Abstract
An experimentation course in the mechanical engineering program at The Cooper Union in New York, is designed to foster a collaborative learning environment. Like many undergraduate engineering laboratory-based courses, students are tasked with working in groups to conduct and design experiments and prepare detailed technical reports and presentations. This experimentation course has two sections and two instructors facilitating collaboration at the faculty level as well. Not only do these two instructors work together, but projects in the course have “clients” and “advisors/mentors” allowing for further collaboration with other faculty and in some cases other students involved in adjacent projects at the college. This study describes the nature of the course, collaboration, and the assessment of student teamwork using the Comprehensive Assessment for Team-Member Effectiveness (CATME) tool. A case study is detailed for one student-designed experiment, using a hydrostatic vacuum tube (HVT) apparatus and associated instrumentation. The collaborative environment and emphasis on experimentation have (1) supported students in functioning effectively on teams; and (2) facilitated students in demonstrating an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation in line with ABET Student Outcomes. These positive impacts can be built upon by exposing students to other strategic experimentation experiences throughout the curriculum.
