed matter, and with interests in
getting started with learning how to best recruit for the program. The second year,we targeted many of the same recruitment avenues, but expanded our efforts as well. All ofdepartments offer some type of first year seminar, and these instructors were contacted and askedto advertise the program. We supplied a sample email they could send out, as well as a slide ortwo in case they wanted to make an announcement in class. Additionally, we asked all of thedepartment chairs to include an announcement in department emails that are routinely sent out totheir students.I also identified physics instructors teaching the introductory sequence and asked them toadvertise the program. Because I attended some physics courses as part of another project, I
Paper ID #42873Dynamics for D’s: Avoiding Multiple Failures in a High Risk CourseDr. Brian P. Self, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Dr. Brian Self 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. Dr Self’s engineering education interests include collaborating on the Dynamics Concept Inventory, developing model-eliciting activities in mechanical engineering courses, inquiry-based learning in mechanics, and design projects to help promote
survey link. A total of 24 students (out of 28 students, resulting in an 86%participation rate) actively participated in the survey that is detailed in Appendix A. Although thestudents in Dynamics had limited knowledge of ChatGPT, the students in Statics class had moreexperience due to prior exposure as they were assigned an in-class project and presentation thatinvolved utilizing ChatGPT for solving Statics problems. As a result of this deliberate differedexposure, a meaningful difference between the students’ responses was observed.In this survey, students were asked about a variety of aspects to explore the opportunities andchallenges of using AI-powered tools for engineering education. In addition to their experienceworking with ChatGPT
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 holds a dual appointment with the Center for Project-Based Learning and the Morgan Teaching and Learning Center. She holds a PhD in Educational LeadershipJennifer deWinter, Illinois Institute of Technology ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2023WIP Toward a Free-Body Diagram MobileApplicationAbstractNo skill is more important for a student of mechanics than the ability to draw a complete andaccurate free-body diagram (FBD). A good FBD facilitates proper accounting of forces whenwriting the
Learning ActivitiesThe overall goal of the learning activities was to improve undergraduate engineering students'understanding of the following vector concepts in a 3D space:1. Cartesian components of vectors2. Unit vectors3. Directional angles4. Vector addition and subtraction using the triangle law5. Cross product using the right-hand rule6. Dot product to determine the angle between two vectors7. Dot product to compute the projection of a force onto a lineThe authors created paper-based learning activities in the form of guided inquiry [19] to addresseach of the concepts. The activities were integrated into the app by designing the app andactivities in parallel. Both were designed without context (i.e. not specific to any STEM course).This
Learn Statics ConceptsAbstractThis paper describes the results from an ongoing project where hands-on models and associatedactivities are integrated throughout an undergraduate statics course with the goal of deepeningstudents’ conceptual understanding, scaffolding spatial skills, and therefore developingrepresentational competence with foundational concepts such as vectors, forces, moments, andfree-body diagrams. Representational competence refers to the fluency with which a subjectexpert can move between different representations of a concept (e.g. mathematical, symbolic,graphical, 2D vs. 3D, pictorial) as appropriate for communication, reasoning, and problemsolving.This study sought to identify the characteristics
problems step by step. Each class is 50 minutes long, and it meetsthree times a week. Class time includes a brief lecture from the instructor about the day's topicand related real-world examples, followed by a session where students solve problems.In the summer of 2020, the Mechanics of Materials course was chosen to undergo a redesign aspart of the "INCLUDE, Beyond Accommodation: Leveraging Neurodiversity for EngineeringInnovation" research project. This project was supported by the Engineering Education Centersof the National Science Foundation. Its goal was to revolutionize engineering education andfoster an inclusive environment that supports learners with neurodiversity. While universaldesign principles can make courses accessible to everyone
styles increased when project-basedlearning was used [7]. Many of these studies also compared end of semester grades to see ifteaching style affected those, but there were no statistically significant results in student scoresfor courses with different teaching styles.The field of engineering has seen a significant shift in implementation of innovative coursedesigns in the last few decades. These changes are heavily supported by engineering educationresearch and faculty connections made. Through these faculty connections, discussions aboutteaching the same courses and addressing similar classroom issues spur further innovation inclassroom designs. The conversations are rarely about the course content but rather how thatinformation is delivered
