Lippert, K. J., & Walker, S., & McLeod, R. D., & Tarale, S., & Robinson, C. G., & Monday, M. C., & Seger, D. (2025, March), Teaching Digital Twins  Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Southeast Conference , Mississippi State University, Mississippi. 10.18260/1-2--54195

\bibitem{asee_peer_54195}
  Lippert, K. J., \& Walker, S., \& McLeod, R. D., \& Tarale, S., \& Robinson, C. G., \& Monday, M. C., \& Seger, D. (2025, March), \emph{Teaching Digital Twins}
  Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Southeast Conference , Mississippi State University, Mississippi.
  10.18260/1-2--54195

Kari J Lippert, Sean Walker, Roy Daniel McLeod, Sudhanshu Tarale, Christine Goldman Robinson, Matthew Christopher Monday, and David Seger.  "Teaching Digital Twins".  2025 ASEE Southeast Conference , Mississippi State University, Mississippi, 2025, March.  ASEE Conferences, 2025.  https://peer.asee.org/54195 Internet.  19 Apr, 2025

\bibitem{asee_peer_54195}
  Kari J Lippert, Sean Walker, Roy Daniel McLeod, Sudhanshu Tarale, Christine Goldman Robinson, Matthew Christopher Monday, and David Seger.
  "Teaching Digital Twins".
  \emph{2025 ASEE Southeast Conference , Mississippi State University, Mississippi, 2025, March}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2025.
  https://peer.asee.org/54195 Internet.  19 Apr, 2025

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_54195
author = "Kari J Lippert, Sean Walker, Roy Daniel McLeod, Sudhanshu Tarale, Christine Goldman Robinson, Matthew Christopher Monday, and David Seger"
title = "Teaching Digital Twins"
booktitle = "2025 ASEE Southeast Conference "
year = "2025"
month = "March"
address = "Mississippi State University, Mississippi"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/54195}
number = {10.18260/1-2--54195}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Digital twins are becoming increasingly utilized in today’s smart systems. There is a rapidly growing need for education about digital twins for everyone, but especially systems engineers. Systems engineers will be called on to specify, design, analyze, maintain, and perhaps even build digital twins as a normal part of their work. This work-in-progress presents an analysis of the design, implementation, and an early look at outcomes from an innovative course on digital twins. This course is centered on the practical development of a digital twin for a smart solar farm. This course was conceived to bridge the gap between the reported uses of digital twins and the knowledge required to construct one. Included in this paper is the rationale behind the course’s hands-on approach. The decision to focus on a smart solar farm is explored, highlighting how this specific project covers the wide range of foundational skills involved with digital twins. Selection of tools and development of student assessments to ensure effective learning outcomes are also discussed. Developing and teaching a pilot course is not without its challenges. Some of the challenges addressed are working with diverse skill levels in the students, managing the tools and equipment necessary for the development of both the realized and virtual twin, and teaching the course as an on-line offering. Additionally, various technical issues encountered during the course are addressed. Observations from the instructor are shared, and insights from not only dealing with these challenges but breakthrough moments are included. Student feedback is actively solicited during the pilot offering, and an analysis of these comments is provided, alongside incremental and future improvements planned for the course. The broader implications of this teaching approach for engineering education are also examined. The value of a project-based, hands-on learning experience is explored, underscoring its relevance in preparing students for real-world applications of digital twins. Finally, the potential for adapting this course for face-to-face instruction and its application to other emerging STEM topics is considered.
AU  - Kari J Lippert
AU  - Sean Walker
AU  - Roy Daniel McLeod
AU  - Sudhanshu Tarale
AU  - Christine Goldman Robinson
AU  - Matthew Christopher Monday
AU  - David Seger
CY  - Mississippi State University, Mississippi
DA  - 2025/03/09
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Teaching Digital Twins
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/54195
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--54195
ER  -