Assessing the Effectiveness of a Large, Open-Ended Design Project in a Junior-Level Engineering Technology Course

This paper describes a student-centered approach to a power engineering technology course using the flipped or inverted classroom as well as active learning in the form of group discussions and team problem solving. The study compares student performance and perceptions of a traditional, teaching-centered classroom to two different flipped courses: one using video lectures and one using a media-enhanced electronic textbook. The authors compared courses in the areas of 1) student performance on multiple choice and numerical analysis problems, 2) students’ perceptions of course delivery format and satisfaction with the course and instructor, and 3) technical content coverage. Results show little difference in student achievement between the course formats, strong negative reactions by students to unfamiliar instructional methods, and little difference in content coverage. The authors believe that the outcomes of this study can be attributed to the benefits of small class sizes (n<12), which naturally enable active learning to be utilized without the need for rigid and formal course structure,

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Design-Build-Test Senior Design Project

10.1115/imece2001/met-25503 ◽

2001 ◽

Author(s):

Thomas G. Boronkay ◽

Janak Dave

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Engineering ◽

Engineering Technology ◽

Bachelor Of Science ◽

Design Project ◽

Technology Students ◽

Senior Design ◽

Design Build ◽

Course Sequence ◽

Capstone Projects ◽

The University

Abstract Every student in the Mechanical Engineering Technology Department must complete a Senior Capstone Design Project course sequence as a requirement for the partial fulfillment of the Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology degree. Mechanical Engineering Technology students at the University of Cincinnati must design, build, and test their product for the satisfactory completion of the Senior Design Project course sequence. At many institutions the capstone projects do not include the build and test components. This paper gives a short description of the Senior Design course sequence, the list of pre-requisite design courses, the design process used by the students to complete their projects. It addresses issues, such as, team versus individual projects, industrial versus personal projects, etc. It also describes typical projects, two of which are being used in industry with minor modifications.

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Using Excel to Implement the Finite Difference Method for 2-D Heat Transfer in a Mechanical Engineering Technology Course

10.18260/1-2--23261 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Robert Edwards ◽

Michael Lobaugh

Keyword(s):

Heat Transfer ◽

Finite Difference ◽

Finite Difference Method ◽

Difference Method ◽

Mechanical Engineering ◽

Engineering Technology ◽

The Finite Difference Method ◽

Technology Course

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Experiences with an engineering technology course for education majors

31st Annual Frontiers in Education Conference. Impact on Engineering and Science Education. Conference Proceedings (Cat. No.01CH37193) ◽

10.1109/fie.2001.963850 ◽

2002 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

R.K. Jones ◽

E. Wang

Keyword(s):

Education Majors ◽

Engineering Technology ◽

Technology Course

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Experience of Designing and Manufacturing a BattleBot to Compete

Volume 7: Engineering Education and Professional Development ◽

10.1115/imece2009-10491 ◽

2009 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Janet Dong ◽

Janak Dave

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Engineering ◽

Weight Class ◽

Engineering Technology ◽

Business World ◽

Design Project ◽

National Competition ◽

University Of Cincinnati ◽

Complex Project ◽

The University ◽

Capstone Design

Students working toward a baccalaureate degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology at the University of Cincinnati are required to complete a “Design, Manufacturing, and Test” senior capstone design project. One of these capstone design projects was to design and manufacture a battle robot to participate in the BotsIQ national competition. This robot was built to meet the BotsIQ 120 lb weight class specifications. A BattleBot is a robot which possesses fighting capabilities and competes against other BattleBots with the intent to disable them. The weapon is the main component of the BattleBots. BattleBots compete one on one and the winner is determined by the amount of damaged inflicted to the other using the weapon. In the 2007–2008 academic year, a team of four Mechanical Engineering Technology students at the University of Cincinnati built a BattleBot as their senior capstone design project. As with all capstone projects, expertise and knowledge acquired from their coursework and co-op were utilized. This project gave them an opportunity to showcase their abilities as well as develop additional skills needed to be successful in a team oriented business world. This team also enjoyed the personal satisfaction of working on a technically complex project from concept-to-design, manufacture, test, and compete against other university participants in the competition. This paper will describe students’ experiences in designing, manufacturing, and competing their robot in the national competition and team experience of the participants.

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