Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Curriculum Research Articles

Transmedia storytelling in materials selection design: an interdisciplinary experience with undergraduate engineering students

ABSTRACT This article aims to present our experience with transmedia storytelling in the design of materials selection, integrating two disciplines within an undergraduate mechanical engineering curriculum in Brazil. The students’ project involved developing a narrative within the fictional universe of superheroes while exploring material properties using Ashby’s methodology. The study aimed at answering two key questions: (1) Can transmedia storytelling contribute to student learning and skills development? and (2) What are the difficulties when using this methodology? Three evaluation approaches were used: test scores, students’ perceptions, and our observations of students’ skills development during this project. It was observed that participating students demonstrated significant test score improvements, indicating enhanced learning, with reported challenges in effort and skill development, particularly in story creation and teamwork. Ultimately, this project allowed students to achieve several cognitive learning objectives, fostering the development of crucial skills like communication and problem-solving. The use of transmedia storytelling in undergraduate engineering courses has the potential to facilitate the cultivation of essential competencies for future engineers across a varied range of cognitive levels, albeit requiring considerable time for planning strategies and creating content.

Combining experiments, theory, and computer simulation: Application of dynamics analysis of unbalanced wheels rolling without sliding on horizontal paths

AbstractRigid solid body dynamics is a key element of the undergraduate mechanical engineering curriculum. In a context of reverse engineering and/or sustainable development, being able to analyze the mechanical and material properties of a system without damaging it is a required skill. In this work, two systems based on wheels rolling over horizontal paths without sliding are studied: an unbalanced hollow cylinder and a wheel with displaced mass assembly. Four generations of last year's bachelor's students in mechanical engineering, representing a hundred people a year, followed a total of 12 h of practical sessions working on such systems. Without focusing on the programming part, this paper aims at showing how computer tools can help and improve a rigid solid body dynamics course. The objectives were to develop, apply, and analyze this teaching sequence, allowing students to (i) perform and characterize experimental measurements, (ii) establish systems motion equations, and (iii) think about dynamics results through cross‐talks between different techniques such as geometrical and analytical methods as well as computer‐assisted design tools. Different analysis methods of these systems could be discussed in the context of the classes, successfully bringing pertinent reflections to the students. The possibility of transferring such discussions to other contexts proved to be wide, thanks to computer science, dynamics software, other analysis methods and applications.

A novel way to designing the undergraduate mechanical engineering curriculum using active stakeholder participation

Curriculums that are adaptable to the demands of the communities they serve are the most effective. Whether you intend to modify an existing curriculum or develop one from scratch, you must first undertake an evaluation. This article outlines the creative method utilised to develop the new curriculum in accordance with AICTE requirements. The first stage in formulating a plan is to determine the industries where graduates will find work and the skill sets they will require to be successful in those professions. The strategy emphasizes the need of including important stakeholders in curriculum development at an early stage. According to the findings of a survey given to a diverse group of stakeholders, there are issues with the current curriculum as it is assessed. This paper presents a case study of the development of the mechanical engineering curriculum at Tier-I institution from western Maharashtra for undergraduate (UG) students. Keywords— Curriculum Design; stakeholders’ involvement; active participation; Mechanical Engineering.

Students’ Experience of an Integrated Electrical Engineering and Data Acquisition Course in an Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

<italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Contribution:</i> This article presents an innovative course sequence to integrate Electrical Engineering (EE) Fundamentals into the Mechanical Engineering (ME) Instrumentation and Data Acquisition (DAQ) course and reports students’ experience relevant to the sequence’s intended outcomes of helping students learn and connect EE concepts with ME applications and develop their engineering identities. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Background:</i> The ME Department at Seattle University was awarded a National Science Foundation Grant to revolutionize its undergraduate program. This project focuses on doing engineering to foster stronger engineering identities. This course sequence is part of the curriculum change for this project and includes open-ended, real-world labs incorporating both EE and DAQ. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Research Questions:</i> 1) <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Engineering Learning:</i> What evidence is there that students learned EE and DAQ concepts and integrated them with ME? 2) <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Identity Development:</i> How did the students connect the experience to their evolving identity as engineers? 3) <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Over-Time Experience:</i> How did students experience the course? <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Methodology:</i> A mix of quantitative and qualitative data was used: quantitative data (a standardized test) and qualitative data source (mini reflections that students provided over the course sequence) were analyzed to address the research questions that connect the educational design aspects and the intended outcomes. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Findings:</i> The new course sequence created an opportunity to do engineering in a rich way and provided fertile ground for developing engineering identities. Students understood and retained EE and DAQ concepts at a level equal to when the material was taught via separate courses.

Effectiveness of using a video game to teach a course in mechanical engineering

One of the core courses in the undergraduate mechanical engineering curriculum has been completely redesigned. In the new numerical methods course, all assignments and learning experiences are built around a video/computer game. Students are given the task of writing computer programs to race a simulated car around a track. In doing so, students learn and implement numerical methods content. The design of the course, around a video game, is rooted in commonly accepted theories of how people learn. The article describes a study to assess the effectiveness of the video game-based course. Results show that students taking the game-based course, on average, spend roughly twice as much time, outside of class, on their course work. In a concept mapping exercise, students taking the game-based course demonstrate deeper learning compared to their counterparts taking traditional lecture/textbook-based numerical methods courses.

Engineering Design, 4th edition

Engineering Design, 4th edition

Infusing sustainability principles into manufacturing/mechanical engineering curricula

Sustainability issues are increasingly important among governments, consumers, and corporations around the world. Many companies are directing their resources to reduce the environmental impact of their products and services. To remain competitive in the global economy, these companies must recruit employees who understand the impact of their decisions on the environment and society, while at the same time influencing the company's bottom line. It is the mission of universities to prepare these future employees to meet this need. A group of faculty and students in the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics at Michigan Technological University is working to address this growing demand. This paper assesses the current undergraduate mechanical engineering curriculum at Michigan Tech with regard to sustainability and identifies barriers to incorporating sustainability throughout the curriculum. A benchmarking study, progress made at Michigan Tech, and a vision for the future of the mechanical engineering curriculum are presented.

An Assessment of In‐Person and Remotely Operated Laboratories

AbstractIncreasingly mechanical engineering departments are beginning to incorporate remotely operated laboratories into their laboratory curriculums. Yet very few studies exist detailing the extent to which this new medium for laboratory delivery fulfills the educational goals of traditional in‐person laboratories. This paper describes a comparison of educational outcomes between in‐person and remotely operated laboratories in the mechanical engineering curriculum. The study carried out in the 2001 Fall semester was performed using a remotely operated and an in‐person jet thrust laboratory. The laboratories illustrate the fundamentals of compressible fluid mechanics as part of an undergraduate mechanical engineering curriculum. The results from this study indicated no significant difference in the educational outcomes between students who performed the in‐person or the remote experiment.

A Case Study in Creative Problem Solving in Engineering Design

AbstractThe senior design sequence at Louisiana State University is a two semester, design, build and test experience. Groups of two, three or four students work together in a team setting to produce a functioning prototype which meets predetermined design goals. One particular project, which had as its goal the requirement to extend the reach of an occupant confined to a standard sized wheelchair, was used as a mechanism to integrate the development of critical and creative thinking skills necessary to solve technical problems into the undergraduate mechanical engineering curriculum. Special attention was paid to the nature of creativity and exercises were introduced in order to facilitate this historically neglected aspect of engineering education. The result of this effort was a unique wheelchair, which provides the occupant access to shelves located over their head or objects on the floor via an adjustable height seat.