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 Applied Sciences. His engineering education interests include collaborating on the Dynamics Concept Inventory, developing model-eliciting activities in mechanical engineering courses, inquiry-based learning in mechanics, and design projects to help promote adapted
stimulating images. (a) (b) Figure 7: Photoelasticity setup: (a) Tension tests; (b) Torsion tests.ResultsPhysical Material Failure BoardThe final material failure display board is shown in Figure 8. The authors elected to build threedisplay boards. It was decided not to include plaques to avoid inundating the display with toomuch information. The authors determined the excess information would detract from thefundamental aim of the project. The name of the material was laser engraved into the plywoodfor each material. The board would be utilized by different courses on different lessons. Withsmall section sizes of a maximum of 20 students, some courses have simultaneous
Paper ID #44228Correlating Common Errors in Statics Problem Solving with Spatial AbilityDr. Maxine Fontaine, Stevens Institute of Technology Maxine Fontaine is a Teaching Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology. She received her Ph.D. in 2010 from Aalborg University in Aalborg, Denmark. Maxine has a background in the biomechanics of human movement, and her current research projects are related to spatial skills and adaptive expertise in engineering students.Dr. Chaitanya Krishna Vallabh, Stevens Institute of Technology ©American Society for Engineering Education
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 for seven years. Brian has taught in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo since 2006. Dr Self’s engineering education interests include collaborating on the Dynamics Concept Inventory, developing model-eliciting activities in mechanical engineering courses, inquiry-based learning in mechanics, and design projects to help promote adapted physical activities. Other professional interests include aviation physiology and biomechanics. He is a Fellow of the American Society
streamlined version of “the big picture to the small picture”approach, where the process starts with the definition (i.e., understanding the problem),abstraction (i.e., identifying the problem), and implementation (i.e., generating a solution).Seeing the big picture is essential in SoS because having a broader system perspective allowsSoS engineers to understand the context, implications, and interrelations between subsystems.The SoS DAI top-down approach also allows the SoS engineers to see trends and patterns, whichwill become important when making decisions.The first phase, the Definition phase, involves defining the system, project, or problem to besolved. The process includes gathering requirements, defining the objective, and
Vectors Unit Vectors Dot Product Angle between vectors Projection onto a line Particle Equilibrium 3D Particle Equilibrium Moments Scalar Analysis using the Right Hand Rule Vector Analysis using Cross Product Moment about a line or axis Moment due to a Couple System Simplification A resultant force and couple-moment A resultant force at specified coordinates in a parallel force system Reduction to a Wrench Rigid Body Equilibrium 3D Rigid Body EquilibriumMethodologyIn both the control and experimental class, each of the
), and as a faculty member and junior consultant at FUTA (2013). His expertise spans deep foundations, pavement substructures, small dams, hydrocarbon contamination remediation, and landfill emission mitigation projects. Dr. Uduebor’s research focuses on sustainable civil infrastructure, ground improvement, and geohazards risk mitigation, leveraging his deep understanding of geomechanics and the application of water-repellent materials in geotechnical engineering. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2024Work in Progress: Targeted Self-Graded Problems in Engineering MechanicsAbstractEngineering mechanics is known to be a “bottleneck” course required in various engineeringdisciplines
. The question Catrambone likes to ask–and the thread that runs through the projects he does alone and in collaboration with others–is: What does someone need to know in order to solve novel problems or carry out tasks within a particular domain? Catrambone’s research interests include problem solving, educational technology, and human-computer interaction. He is particularly interested in how people learn from examples in order to solve problems in domains such as algebra, probability, and physics. He explores how to create instructional materials that help learners understand how to approach problems in a meaningful way rather than simply memorizing a set of steps that cannot easily be transferred to novel problems