Columbus, Ohio
June 24, 2017
June 24, 2017
June 28, 2017
Engineering Technology
Diversity
20
10.18260/1-2--28857
https://peer.asee.org/28857
872
Dr. Dupen is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology at Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW). He has nine years’ experience as a metallurgist, materials engineer, and materials laboratory manager in the automotive industry. His primary interests lie in materials engineering, mechanics, and engineering technology education. He is also an experienced contra dance caller.
Commercially-published technical textbooks are periodically revised using feedback from technical experts (primarily professors), resulting in technically excellent works. However, these books are not edited for understandability by the target audience, so many undergraduates find college textbooks difficult to read. In spring 2012, I spent a sabbatical semester writing a Strength of Materials textbook for sophomore engineering technology students. The textbook is available online as a free pdf file. The students are required to submit recommendations for improvement as part of their homework assignments. I use these recommendations to update the textbook every semester. Now in its 11th edition, the textbook is significantly easier to read, has far fewer typographical errors, and includes new material the students requested. This paper discusses the process of continual improvement and the effects the textbook has had on student success over the 5 years of its use.
Dupen, B. (2017, June), Student Editors Improve a Strength of Materials Textbook Paper presented at 2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Columbus, Ohio. 10.18260/1-2--28857
ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2017 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015