LEARNING DESIGN THROUGH A CNC MINI-CAR PROJECT

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Chan
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Cnc Machining ◽  
Learning Design ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Cad Cam ◽  
Second Year

A design project is used to reinforce concepts of CAD/CAM and CNC machining in a second year manufacturing course in mechanical engineering. Students are required to design mini-cars from a common kit of stock materials. For many of the students, this was their first attempt at a design project for which a working prototype is required. A survey at the end of the project suggested to the effectiveness of the project.

scholarly journals INTRODUCTING A NEW ENGINEERING COURSE: A LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR STUDENTS AND FACULTY

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Dare ◽  
Brian Cooke
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
Design Element ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Second Year ◽  
The University ◽  
First Time

A Task Force was created by the Faculty of Engineering at the University of New Brunswick in September 2004 charged with creating a new course for all first year engineering students to be delivered for the first time in September 2005. The course, to be taken by approximately 270 students, was to integrate material from other first year courses, introduce the students to working in teams, contain a substantial design element through a design project, and introduce communication skills. Nine professors from throughout engineering “volunteered” to help develop and deliver the course. In this paper we own up to what we did wrong during the first two years of delivery of this course, and (naturally!) counter this by celebrating our successes. Students are assessed based on a combination of individual and team submissions, with some submissions being oral and others written. This paper will outline the complex assessment scheme we initially used, and how we later simplified it. Rubrics were used to evaluate many of the course assignments. For most of the instructors, this was the first time they had used rubrics and so it was a learning experience to both develop and apply them. We show how we adapted their use in the second year of delivery after the experiences of the first year. We were pleased with the way that the assessments were mostly built around the design project – this helped the students grasp why clear communication is vital and enabled them to obtain continual feedback on the project. We were also delighted that an element of social responsibility was introduced into the course by making the project an international “Engineers Without Borders” project based in Africa. We believe this added an additional dimension to the course and especially the project. The professor-delivered skits were especially popular! Delivered by two wannabe actors, they introduced the students in a humorous manner to the different types of engineering that are taught at UNB. Engineering students at UNB have to commit to their specific engineering field from their first day at UNB, so these skits were included to ensure the students were exposed to all the UNB engineering disciplines. We conclude the paper with our plans for delivery of the course in September 2007 and beyond.

Thermal Engineering Design Project: A Calorimeter That Measures the Specific Heat of Aluminum

2003 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-75
Author(s):  
R. S. Mullisen
Keyword(s):  
Specific Heat ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Thermal Capacity ◽  
Thermal Engineering ◽  
Student Groups ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Aluminum Plates

A thermal engineering design project requiring the design, construction, and operation of a calorimeter that measures the specific heat of aluminum was assigned to a class of third-year mechanical engineering students. Before making the assignment, the author developed his own design, which consisted of two individual calorimeters — each an assembly of 13 aluminum plates with electric resistance heater wires laced between the plates. The exterior surfaces of both calorimeters and the surrounding insulation were identical. However, the interior plates were different — one calorimeter had solid interior plates and the other had perforated interior plates. By initially adjusting the electrical power into each calorimeter the temperature versus time curves for each calorimeter were matched. This curve match allowed cancellation of the unknown heat loss from each calorimeter and cancellation of the unknown heater thermal capacity. The final result was a specific heat for the aluminum alloy that deviated by 4.4% from a published value. A class of third-year mechanical engineering students, working in teams, produced designs using the method of mixtures (aluminum and water) and electrically heated aluminum samples. The 17 student groups plus the author produced 129 data points with a mean specific heat value that deviated by 19.5% from a published value.

scholarly journals BUILDING A MORE COMPLETE DESIGN EXPERIENCE: PHILOSOPHIES AND REFLECTIONS FROM A SECOND YEAR MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DESIGN PROJECT COURSE

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Carrick ◽  
Alex Czekanski ◽  
Minha R. Ha
Keyword(s):  
Learning Strategies ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Second Year ◽  
And Training ◽  
Design Experience

