The Importance of Laboratorial Classes Dedicated to Advanced Joining Processes in Undergraduate Engineering Education

Abstract

Laboratorial classes are an extremely important component of the learning process in undergraduate and post-graduate engineering courses. A well-designed laboratorial class often represents the best way to highlight and exhibit phenomena that are merely described in theoretical classes, capturing the student attention and boosting motivation for learning the topics approached in these courses. Laboratorial classes should target simple but effective case studies, aligned with the desired theoretical concept, seeking to provide necessary competences to students by requiring a good understanding of the underlying principles of the technologies involved and how these relate with practical applications. Accordingly, it is important to develop case studies that are as close as possible to actual practical industrial applications, facilitating the transfer of skills that allow for a better integration and understanding of current industrial needs. This work describes in detail a set of laboratory classes that has been developed in the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto for curricular units associated with joining processes. The contents, objectives and the methodologies of the laboratorial activities are discussed. Furthermore, to evaluate the effectiveness of using these classes to further the learning process of the students, a query was prepared and distributed, allowing to reach the conclusion that the laboratory classes effectively aid the students and promote increased interest towards the class and its contents.