Fajardo, C. M., & Rajabikhorasani, G. (2024, March), Revisiting Undergraduate Student Engagement Through Hands-On Laboratory Activities  Paper presented at 2024 ASEE North Central Section Conference, Kalamazoo, Michigan. 10.18260/1-2--45634

\bibitem{asee_peer_45634}
  Fajardo, C. M., \& Rajabikhorasani, G. (2024, March), \emph{Revisiting Undergraduate Student Engagement Through Hands-On Laboratory Activities}
  Paper presented at 2024 ASEE North Central Section Conference, Kalamazoo, Michigan.
  10.18260/1-2--45634

Claudia M Fajardo and Ghazal Rajabikhorasani.  "Revisiting Undergraduate Student Engagement Through Hands-On Laboratory Activities".  2024 ASEE North Central Section Conference, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 2024, March.  ASEE Conferences, 2024.  https://strategy.asee.org/45634 Internet.  17 May, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_45634}
  Claudia M Fajardo and Ghazal Rajabikhorasani.
  "Revisiting Undergraduate Student Engagement Through Hands-On Laboratory Activities".
  \emph{2024 ASEE North Central Section Conference, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 2024, March}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2024.
  https://strategy.asee.org/45634 Internet.  17 May, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_45634
author = "Claudia M Fajardo and Ghazal Rajabikhorasani"
title = "Revisiting Undergraduate Student Engagement Through Hands-On Laboratory Activities"
booktitle = "2024 ASEE North Central Section Conference"
year = "2024"
month = "March"
address = "Kalamazoo, Michigan"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://strategy.asee.org/45634}
number = {10.18260/1-2--45634}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Active learning is a key component of effective engineering education, enabling comprehensive understanding and application of theoretical concepts. Within Mechanical Engineering curricula, elective courses may be used as platforms to engage students through active learning strategies and promote effective retention of theoretical knowledge. Elective courses with hands-on laboratory activities provide a unique opportunity for students to actively engage in the learning process, apply critical reasoning, and develop practical engineering skills. 
At Western Michigan University, the course “Introduction to Internal Combustion Engines” is offered every fall semester as a (2-3) laboratory elective to upper-level undergraduate students. The laboratory activities, comprising at least 25% of the overall course grade, require students to conduct experiments, collaborate in teams for data analysis, and prepare detailed engineering reports.
The course is structured such that the internal combustion engine is used as a platform for students to revisit core engineering principles within the field of thermal-fluid sciences from an application perspective. This application-oriented approach not only reinforces fundamental knowledge but also provides a practical framework for learning through the introduction of more advanced concepts. Pedagogical challenges include engaging a student population with diverse academic preparation, limited availability of specialized laboratory equipment, and assessing individual student contributions in team-oriented laboratory activities. 
This paper details efforts to strengthen the engagement of undergraduate students in hands-on laboratory activities in connection to an upper-level mechanical engineering course, with the main objective of enhancing knowledge retention through active learning. Strategies to manage the pedagogical challenges previously outlined, as well as post-pandemic adjustments, are described. The resulting course and laboratory modifications are mainly driven by student feedback and instructor observations over the past 16 years.

AU  - Claudia M Fajardo
AU  - Ghazal Rajabikhorasani
CY  - Kalamazoo, Michigan
DA  - 2024/03/22
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Revisiting Undergraduate Student Engagement Through Hands-On Laboratory Activities
UR  - https://strategy.asee.org/45634
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--45634
ER  -