A Laboratory Course Design Strategy to Increase Student Confidence: Connecting Material Testing Standards to Course Material and Real Applications

Christopher John Greer; Devon Eichfeld; Brianne Hargrove; Siu Ling Leung

Download Paper | Permalink

Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH) Technical Session 13: Lab Experiences
Tagged Division: Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)
Page Count: 20
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--42412
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/42412
Download Count: 161

Request a correction

Paper Authors

biography

Christopher John Greer The Pennsylvania State University

visit author page

Christopher J. Greer is an Assistant Research Professor at The Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. He completed his Bachelors of Science in Aerospace Engineering at Penn State while leading a group of students in rocket engine development for a conceptual lunar lander. He gained hands-on experience while interning at SpaceX’s Rocket Engine Development Facility as a Ground Support Equipment Engineer developing a new test stand for SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy. His Master’s work was funded by NIAC (NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts) to advance a conceptual combustion-based power system for a Venus lander. Chris’ doctoral work at Penn State was funded by NASA’s STMD (Space Technology Mission Directorate) to continue his research towards a future Venus lander mission. He is currently working with Dr. Alexander Rattner in a NASA STMD subaward with Astrobotic (formerly Masten Space Systems) to develop a thermal and power solution for lunar landers to survive the lunar night.

visit author page

author page

Dr. Siu Ling Leung is the Associate Head for Undergraduate Programs, the Director of Undergraduate Laboratories, and an Associate Teaching Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Pennsylvania State University. Her research interest is developing new engineering laboratory curricula to empower students' higher-order thinking skills by solving real-world problems.

visit author page

Download Paper | Permalink

Abstract

This paper presents a laboratory course design strategy to align material testing standards with hands-on experiments, game-based learning, and real-world application. The goal of this strategy is to strengthen the student’s ability in understanding and applying material testing standards. This work presents two case studies that applied the same approach, with one case focusing on the characterization of mechanical material properties and the other on thermofluid properties. In each case, the four-week laboratory module began with the following material selection questions: "Which of the materials provided should be selected to build a turbine blade?" or "Which of the provided glycol-water mixture is the best engine coolant for cold weather?" Students had to conduct multiple material tests,compare their experimental results to literature with statistical considerations, and predict what the provided materials were to answer the selection question. Each experimental procedure was adapted from American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards and students were asked to highlight any differences. We embedded game-based learning using Kahoot! in lectures to motivate students and help them comprehend each ASTM standard. In addition, students were given an opportunity to design their own experimental protocol within the module. The module culminated in a conference paper style report where the students selected the ideal material to answer their selection questions. They needed to support their decision by following a guided analysis using their experimental results. For example, analyzing a heat exchanger's performance based on the thermofluid property values obtained from their experiments for each unspecified specimen . After completing the four-week laboratory module, our survey data indicated that 91% of the students (n=157) are confident or very confident in their abilities to apply the same ASTM standard in the future and 78% are confident or very confident they can follow a new ASTM test standard. The majority (84%) of the students agreed that the activities helped them understand the real-world application of the theory they had learned in their Mechanical Engineering (ME) curriculum. Additionally, 76% of the students agreed they applied knowledge from their past ME courses to these lab activities. We concluded hands-on experiments were consistently the most encouraging activities that motivated students to read and understand the ASTM standards disregarding the class size and topics.

Citation
Format

Greer, C. J., & Eichfeld, D., & Hargrove, B., & Leung, S. L. (2023, June), A Laboratory Course Design Strategy to Increase Student Confidence: Connecting Material Testing Standards to Course Material and Real Applications Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--42412

TY - CPAPER
AB - This paper presents a laboratory course design strategy to align material testing standards with hands-on experiments, game-based learning, and real-world application. The goal of this strategy is to strengthen the student’s ability in understanding and applying material testing standards. This work presents two case studies that applied the same approach, with one case focusing on the characterization of mechanical material properties and the other on thermofluid properties. In each case, the four-week laboratory module began with the following material selection questions: &quot;Which of the materials provided should be selected to build a turbine blade?&quot; or &quot;Which of the provided glycol-water mixture is the best engine coolant for cold weather?&quot; Students had to conduct multiple material tests,compare their experimental results to literature with statistical considerations, and predict what the provided materials were to answer the selection question. Each experimental procedure was adapted from American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards and students were asked to highlight any differences. We embedded game-based learning using Kahoot! in lectures to motivate students and help them comprehend each ASTM standard. In addition, students were given an opportunity to design their own experimental protocol within the module. The module culminated in a conference paper style report where the students selected the ideal material to answer their selection questions. They needed to support their decision by following a guided analysis using their experimental results. For example, analyzing a heat exchanger&#39;s performance based on the thermofluid property values obtained from their experiments for each unspecified specimen . After completing the four-week laboratory module, our survey data indicated that 91% of the students (n=157) are confident or very confident in their abilities to apply the same ASTM standard in the future and 78% are confident or very confident they can follow a new ASTM test standard. The majority (84%) of the students agreed that the activities helped them understand the real-world application of the theory they had learned in their Mechanical Engineering (ME) curriculum. Additionally, 76% of the students agreed they applied knowledge from their past ME courses to these lab activities. We concluded hands-on experiments were consistently the most encouraging activities that motivated students to read and understand the ASTM standards disregarding the class size and topics.
AU - Christopher John Greer
AU - Devon Eichfeld
AU - Brianne Hargrove
AU - Siu Ling Leung
CY - Baltimore , Maryland
DA - 2023/06/25
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - A Laboratory Course Design Strategy to Increase Student Confidence: Connecting Material Testing Standards to Course Material and Real Applications
UR - https://peer.asee.org/42412
DO - 10.18260/1-2--42412
ER -