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Effectiveness of Video in Casting Education Craig Johnson, Ph.D., P.E. Central Washington University (CWU)

Abstract

Our traditional casting course features both lecture and laboratory venues. However it is noted that many students have never interacted with foundry equipment, and there is a significant learning curve associated with the ability of a student to execute basic green sand foundry operations. Education methods were sought to reduce this learning curve resulting in a series of short videos with subsequent incorporation into the curricula.

In this study, the use and effectiveness of video in a modified ‘traditional’ introductory casting course is explored. First, specific video equipment is listed, and the creation and editing processes described. Then the videos were used in casting classes, and the students were allowed access outside of class.

A positive educational impact due to the videos was evidenced by instructor and student feedback. A casting operations metric was presented, with measures including time-on-task analysis. A more rigorous assessment of educational impact was implemented in a spring course.

Introduction

Motivation for this project was to improve both the education experience and the speed at which students would acquire necessary skills and concepts. In a skills intensive course such as MET257 ‘Casting Processes’, many ‘millennial’ students (1) are ill prepared. Specific skills include operational safety (e.g. use of PPE) and operations (e.g. sand preparation, molding).

The content of MET257 contains basic foundry processes such as ‘green sand’, and has laboratory exercises in an on-site green sand foundry. A typical foundry process includes management of the sand, as well as many tools (e.g. patterns, flasks) and equipment (e.g. furnaces, crucibles, test equipment). Overlaid on this complex environment are real safety issues. A significant amount of time is allocated to both skill development and related safety concerns.

An idea was developed to create videos that addressed these needed skills, concepts and issues. The videos would be used in the CWU Foundry, to supplement the introductory course (and other courses as needed). There was obviously no such material evident at CWU, but subsequent searches did turn up some similar material such as those from Georgia Tech (Jonathon Colton) on NDSL – National Direct Science Library (2). There appeared to be limited use of external material due to the differences in equipment and procedures.

It is also noted that there was no substantive way to determine the ‘effectiveness’ of using video, in an education pedagogy sense. To address this a metric was created and planned for use in another course (also using the foundry).

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Johnson, C. (2010, June), Effectiveness Of Video In Casting Education Paper presented at 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition, Louisville, Kentucky. 10.18260/1-2--15771