For undergraduate engineering students,earlier exposure to and training in the design engineeringprocess hold much value for an enriched experience andan in-depth understanding of engineering design.Simultaneously, students in their earlier years requiremore guidance and frequent feedback to inform their ownexpectations of learning objectives, as well as developeffective learning strategies. This paper focuses on thedesign and implementation of a second year MechanicalEngineering “Mini-Design Project” course, which hadfour main goals: (1) provide students with their first“complete” design experience, allowing them to take aproject from problem to produced solution; (2) integrateknowledge and skills from other courses in the curriculum;(3) allow for the enhancement of under-represented CEABgraduate attributes, particularly design and teamwork;and (4) prepare students for high performance in theircapstone projects. Several learning needs wereaddressed: Effective teamwork skills, effective projectmanagement, and systematic practice of engineeringdesign with an emphasis on the process. Students wereplaced in teams of 4-5 and given a design problem withspecified evaluation criteria, and strict restrictions onconstruction materials. Students were given milestonesthroughout the term that encouraged them to follow thedesign process, as well as build, test and evaluate theirdesigns. Mechanisms for creating and supporting designteams are described, and students’ feedback andcomments on these mechanism are discussed.

Twists and Turns of a Senior Design Project

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Salim Azzouz ◽  
Jan Brink
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Cost Estimation ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Design Phase ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Senior Project ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Design And Construction

Teaching senior design courses and labs has not been an easy task for the two authors. It has been rather a daunting working task associated with great learning experiences. It was decided early on from the initiation of the mechanical engineering program at the McCoy School of Engineering at Midwestern State University that the senior design project within the senior design class is a testing and enriching experience for senior mechanical engineering students as well as the teaching faculty. The senior design course and labs are conducted as a research experience for undergraduate students and their assigned faculty. The proposed senior project spans over two semesters, fall and spring, where the students experience a full mechanical engineering related project from the inception phase, through the design and construction phases, and finishing with the testing and analysis phases. The inception phase stands essentially for the brainstorming phase where the students are required to come-up with a set of diverse solutions to their assigned project problem. The design and construction phases stand for choosing an optimal particular solution for their problem according to a set of defined criteria. Then, the students start the preliminary design phase with related cost estimation, and then finalize the design with a set of final drawings. After the design phase, the students start building a machine, an apparatus, a prototype or putting together the elements of a process. In this period they work intensely, with their faculty, the purchasing department, and mostly the department machinist, or the surrounding town machine shops. The testing and analysis phase stands for designing an experimental set-up, writing a testing procedure, and obtaining real time recorded data and proceeding with its analysis. In this technical paper, the authors talk about the requirements for a senior project known as the deliverables, the teaching tools used throughout the class work and labs, the students’ partial and final PowerPoints presentations and weekly and final reports. The authors describe the students overall achievements, and the archiving of the projects. Additionally, the authors talk about the twists and turns encountered during a senior project, with students, other faculty, the machinist, the lab technician, the secretary, and suppliers, and other difficulties experienced in running a full project with real final products. Finally, the authors talk about the aftermath of a senior project, eventual publications related to the project, and what is the view point of the American Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) on these senior projects.

Web-Based and Interactive E-Learning Framework for Supporting Mechanical Education Systems

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khaled A. Mohamed
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Student Evaluation ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Physical Models ◽  
Internet Technology ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Cad Cam

This paper presented a framework for an e-based mechanical engineering course learning. It utilizes the Internet technology and standards to communicate between the educator and students in an interactive matter. It discusses a novel way of delivering course content for students over the Internet. Using the developed framework, the instructor can set up his/her online course materials and resources, manage class student groups, and administrate student evaluation. It may be used on-site by full time students to establish an efficient interaction between the student, course content and instructor. It also offers online courses that make education accessible to distance learning students. The new system utilizes Internet technology to demonstrate class material using text, images, sound, video, 3D images and visualization, and even simulates the 3D and physical models according to the class requirements. This research also introduces a model for randomly generating exam to help the user practice taking the exam. The practice exam is graded instantly and reported to the user through web. It also provides a model for collaborative learning environments and synchronizing. Using the developed framework improves the way engineering students can understand mechanical engineering principals. It also relaxes the geographical boundaries between the students and the instructor without significantly changing the quality of learning experience. We introduce a case study and developed system implementation for CAD/CAM learning principals and Integration.

