Tracking Design Elements in a Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

2011 ◽  
Vol 367 ◽  
pp. 601-610
Author(s):  
M.T. Oladiran ◽  
Jacek Uziak ◽  
Venkata P. Kommula
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Design Activity ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
University Of Botswana ◽  
Modern Engineering ◽  
Map Design ◽  
The University ◽  
Design Experience

Design activity is core to modern engineering practice. Some design experience is demanded by professional bodies that accredit degree engineering programmes (e.g. ABET and ECSA). The purpose of this paper is to track design related topics through the curriculum of the mechanical engineering degree programme at the University of Botswana. A questionnaire was designed and administered to staff teaching on the programme. The responses were used to map design components in the curriculum and assess the design experience of students. The results showed that design topics were delivered in various courses and the knowledge gained by students increased steadily from Year 3 to Year 5. Some observed deficiencies in the teaching of design included lack of industry recommended projects, negligible application of design software, and the use of only single discipline based problems (i.e. no multi disciplinary teaching approach). It was concluded that a programme review is needed to improve the pedagogy of design and enhance programme robustness. It is envisaged that the study will help in designing a new mechanical engineering curriculum to satisfy accreditation requirements.

Authentic Innovation: The Role of Apprenctice Learning in Engineering Education

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya Vernon ◽  
Brandon Werner
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Program Outcomes ◽  
Emergent Technologies ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Cost Constraints ◽  
Modern Engineering ◽  
Engineering And Technology ◽  
The Us

In 2000, the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) adopted an outcomes based approach to the US engineering curriculum. The new accreditation criteria, commonly called EC2000, call for program outcomes and assessment that provide for a ‘well rounded engineer’. Approaching nearly a decade now, are students reaping the benefits of the reform? Are students able to design better? Apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering better? Are they able to communicate better and use techniques, skills and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice? Most importantly, are they more “well-rounded?” It may be argued that despite ABET accreditation reform, the undergraduate mechanical engineering curriculum has remained relatively static over the last decade, adjusting for obvious changes in cross-disciplinary study and some emergent technologies. Girt with hundreds of hours of core and required subjects such as calculus, physics, dynamics, fluid mechanics, strength of materials, thermodynamics, etc. the undergraduate mechanical engineering student generally has but one occasion to flex his/her intellectual and innovative acuity—the senior design project. While students occasionally work in teams, rarely are students exposed to genuine challenges of group interaction, delivery schedules and cost constraints as catalyzed in industry. How is authentic innovation achieved in a learning environment?

Utilizing Multimedia Tools in Undergraduate Thermodynamics

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ella Fridman ◽  
Susan Shelangoskie
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Immediate Feedback ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Multimedia Tools ◽  
Course Material ◽  
The University ◽  
To Receive

It is well known that the thermodynamics is one of the most complicated subjects for students in the mechanical engineering curriculum. The new web-based Guided Self-Assessment Tool (GSATool) developed at the University of Toledo enables students to become actively engaged in the process of learning, to receive immediate feedback, to recognize their own strengths and weaknesses with the course material, and to better gauge their own learning levels and needs. The present paper describes the GSATool, its specifics and applications.

Improving students’ freehand sketching skills in mechanical engineering curriculum

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 274-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacek Uziak ◽  
Ning Fang
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Current Literature ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Communication Tool ◽  
Modern Engineering ◽  
Computer Aided

Freehand sketching is a fundamental skill in mechanical engineering and many other engineering disciplines. It not only serves as a communication tool among engineers, but plays a critical role in engineering design and problem solving. However, as computer-aided drafting has replaced traditional drawing classes nowadays, the training of students’ freehand sketching skills has been almost completely eliminated in modern engineering curricula. This paper describes the attributes of freehand sketching and its roles in several essential aspects of engineering; in particular, in its roles in problem solving, of which current literature has ignored. Representative examples are provided to show students’ freehand sketching skills in problem solving in a foundational undergraduate mechanical engineering course. Pedagogical suggestions are made on how to teach freehand sketching to engineering students.

Blackboard as a Tool for Peer Learning and Interaction for Engineering Students

2011 ◽  
Vol 367 ◽  
pp. 591-599
Author(s):  
Jacek Uziak ◽  
M.T. Oladiran
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Peer Learning ◽  
University Of Botswana ◽  
Mode Of Instruction ◽  
Instruction Delivery ◽  
The University ◽  
Engineering Programme

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the learning experiences of mechanical engineering students who used Blackboard technology at the University of Botswana. The results presented are based on the application of the technology in two courses offered to Year 3 students. As the results of this study were encouraging it is recommended that more courses in the mechanical engineering programme should migrate to blended mode of instruction delivery.

scholarly journals The New Mechanical Engineering Curriculum at the University of Michigan

2001 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gretar Tryggvason ◽  
Michael Thouless ◽  
Deba Dutta ◽  
Steven L. Ceccio ◽  
Dawn M. Tilbury
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
University Of Michigan ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
The University

scholarly journals APPLICATION OF THE CRITERION OF TECHNOLOGICAL DAMAGEABILITY IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

STED JOURNAL ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaroslav Kusyi ◽  
Аndrij Кuк ◽  
Oleh Onysko ◽  
Tetiana Lukan ◽  
Lolita Pituley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Product Life Cycle ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Engineering Technology ◽  
Operational Characteristics ◽  
Modern Engineering ◽  
Main Driver

