Assessment of Engineering Mechanics Instructional Multimedia in a Variety of Instructional Settings

Students from Ten Schools, Representing Seven Countries, Used Interactive Multimedia as a Part of their Engineering Statics Classes. the Software Consisted of Four Modules, Which Focused On: Mohr\u27s Circle; Centroid and Moment of Inertia; Stress Transformation; and Structural Analysis. the Students Completed On-Line Surveys About their Experience with the Software. Analysis of the Results Indicated that Students Rated their Knowledge of the Subject Matter Covered in the Software as Increasing Significantly as a Consequence of using the Software. However, This Increase Was Substantially More Pronounced for Students in U.S. Schools. Students Rated the Software as Significantly More Effective Than their Class Textbooks, And, Again, This Effect Was Substantially Stronger for Students in the U.S. the Analyses Also Indicated that the Software Differed Little in its Impact on Males Versus Females. Ratings on a Number of Additional Outcomes Were Consistently Positive with Respect to Student Opinions of the Software

Incorporating Web-Based Homework Problems in Engineering Dynamics

We are involved in a project funded by the Department of Education (FIPSE) which focuses on developing interactive software to improve the teaching and learning of engineering statics, dynamics, and mechanics of materials. This paper presents an overview of this project, discusses its objectives, and focuses on one particular aspect of the project.the use of web-based homework problems as assessment tools to evaluate student learning. The overall project includes creating, for all three engineering mechanics courses, the following web-based learning tools: (a) Animated theory modules, using Macromedia.s Flash development software, which display basic theory and example problems in an engaging, clear, and concise way; (b) Conceptual quizzes to evaluate student understanding of the theory; (c) Web-based homework problems to assess students. quantitative skills; (d) Other media elements, including streaming video mini-lectures over key topics, and video of real mechanisms and examples. The paper will give examples of web-based homework used in dynamics, discuss aspects of creating and using these, and give some results of student feedback from using these problems

Interactive Learning Tools: Animating Statics

Computer-Based Modules for Engineering Instruction Must Be Concise, Flexible, Educational and Engaging in Order to Effectively Supplement Traditional Classroom Teaching Tools. a Computer Example that Takes More Time Than a Chalkboard Presentation is Not Likely to Be Useful in Today\u27s Engineering Classroom. Flexible Navigation is Necessary So that the Instructor Can Quickly and Easily Respond to Student Questions. Useful Modules Must Also Improve Problem-Solving Skills or Clarify Troublesome Concepts in Order to Be Considered Worthy of Inclusion in the Limited Class Time Available. Finally, and Perhaps Most Importantly, Effective Computer-Based Modules Must Meet the Challenge of Holding the Student\u27s Attention. This Paper Focuses on the Development and Improvement of Computer-Based Interactive Modules for Statics Instruction. the Modules Were Created using an Animation Package (Flash®) So that Concepts Such as Sectioning of Trusses and the Generation of Shear and Moment Diagrams Can Be Presented in an Intuitive and Interactive Manner. the Modules Are Able to Represent Dynamic and Abstract Aspects of These Concepts in a Way that is Not Possible with Traditional Instructional Tools. the Paper Also Discusses the Use of Feedback from Instructors and Students to Improve the Interactivity and Scope of the Modules

Using Games to Teach Statics Calculation Procedures: Application and Assessment

Computers afford opportunities for creative instructional activities that are not possible in the traditional lecture-and-textbook class format. Two computer-based interactive games for engineering statics are described in this study. These games are designed to foster proficiency and confidence in narrowly defined but essential topics through the use of repetition and carefully constructed levels of difficulty. the game format provides students with a learning structure and an incentive to develop skills at their own pace in a non-judgmental but competitive and often fun environment. Quantitative and qualitative assessments of both games revealed that: (a) students\u27 quantitative ratings and comments were consistently positive; (b) students who used the games scored significantly higher on quizzes over the subject material than those who learned via traditional lecture; and (c) students rated the games as significantly more effective than the textbook as an aid for learning the material

Interdisciplinary Design Engineering Department: A Systems View, a Design Focus and Customizable Interdisciplinary Tracks