scholarly journals SHORT DESIGN PROJECTS FOR AN INTRODUCTORY THERMOFLUIDS ENGINEERING COURSE

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Hastie ◽  
Jan Haelssig
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Team Work ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Introductory Course ◽  
Design Projects ◽  
Second Year

The Faculty of Engineering at Dalhousie University offers a common introductory course that covers the basic principles of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics in a unified manner. This introductory course is a mandatory part of the curriculum for all engineering programs offered at Dalhousie. In this course, students are required to perform six laboratory experiments, and since 2012 students have also completed short, four-week design projects.The short design project helps students to acquire more of the graduate attributes defined by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB), including design, communication, and team work skills. They also provide students with a well-deserved break from purely theoretical work in lectures and tutorials, and a chance to develop some hands-on abilities.This paper describes the lessons learned from the last three design projects, which were focused on modifications to a Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube, design of a pop-pop boat, and design of a double pipe heat exchanger. The primary challenges have been the limited engineering design experience possessed by students in their third semester of studies, the heavy workload that second-year engineering students already have, and the relatively large class size. Even though there are clear challenges related to integrating a design project into a large second-year class, the results seem to indicate that these design projects provide a positive learning experience for the students.

scholarly journals Collaborative Discussion Using Padlet-based Materials in Writing for ESP Course

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 523-529
Author(s):  
Fauzul Etfita ◽  
Sri Wahyuni
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Learning Outcome ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Collaborative Discussion ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Value Of Learning

Collaborative discussion is a purposeful means for lecturers to assist students’ ideas in writing. This research, therefore, aims to determine the effect of collaborative discussion using Padlet-based materials that have been previously developed by researchers for Mechanical Engineering students to enhance learning outcomes. This research was conducted at second-year undergraduate in a class of 40 students. This research was classified as a pre-experimental design. Moreover, the quantitative data were collected by using pre-test and post-test to the sample class. The finding revealed descriptive statistics of the sample studied, pre-test and post-test. For the pre-test value, an average learning outcome or mean of 60.13 is obtained. While for the post-test score, it was obtained the average value of learning outcomes of 77.25. Furthermore, the correlation coefficient or correlation is equal to 0.867 with a significance value (Sig.) of 0.000. The finding indicates that Collaborative learning using Padlet-based teaching materials in Mechanical Engineering class could influence students’ writing outcomes.

A Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Interdisciplinary Capstone Design Project

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
David N. Rocheleau ◽  
Roger A. Dougal
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Electrical Engineering ◽  
Robotic Platform ◽  
University Of South Carolina ◽  
Southeastern Conference ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Robotic Vehicle ◽  
Capstone Design

Since Spring 2000, and running every semester, the University of South Carolina Department of Mechanical Engineering and Department of Electrical Engineering have collaborated on a capstone senior design project. In the beginning, the collaboration was between a junior level mechanical engineering class and the electrical engineering senior capstone design class. The collaboration has evolved and is currently between both departments’ senior capstone design classes. This paper outlines the growth of the collaboration from inception to current state with focus on the recent history of the collaboration. In its current embodiment students from mechanical engineering design, develop, construct and deliver a robotic vehicle platform for electrical engineering students to place a microcontroller for use in the autonomous control of the robotic platform. The integrated and completed robotic platform is used in the Southeastern Conference IEEE student competition held each Spring. The collaboration is considered successful by both departments and is used as a key example of an interdisciplinary design effort between the two departments for ABET review considerations.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document