Babu, R. (2024, July), GIFTS - A Hands-on Activity for Improving the Students' Understanding of Centroids in a Freshmen Engineering Mechanics Course.  Paper presented at 15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE), Boston, Massachusetts. 10.18260/1-2--48607

\bibitem{asee_peer_48607}
  Babu, R. (2024, July), \emph{GIFTS - A Hands-on Activity for Improving the Students' Understanding of Centroids in a Freshmen Engineering Mechanics Course.}
  Paper presented at 15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE), Boston, Massachusetts.
  10.18260/1-2--48607

Roshina Babu.  "GIFTS - A Hands-on Activity for Improving the Students' Understanding of Centroids in a Freshmen Engineering Mechanics Course.".  15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE), Boston, Massachusetts, 2024, July.  ASEE Conferences, 2024.  https://peer.asee.org/48607 Internet.  21 Dec, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_48607}
  Roshina Babu.
  "GIFTS - A Hands-on Activity for Improving the Students' Understanding of Centroids in a Freshmen Engineering Mechanics Course.".
  \emph{15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE), Boston, Massachusetts, 2024, July}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2024.
  https://peer.asee.org/48607 Internet.  21 Dec, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_48607
author = "Roshina Babu"
title = "GIFTS - A Hands-on Activity for Improving the Students' Understanding of Centroids in a Freshmen Engineering Mechanics Course."
booktitle = "15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)"
year = "2024"
month = "July"
address = "Boston, Massachusetts"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/48607}
number = {10.18260/1-2--48607}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Centroids of rigid bodies are one of the fundamental concepts taught in freshmen engineering mechanics courses. However, some freshmen students fail to connect the value of the centroid calculated with its significance in the actual rigid body. In this work, a hands-on activity and corresponding teaching materials were developed to provide students with an opportunity to see and feel a rigid body and appreciate the concept of its centroid. Unlike traditional methods, where students calculate the centroids of different shapes displayed on a screen or paper, this work describes an active learning strategy where students physically handle rigid bodies and identify the centroid using different methods. At the beginning of the class, the theory of centroids and applications in engineering systems were explained. Then the class of 40 students was divided into 10 groups. Each group was provided with different shapes cut out of form boards, a weight tied to a string, and push pins. The students were also provided with a handout that guided them through the entire activity. As a first step, each group discussed and made a guess on the location of the centroid. In the second step, they used the weight attached to the string as a plumb line to experiment and find the location of the centroid. In the third step, students calculated the centroid using the summation method. As a final step, they compared the different results, including their initial guesses, and summarized their inferences. This activity was implemented in the Freshmen Engineering Mechanics (Statics) course in Spring 2024 and received a positive response from students. Mechanisms to assess the effectiveness of this hands-on activity in improving student outcomes will be implemented in future semesters.  
AU  - Roshina Babu
CY  - Boston, Massachusetts
DA  - 2024/07/28
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - GIFTS - A Hands-on Activity for Improving the Students' Understanding of Centroids in a Freshmen Engineering Mechanics Course.
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/48607
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--48607
ER  -