Development and implementation in mechanical engineering practice of integrated information systems for control of technological processes of manufacturing products is the main driver of economic growth of developed countries. The priority of modern engineering technology is to provide the specified operational characteristics of products in accordance with the accuracy parameters, set by designer and quality of surface layers in contrast to achieving the minimum technological cost with maximum performance for traditional approaches. Technological providing of the main operational characteristics of the product (bearing strength, wear resistance, fatigue strength, joint strength etc.) require a systematic approach, which consists in the investigation of real physical processes at submicroscopic, microscopic and macroscopic levels of research, and step- by-step tracking required parameters at all stages of the Product Life Cycle from the position of technological inheritability. It is proposed to use the method of LM-hardness to control the quality of the structure of the material from castings in the design of functionally-oriented processes. The magnitude of the technological damage of the product material serves as a criterion for optimization when choosing a variant of surface treatment of the casting. A method for providing experimental studies of castings of aluminium alloys has been developed. On the basis of the carried-out experimental researches the rational route of processing of surfaces of casting is chosen.

Integrating General Education Courses into Engineering Curriculum

2012 ◽  
pp. 247-262
Author(s):  
Jacek Uziak ◽  
M. Tunde Oladiran ◽  
Venkata Parasuram Kommula
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Fully Integrated ◽  
University Of Botswana ◽  
General Education Courses ◽  
Equal Split ◽  
Education Courses

General Education Courses (GEC) are natural sources of “soft” skills in engineering curricula. Such skills are becoming increasingly important if the graduates are to operate successfully and be fully integrated in their workplaces. The importance of “soft” skills is fully recognized by engineering accreditation boards. The chapter reports on the engineering students’ reactions to the introduction of GEC at the University of Botswana (UB). The position of engineering students’ on the issue of GEC is not very clear. The questionnaire administered to final year students in all engineering programmes at UB gave a mixed response. On average, there were 25% neutral answers to the questions in the survey. The fact that on average one quarter of all graduating engineers did not have an opinion about GEC and their implementation was very disappointing and showed the general problem of students not being interested in that area of their study. The survey showed that students were not fully convinced that GEC were either important or relevant to their future career. The fundamental question on whether GEC were a necessary part of engineering programme brought almost an equal split between positive, negative, and neutral answers, with a slight advantage of positive answers (37%) over negative ones (33%). The students were equally split (36% positive and negative answers) on the question of whether GEC were relevant to their career paths. A small majority were of the opinion that GEC should not be retained. As it is critical that elements of general education are retained in the engineering curriculum, it is necessary to convince the students of the importance of those elements of the study. An effective advisory students’ system is recommended starting with general discussions on engineering practice within departments led by senior members of staff. Also, an introductory course in engineering or any course directly dealing with engineering practice is recommended.

Assessing the use of Blackboard for Course Delivery in an Engineering Programme

2012 ◽  
pp. 178-193
Author(s):  
Jacek Uziak ◽  
M. Tunde Oladiran ◽  
Richie Moalosi
Keyword(s):  
Management System ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Course Delivery ◽  
Degree Programme ◽  
University Of Botswana ◽  
Engineering Degree ◽  
Mode Of Instruction ◽  
The University ◽  
Engineering Programme

The purpose of the study covered in this chapter was to evaluate the preferences of mechanical engineering students at the University of Botswana regarding course delivery, with special consideration for Blackboard technology. The study was carried out during three consecutive years (from 2007/2008 to 2009/10 academic years) for one course in the mechanical engineering degree programme. A questionnaire was administered to three cohorts of third year mechanical engineering students; a total of 101 students participated in the study. As the results of this study were encouraging, it is recommended that more courses in the programme should migrate to a blended mode of instruction delivery using Blackboard or any other approved learning management system.

Couplings and Clutches

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris Obsieger
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Electrical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Calculation Methods ◽  
Naval Architecture ◽  
Lecture Notes ◽  
Machine Elements ◽  
The University

Textbook in machine elements at two universities. *** Published in two languages and several variants. *** Provides students of mechanical engineering, naval architecture and electrical engineering required literature, as well as a suitable problem-solving basis for experts in engineering practice. *** This book is divided into seven chapters which deal with ( 1-st) rigid couplings, (2-nd) compensating couplings, (3-rd) flexible couplings, (4-th) friction clutches, (5-th) electromagnetic friction clutches, (6-th) hydrodynamic couplings and (7-th) special types of couplings. *** A practical application is supported by detailed descriptions of designs variants, principles of operation and calculation methods, as well as through 227 figures, 74 tables and calculation examples of flexible couplings and friction clutches. *** This textbook is the result of continual improvements on the lecture notes Couplings and clutches, starting from 2001. The book has been reviewed by prominent experts from several universities, and upon their recommendations the Croatian edition of this book was adopted as a textbook of the University of Rijeka in 2005 and then translated into English. Both variants are adopted as university textbooks of the Juraj Dobrila University of Pula in 2020/2021.*** Finally, it must be emphasized that the purpose of this textbook, although amply illustrated and comprehensive, is not one of replacing lectures, but of helping students acquire knowledge that will serve them in building their future careers. *** More at "https://university-books.eu/obsieger/couplings".

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