Conference Session

Statics and Dynamics in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shaobo Huang, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology; John M. Mativo, University of Georgia

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

MapsConcept maps have been widely applied as a heuristic tool in engineering education to promotemeaningful knowledge structures for students. A concept map allows a student to organize acollection of concepts and to identify/present the relationships between each other using a graph3- 4 . Studies suggest that concept mapping be a valid tool to categorize and to reflect changes instudents’ structures of knowledge in STEM disciplines 3, 5. However, concept maps emphasizethe macro relationships among concepts and may not reflect students’ understandings of anindividual concept.Concept inventories referred to here comprise of a series of instruments for the assessment ofstudents’ conceptual understanding of STEM disciplines. The questions were

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James A. Mynderse, Lawrence Technological University; Robert W. Fletcher, Lawrence Technological University; Liping Liu, Lawrence Technological University; Andrew L. Gerhart, Lawrence Technological University; Selin Arslan; Kingman E. Yee, Lawrence Technological University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

students commented that classroom grades were not aligned with thecompetition vehicle and that they wanted their grades to reflect engineering work and notpaperwork. This sentiment was echoed by faculty advisors who felt that the progress reportdeliverables were largely busywork and did not reflect actual design or fabrication work. Toprequests from students were:  Increase individual accountability  Focus on engineering over paperwork  Add a design and fabrication task to Introduction to Engineering Projects  Replace progress reports with technical reports  Use scheduled classroom time effectively  Provide students with basic timelineFaculty advisors interpreted student responses to mean that underutilization of in-class

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul J. Van Susante, Michigan Technological University; Nancy B. Barr, Michigan Technological University; Jason Blough, Michigan Technological University; James P. De Clerck, Michigan Technological University; Michele Miller, Michigan Technological University; Ibrahim Miskioglu, Michigan Technological University; Gregory M. Odegard, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

, homework, reports, and practical applications onthe job. By calling them practice sessions and tying them in with lectures, homework, andmultiple weeks of overarching topics based on a scenario, we have tried to make the sessions feellike less of a class and more of a “practice for after you graduate” atmosphere which stresses thatthe skills and experience will be useful later and reflective of what engineers do after graduation.A set of learning goals, split into 9 subcategories, was set up for all four courses anddistributed/grouped over the courses so it would match with the course content covered andtechnical skills learned to date. The MEP-1 course takes place in the first semester of thesophomore year and Statics is a pre-requisite or co

Conference Session

Statics and Dynamics in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer E. Holte, University of St. Thomas

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

more if briefactivities are introduced into lectures. Felder3 makes broad recommendations on howengineering teaching can be improved. Felder and Silverman4 argue that though students allhave different learning styles, and a small number of techniques can meet the needs of moststudents. They recommend using material that emphasizes practical problem solving andfundamental understanding. They also discuss the importance of reflective learning (along withactive learning). The author’s initial vision was to bring a can crusher to class and let thestudents answer some questions about mechanical advantage, thus extending familiar contentfrom their Statics course (drawing free-body diagrams, balancing forces and moments) to an ideathat was brand new

Conference Session

Design Throughout the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum II

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Pamela L. Dickrell, University of Florida; Ira Jerome Hill, University of Florida; Philip Jackson, University of Florida

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

activities tends to promote the storage of course material into long-term memory. Being able to explain the basic principles behind class demonstrationsimmediately after participating in the demonstrations may reflect their ability tounderstand and apply those principles. Being able to explain the same information afteran extended period of time, however, may reflect the student’s confidence in how closethey are to attaining true mastery of the material.It is, arguably, intuitive that one might expect that the confidence a student feels in theirability to explain demonstration concepts would decrease over time. Therefore one mayexpect that the percentage of students that agree that they can explain topics in a semesterfrom now would be less than

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Assessment

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Breigh Nonte Roszelle, University of Denver; Matt Gordon P.E., University of Denver; Bradley S. Davidson, University of Denver; Peter J. Laz, University of Denver

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

strong in 2015 and therefore did not perform aswell as previous years.Data, such as those shown in Figure 1, help the faculty to observe trends in the understanding ofspecific subjects and topics during each year. These data allow for reflections on how studentsare performing on each class subject, as well as give the instructor of that subject specifics aboutwhat topics might be causing difficulty. It also allows for identification of questions that mightnot properly assess knowledge of a specific topic.Outcomes from the sophomore exam and FE exam can also be used in conjunction with oneanother. One question posed while observing results from the sophomore exam was whetherthese results projected to the eventual performance of students on the FE

Conference Session

Teaching Methods in Mechancial Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rebecca L Norris, University of Oklahoma; Zahed Siddique, University of Oklahoma; M. Cengiz Altan, University of Oklahoma; J. D. Baldwin, University of Oklahoma; Wilson E Merchán-Merchán, University of Oklahoma

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

innovative and productive workforce [1]. Recognizing thisneed, significant attention and resources have been allocated in the recent past towardsincreasing female and underrepresented minority student enrollment in STEM fields, includingengineering. These efforts have resulted in a more diverse undergraduate population in USinstitutions, but overall graduation rates still do not reflect a fully diverse student body. Forinstance, women and underrepresented minorities earned only around 19% and 13% of the 2012 1bachelor degrees in engineering, a small increase from previous years [2]. Additionally, thisincrease in diversity is not uniform across disciplines; traditional engineering disciplines havemuch

Conference Session

Using Laboratories for Instruction in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Vidya K Nandikolla, California State University, Northridge; Vibhav Durgesh, California State University, Northridge

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

mechatronic system with microcontroller integrationConclusion and future planInspite of the changes made to both the curriculums, we still feel there is room to incorporatemore changes. Using rubrics for the project assessment helps the students and the instructor tofollow the same expectations for both laboratory portions of the courses. Implementing the samerubrics in two semesters gives students training in problem solving while working in teamenvironment. Goal of creating a common set of rubrics not only helps with outcome assessmentbut also encourages reflection in the curriculum to make positive enhancements. Inclusion ofethics discussion is important as students manipulate data and understanding the representation iscritical. As we continue

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George Youssef, San Diego State University; Vladimir Arutyunov, California State University Northridge

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

development, when the exact type of interface is not yet decided, all consideredoptions should be listed on the connecting lines until the final trade-off study is completed. It isimportant to note that as design analyses take place and final decisions are made, the systemlevel diagram is iterated to reflect the development. Figure 3: Final phase of System Level Diagram construction.The parallelization between updating the system diagram and the engineering design processensures that students are technically developing while gaining system-level skills. The realizedoutcomes of the system composition phase are: 1- In-depth technical analysis of each component’s and subsystem’s performance; 2- Informed trade-off studies for each

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert J. Rabb P.E., The Citadel; Monika Bubacz, The Citadel; Jason Howison, The Citadel; Kevin Skenes, The Citadel

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

] Tinto, V., “Research and practice of student retention: What next?”, Journal of College Student Retention:Research, Theory & Practice, 2007, v. 8 no. 1, p. 1-19.[2] Chen, X. “STEM Attrition: College Students’ Paths Into and Out of STEM Fields”, National Center forEducation Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC, 2013.[3] Veenstra, C.P., Dey, E.L., Herrin, G.D., “Is Modeling of Freshman Engineering Success Different fromModeling of Non-Engineering Success?” Journal of Engineering Education, Washington, D.C., 2008, v. 97 no. 4,October, p. 467-79.[4] Harris, J. G., “Journal of Engineering Education Round Table: Reflections on the Grinter Report”, 1994 (1), p.69-94[5] Carr, R., Thomas, D