Graduates of traditional engineering programs are called on to fill a myriad of interdisciplinary design careers that are increasingly different than historical engineering jobs. These careers focus on complex problems and the importance of solving them quickly in order to be successful corporately and nationally, and demand the use of teams of interdisciplinary, people-and-process-intuitive professionals with special technical skills in engineering systems and engineering design. The students who will be needed to fill these jobs are different as well. They have grown up with computers, have seen that emerging technologies occur at the interface or outside the boundaries of traditional disciplines and are diverse in many ways beyond gender and ethnicity. National trends show smaller percentages of high school graduates are now choosing careers in engineering. In this paper we report on a fresh and innovative type of engineering department that will offer programs carefully designed to augment traditional departments and programs while providing the underpinning engineering design and systems skills to attract and create the engineers needed today. This new engineering department, called Interdisciplinary Design Engineering, will produce graduates who are experts in the process of designing engineering systems

A Model-Driven Multi-Year Assessment of a Software Development Project for Engineering Instruction

This paper is a review of a series of evaluation studies that were utilized to inform and evaluate a large scale instructional software development project at-the university of Missouri - Rolla entitled Taking the Next Step in Engineering Education: Integrating Educational Software and Active Learning. This project was funded by the U.S. Department of Education Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education (FIPSE), and was carried out over the last four years. The assessment was carried out under the auspices of UMR\u27s Laboratory for Information Technology Evaluation (LITE), and guided by the LITE model for evaluation of learning technologies. The fundamental premise of the model is that evaluation should consist of the triangulation of multiple research methodologies and measurement tools. Five representative evaluation studies, consisting of eight experiments, are presented here. The studies range from initial research consisting of basic experimentation and usability testing; to applied research conducted within the class room; to a large multi-nation cross-cultural applied-dissemination survey conducted during the last semester of the project. The results indicate that the instructional multimedia developed in this project can have a substantial positive impact in enhancing fundamental engineering classes. Further, the research also indicates that the LITE model can be an effective tool for guiding a comprehensive evaluation program

Teaching the Superposition Method with Internet-Based Instructional Software

In the Mechanics of Materials course, one method used to determine beam deflections and support reactions for statically determinate and indeterminate beams is based on the concept of superposition. To help explain the theory and art of the superposition method, a series of 14 animated movies has been developed that present examples and strategies for applying superposition principles to common types of beams. To evaluate its effectiveness, experiments were conducted in which the customary lectures were replaced by use of this instructional software. Students who used the superposition software were compared to students in five other Mechanics of Materials sections on the basis of (a) score on a superposition problem included in the common final exam, (b) total score on the common final exam, and (c) a survey questionnaire consisting of a number of subjective rating items. Those students who used the superposition software were statistically comparable to the other students on all these outcome measures. In addition, there was evidence that low ability students benefited from the software in the form of increased motivation, in comparison to students in some of the other sections

Computer-Based Instructional Media for Mechanics of Materials

Computer-based instructional materials offer great potential for engineering education. Using readily available development software, sophisticated graphics and animations can be created to present engineering topics in ways that are not possible within the confines of the traditional textbook and lecture format. This paper presents examples of instructional media developed for the Mechanics of Materials course. These examples include lecture supplements, animated example problems, interactive example problems, interactive instructional learning tools, and games. Using animations, graphics, and interactivity, the instructional media is designed to engage and stimulate students, to effectively explain and illustrate course topics, and to build student problem-solving skills

Is There a Better Way to Present an Example Problem?

Statics, Dynamics, and Mechanics of Materials are introductory engineering courses that employ principles of mechanics and mathematics to solve a wide array of engineering problems. Accordingly, these courses are taught largely through the use of example problems, traditionally delivered to students either by the professor in a classroom setting or by a textbook. The computer offers new possible ways for delivering instructional content such as example problems; however, there has been little data gathered to indicate whether computer-based instructional materials are as effective in communicating example problems to students as the more traditional lecture and textbook formats. During the 2002 fall semester at the University of Missouri - Rolla, a learning experiment was conducted in four sections of the Mechanics of Materials course based on the topic of shear flow. The goal was to assess the relative effectiveness of delivery mode on student comprehension of example problems. All participating students viewed a common video introductory lecture on shear flow. Then, students were randomly assigned into three groups that viewed two example problems either by: (a) video lecture presentation; (b) static HTML webpage delivery; or (3) interactive animated modules featuring high quality, three dimensional graphics created with Macromedia Flash software. This paper reports the details of this experiment and the results