IT-enhanced teaching and learning in machine dynamics

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

Abstract

Challenging problems of modern engineering education, teaching and learning methods are still mostly based on traditional lectures and exercises, which fall short in their efforts to develop the engineering skills levels of today's engineers. Information Technology (IT) can play a significant role in the development learning environments and lead students through the processes of structuring of information into knowledge. The integration of IT into the classroom provides innovative learning environments that allow for more interactive, relevant, and effective applications to give students experiences through simulations of physical systems. This paper presents a means to enhance teaching and learning experiences through the use of IT in a course on mechanisms and machine dynamics. Through the use of virtual collaborative environments, virtual laboratories, software for simulation and visualization of mechanical systems, and web-based multimedia modules, students are given a chance to experiment with ideas and see the results of their efforts on the computer's screen. In this approach, the instructional material is presented on the computer with the conceptual elements explained and supplemented by the instructor's lecture. Then, a laboratory exercise is executed on which involves combinations of virtual and real representations under the supervision of the instructor to give experience in application of the concepts. Initial student feedback has shown that this approach allows students to augment their learning over and above the level obtained through conventional classroom setting.

Original languageEnglish
JournalASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings
StatePublished - 2008
Event2008 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition - Pittsburg, PA, United States
Duration: 22 Jun 200824 Jun 2008

Keywords

  • Engineering education
  • Information technology
  • Machine dynamics
  • Virtual learning environments

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