Students of engineering can significantly improve their comprehension of the theoretical and mathematical topics of design education if they are coupled with hands-on design and build projects. In this paper, several projects are discussed that are used to promote experiential learning in the Design of Mechanical Systems course. Projects implemented include natural frequency analysis of a cantilever beam and a buckling analysis. Each of the projects utilize a paradigm in which computational methods are used to reinforce analytical findings presented in class, followed by a design challenge for which students are required to design, build and then experimentally validate the performance of the design. The design challenge is structured such that analytical results give insight as to what features of the design could be changed to get the intended result, but, require the use of computational tools like ANSYS to obtain solutions due to the complex geometries involved. Once the design is complete, students fabricate it in the machine shop and then experimentally measure how closely the performance of their design came to the intended goals of the design challenge. Preliminary results indicate that students prefer these types of lab projects and that the retention of concepts covered with experiential project based labs is actually better than the retention of concepts observed in conventional labs.
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ASME 2013 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference
August 4–7, 2013
Portland, Oregon, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- Design Engineering Division
- Computers and Information in Engineering Division
ISBN:
978-0-7918-5584-3
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Does an Experiential Based Project Improve Design Education?
Timothy M. Hodges,
Timothy M. Hodges
Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA
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Gerald A. Sullivan
Gerald A. Sullivan
Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA
Search for other works by this author on:
Timothy M. Hodges
Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA
Gerald A. Sullivan
Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA
Paper No:
DETC2013-13017, V001T04A015; 8 pages
Published Online:
February 12, 2014
Citation
Hodges, TM, & Sullivan, GA. "Does an Experiential Based Project Improve Design Education?." Proceedings of the ASME 2013 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference. Volume 1: 15th International Conference on Advanced Vehicle Technologies; 10th International Conference on Design Education; 7th International Conference on Micro- and Nanosystems. Portland, Oregon, USA. August 4–7, 2013. V001T04A015. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/DETC2013-13017
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