Morgantown, West Virginia
March 24, 2023
March 24, 2023
March 25, 2023
15
10.18260/1-2--44696
https://peer.asee.org/44696
156
Dr. Carmen Cioc is Associate Professor in the Engineering Technology Department, College of Engineering, at the University of Toledo.
Dr. Noela A. Haughton is an associate professor of Education (Research and Measurement program) in the Judith Herb College of Education at the University of Toledo. She teaches courses in assessment and research methods including qualitative research, structural equation modeling, and program evaluation. Her research interests are at the intersection of technology-supported instructional design, competency-based assessment, and graduate research methods education.
Dr. Haughton earned her Bachelor of Science (with honors) in Management Studies at the University of the West Indies (1992), Master of Science (1997) and Doctor of Philosophy (2004) in Learning and Performance Systems (Instructional Systems) at the Pennsylvania State University.
Dr. Sorin Cioc is a clinical associate professor and undergraduate program director in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering (MIME).
This paper describes the results of adding a Project Based Learning (PBL) pedagogy in a core senior level course part of the Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) program. The work is a close collaboration between engineering and education faculty. The course discussed herein is Mechanical Design II, a three-credit-hour course, the fourth course in the mechanical design sequence of Statics and Strength of Materials, Applied Materials Science, and Mechanical Design I and II. The course, offered online, covers more advanced mechanical design topics, including design and analysis of gear drive systems, bearings, shaft design, fasteners, etc.
During the past year, two new exercises and associated assessments were introduced in the Mechanical Design curriculum. The first assignment asked the students to design a conveyor system shaft, including drawing the shear and moment diagrams, and selection of materials. The students were asked to submit their work as an excel “simulator” and to investigate the effect of the shaft speed on the overall calculations. The second assignment asked the students to independently research on a new tribology-related topic and to make a presentation to the class based on their assigned topic. The topic was chosen by the instructor from the Handbook of Tribology. In all instances, the students were asked to evaluate and grade all their peers’ submissions, to list either lesson learned from the presentations, and to provide at least three ways each shaft design work can be improved. In addition, at the beginning and at the end of the semester the students were also asked to complete pre- and post- surveys related to engineering skills. The assessments results support the continued use of these PBL exercises to develop a better understanding not only of the technical content, but also to improve the students’ engineering soft skills, and thus their preparedness and readiness for the workforce.
Cioc, C., & Haughton, N. A., & Cioc, S. (2023, March), Using Project Based Learning in a Mechanical Design Course to Enhance Engineering Skills: Lesson Learned Paper presented at 2023 ASEE North Central Section Conference, Morgantown, West Virginia. 10.18260/1-2--44696
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