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

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

correctly while only two managedto determine the weight of the plate correctly. Several students referred to using tabulated data orsimpler shapes in other courses to find the centroid and this lack of practice with equations beinga barrier to success in solving the problem used in this study which does not use a simple shape;“So you have areas which you can find by, by just like simple shapes. And then those have likeknown centroids. And then you can just do sum of centroid times area divided by sum of area forthis because your thing is modeled by an equation, you can't do that. So my dilemma now isremembering the formula.”(5) Solution Evaluation; the only student to obviously display reflective and evaluative practicewas the individual who

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

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

be better. I felt like I was just correcting mathematical errors, perhaps this method will improve my scrutiny over time but it is hard to tell from one problem set.Students were similarly neutral to positive in their comments at the end of the semester, thoughfar fewer focused on the mechanics of working through the self-revision process. Most studentsfocused their comments instead on the outcomes of the process: The self-revised method reduced study time and helped me work through my thought process on mistakes, helping me to solidify how to overcome those particular problems. I was better able to reflect on my mistakes using this method. This is because, for the regular problem sets, I rarely look at

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

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

their thinking using a variety of representations(mathematical, symbolic, pictorial, and concrete). This study adds to the empirical research onthe role of representations and tools used in learning and practice in engineering, an area of needin the field [12].MethodologyThis study used semi-structured interviews with statics students in their last week of a 10-weekquarter. Ten students engaged in hour-long interviews that included reflective prompts abouttheir experiences in the statics course and STEM more broadly, as well as a series of three tasksfocused on spherical angles, coordinate direction angles, and angles between 3D vectors. In eachtask the relevant calculations were provided, and the prompts asked students to consider how onevalue

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

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

, students complete two exam problems toassess mastery of the last three weekly topics. Quiz problems were on average slightly lessdifficult than exam problems, as reflected in the overall average scores. A total of 8 quizproblems and 8 exam problems were completed over the course of the semester.Since quiz and exam problems test specific concepts, this study also investigates whether therelationship is stronger for certain concepts than others, e.g. simpler fundamental concepts at thestart of the semester vs. more advanced topics require integration of multiple concepts.The Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Rotations (PSVT:R) is a timed standardized test ofmental rotations commonly used to assess spatial ability. The passing threshold is typically

Conference Session

Unique Pedagogies for Mechanics Education

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marguerite Matherne, Northeastern University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

into an Excel sheet. The responses to the last question were copied and pasted intoChatGPT with the prompt: I asked students what they found most confusing or interesting about an assigned reading. Their responses are below. Summarize them according to what was interesting and what was confusing.Thankfully, the responses did not need to be formatted or edited for ChatGPT to distill rows oftext into a short, concise list. The first few times this method was employed, the efficacy ofChatGPT’s summary was verified with the author’s own review of the student responses. It wasfound to be both an exhaustive and accurate reflection of what the students said. An example ofone of ChatGPT’s summaries can be found in the

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

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

. Figure 1: An overview of the development process for the FBD app.Phase 1: Design and Prototype (complete)The goal of this phase was to design an app that scaffolds the learning process associated withdrawing FBDs. This was accomplished by segmenting typical problems into small tasks withwhich students typically struggle and associating each task with a “mini game” in the app. Minigames were designed to be inclusive and feature feminized gameplay in order to appeal to thewidest possible audience.In this phase, participatory design was used because it allows all stakeholders to be part of thedesign process so that the final product reflects the entire community’s values [21]. There is astrong tradition of participatory design in interactive media

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

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

notnecessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.ReferencesBaird, C. L., & Keene, J. R. (2018). Closing the Gender Gap in Math Confidence: Gender and Race / Ethnic Similarities and Differences in the Effects of Academic Achievements among High Math Achievers. International Journal of Gender,Science & Technology, 10(3), 378– 410. https://genderandset.open.ac.uk/index.php/genderandset/article/view/452Besterfield-Sacre, M., Moreno, M., Shuman, L. J., & Atman, C. J. (2001). Gender and ethnicity differences in freshmen engineering student attitudes: A cross-institutional study. Journal of Engineering Education, 90(4), 477–489. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2168- 9830.2001.tb00629.xKoretsky, M. D., Brooks, B