Using Senior Lab Projects to Develop Prototypes of Experiments in System Dynamics and Instrumentation

Term projects in a senior-level, non-capstone, mechanical engineering lab course are described in which student teams design, build, and test prototype experiments for future use in sophomore- and junior-level courses in system dynamics and measurement. Project deliverables include the prototype apparatus and courseware such as prelab exercises, lab instructions, and computer programs to be used by the students in the target course. Three such projects are described. The purpose of this paper is to share the concept of using senior-level projects to create prototypes for lower-level courses and to share the conceptual designs of the prototypes for possible duplication and enhancement at other institutions. The projects are partially successful. The apparatuses are viable and the learning objectives of the senior lab course are met but additional work is required before the experiments can be used in the target lower-level courses.