Work in Progress: Incorporating Microprocessors across the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

Lawrence Funke; J. Blake Hylton; David Sawyers

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Conference: 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Tampa, Florida
Publication Date: June 15, 2019
Start Date: June 15, 2019
End Date: June 19, 2019
Conference Session: Mechanical Engineering Division Technical Session 6
Tagged Division: Mechanical Engineering
Page Count: 13
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--33630
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/33630
Download Count: 426

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Paper Authors

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Lawrence Funke Ohio Northern University

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Dr. Funke received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 2017. He is currently an assistant professor at Ohio Northern University.

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J. Blake Hylton Ohio Northern University orcid.org/0000-0001-9766-971X

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Dr. Hylton is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Coordinator of the First-Year Engineering experience for the T.J. Smull College of Engineering at Ohio Northern University. He previously completed his graduate studies in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University, where he conducted research in both the School of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Engineering Education. Prior to Purdue, he completed his undergraduate work at the University of Tulsa, also in Mechanical Engineering. He currently teaches first-year engineering courses as well as various courses in Mechanical Engineering, primarily in the mechanics area. His pedagogical research areas include standards-based assessment and curriculum design, including the incorporation of entrepreneurial thinking into the engineering curriculum and especially as pertains to First-Year Engineering.

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David Sawyers Ohio Northern University

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David R. Sawyers, Jr. is a professor of mechanical engineering at Ohio Northern University, where he teaches courses in general engineering and in the thermal sciences. He received a B.S.M.E. degree from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, both in mechanical engineering, from the University of Notre Dame.

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Abstract

Engineering has been and continues to be a highly cross-disciplinary field. The growth of mechatronics and robotics has served to increase the demand for students with skillsets from multiple traditional fields (joining electrical, computer, and mechanical engineering and computer science). While some schools are adding programs in mechatronics and robotics, this is not always feasible. An alternative is to increase exposure to programming and electrical content in traditionally mechanical engineering courses, such as through the incorporation of microprocessors across the curriculum.

This work investigates the incorporation of microprocessors (specifically Arduinos) into the Mechanical Engineering curriculum. The goals of this effort are to increase students’ familiarity level with microprocessor capabilities, to increase exposure to mechatronic systems, to allow for higher fidelity prototypes in class projects, and to provide an accessible and inexpensive way for students to explore applications of what they learn in class. This work reviews efforts to systematically introduce microprocessors into the curriculum, lays the framework for assessment of these intended benefits, and presents initial findings in the form of professor observations, student feedback, and baseline survey data.

Microprocessor content was added to the first three years of the Mechanical Engineering curriculum. It is first introduced to all engineering majors through the two-semester first-year engineering course sequence. Mechanical engineers then use microprocessors again during their fourth semester in a computer applications class and in their fifth semester during an experimental methods class. All of these classes are required.

Preliminary results indicate that the students enjoy the content because of its hands-on nature and the connection of what is learned in the class to real-world applications. Future work, not addressed in this work-in-progress, will further evaluate the effects of including microprocessors in these classes by examining student survey data as cohorts move through the newly implemented curriculum. Evaluating the use of relevant systems in senior capstone projects both before and after implementation will provide particularly meaningful assessment.

Citation
Format

Funke, L., & Hylton, J. B., & Sawyers, D. (2019, June), Work in Progress: Incorporating Microprocessors across the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Tampa, Florida. 10.18260/1-2--33630

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Engineering has been and continues to be a highly cross-disciplinary field. The growth of mechatronics and robotics has served to increase the demand for students with skillsets from multiple traditional fields (joining electrical, computer, and mechanical engineering and computer science). While some schools are adding programs in mechatronics and robotics, this is not always feasible. An alternative is to increase exposure to programming and electrical content in traditionally mechanical engineering courses, such as through the incorporation of microprocessors across the curriculum. 

This work investigates the incorporation of microprocessors (specifically Arduinos) into the Mechanical Engineering curriculum. The goals of this effort are to increase students’ familiarity level with microprocessor capabilities, to increase exposure to mechatronic systems, to allow for higher fidelity prototypes in class projects, and to provide an accessible and inexpensive way for students to explore applications of what they learn in class. This work reviews efforts to systematically introduce microprocessors into the curriculum, lays the framework for assessment of these intended benefits, and presents initial findings in the form of professor observations, student feedback, and baseline survey data. 

Microprocessor content was added to the first three years of the Mechanical Engineering curriculum. It is first introduced to all engineering majors through the two-semester first-year engineering course sequence. Mechanical engineers then use microprocessors again during their fourth semester in a computer applications class and in their fifth semester during an experimental methods class. All of these classes are required. 

Preliminary results indicate that the students enjoy the content because of its hands-on nature and the connection of what is learned in the class to real-world applications. Future work, not addressed in this work-in-progress, will further evaluate the effects of including microprocessors in these classes by examining student survey data as cohorts move through the newly implemented curriculum. Evaluating the use of relevant systems in senior capstone projects both before and after implementation will provide particularly meaningful assessment. 

AU  - Lawrence Funke
AU  - J. Blake Hylton
AU  - David Sawyers
CY  - Tampa, Florida
DA  - 2019/06/15
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Work in Progress: Incorporating Microprocessors across the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/33630
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--33630
ER  -