Unordinary: An evaluation of lecture-free activities using a repertory grid

Lecture-free activities afford students with an engaging approach to knowledge acquisition and integration. When peppered throughout a course, experiential activities inject spontaneity, break up familiar patterns, and empower students to take responsibility of their learning. For an instructor, iteration is required to develop effective lecture-free engineering activities, necessitating thoughtful evaluation. The paper adopts Kelly's personal constructs theory, using repertory grid analysis to consider the effectiveness of six unordinary, lecture-free activities. Through a structured comparison of activities, 29 constructs were elicited with inherently subjective, dichotomous poles. The grid was populated ranking each activity between the poles of each construct such as directed learning or creative expression. Using a cluster analysis and descriptive statistics, various themes emerged revealing the author's preference, and connections between seemingly unrelated constructs such as how summative actives use the entire building whereas formative activities are in the classroom. Recommendations are made to generalize the tool to aid instructors in activity evaluation and development through understanding and challenging existing patterns.

Archimedes’ principle with surface tension effects in undergraduate fluid mechanics

The general physics of how objects float is only partly covered in most undergraduate fluid mechanics courses. Although Archimedes’ principle is a standard topic in fluid statics, the role of surface tension in floating is rarely discussed in detail. For example, very few undergraduate textbooks, if any, mention that the total buoyancy force on a floating object includes the weight of the fluid displaced by the meniscus. This leaves engineering students without an understanding of a wide range of phenomena that occur at a low Bond number (the ratio of buoyancy to interfacial tension forces), such as how heavier-than-water objects can float at a gas-liquid interface. This article makes a case for teaching a more unified version of Archimedes’ principle, which combines the effects of surface tension and hydrostatic pressure in calculating the total buoyancy on floating objects. Sample problems at the undergraduate level and two classroom demonstrations are described that reinforce the basic science concepts.

A design of machinery learning activity to develop critical thinking

In engineering education, it is universally recognized that the development of higher-order thinking skills must be encouraged. On the one hand, the backwards design approach allows for the design of courses or activities focused on learning goals rather than on specific content, establishing basic tools to foster these skills. On the other hand, Bloom’s taxonomy allows for the separation of macro learning goals into specific learning objectives and adequate evidence. This work integrates the two approaches for the development of an active learning activity for a design of machinery course. The activity consists of introducing students to the design of mechanisms, is developed following the backwards design process and Bloom’s taxonomy of learning objectives, and focuses on both technical skills and critical thinking. After designing and testing the activity, the authors found that it allows the acquisition of technical skills in kinematics and kinetics of mechanisms and provides insights for the development of the main components of critical thinking within the machinery design process.

A shear center demonstration model using 3D-printing

Locating the shear, or flexural, center of non-symmetric cross-sectional beams is a key element in the teaching of structural mechanics. That is, establishing the point on the plane of the cross-section where an applied load, generating a bending moment about a principal axis, results in uni-directional deflection, and no twisting. For example, in aerospace structures it is particularly important to assess the propensity of an airfoil section profile to resist bending and torsion under the action of aerodynamic forces. Cross-sections made of thin-walls, whether of open or closed form are of special practical importance and form the basis of the material in this paper. The advent of 3D-printing allows the development of tactile demonstration models based on non-trivial geometry and direct observation.

Instantaneous center/axis of rotation for planar and three-dimensional motion

This article discusses a direct analytical method for calculating the instantaneous center of rotation and the instantaneous axis of rotation for the two-dimensional and three-dimensional motion, respectively, of rigid bodies. In the case of planar motion, this method produces a closed-form expression for the instantaneous center of rotation based on a single point located on the rigid body. It can also be used to derive closed-form expressions for the body and space centrodes. For three-dimensional, rigid body motion, an extension of the technique used for planar motion locates a point on the instantaneous axis of rotation, which is parallel to the body angular velocity vector. In addition, methods are demonstrated that can be used to map the body and space cones for general rigid body motion, and locate the fixed point for the body.

Education in plastics manufacturing: Aluminum mold making and injection molding

Plastics are ubiquitous in the modern world with both positive and negative consequences. Students will benefit from understanding how plastics are manufactured. They will be more aware of the material and have a better appreciation for the need to recycle. Injection molding is one of the primary plastics manufacturing methods and hobby scale injection molding machines can be used to educate students about plastics and polymers. Furthermore, it is possible to create custom injection molds from aluminum using similar hobby scale tools. In this article, experiences introducing injection molding in the classroom and experiences with mold making as a senior design project are presented. Suggestions and procedures for using the injection molding machine and for creating custom aluminum molds are covered.

An improved de Laval nozzle experiment

Exposing students to hands-on experiments has been a common approach to illustrating complex physical phenomena that have been otherwise modelled solely mathematically. Compressible, isentropic flow in a duct is an example of such a phenomenon, and it is often demonstrated via a de Laval nozzle experiment. We have improved an existing converging/diverging nozzle experiment so that students can modify the location of the normal shock that develops in the diverging portion to better understand the relationship between the shock and the pressure. We have also improved the data acquisition system for this experiment and explained how visualisation of the standing shock is now possible. The results of the updated system demonstrate that the accuracy of the isentropic flow characteristics has not been lost. Through pre- and post-laboratory quizzes, we show the impact on student learning as well.

Inquiry-based environments for bio-signal processing training in engineering education

Active student engagement, teaching via experience in real-life settings and learning by doing, are pedagogical strategies appropriate to improve student-reasoning skills. By building models, performing investigations, examining and explaining experimental results, using theoretical and computational thinking, constructing representations, undergraduates can acquire a deeper understanding of fundamental disciplinary concepts while reinforcing transversal abilities. In this framework, Engineering courses should be designed with the final objective to develop practical skills, focusing on hands-on activities. This contribution presents two different inquiry-based learning environments recently experienced at the University of Palermo in the context of bioelectronic and biomedical Engineering. The first study describes a laboratory activity about digital ophthalmologic signal classification; the second laboratory focuses on the analysis of the prefrontal cortex activation during a memory task using functional Near InfraRed Spectroscopy (fNIRS). We introduce and discuss the learning workshops, with the research objective of improving current instruction and training in Engineering courses. Indeed, this contribution aims to suggest a conceptual framework in the form of a structured elective suite of modules tailored to meet the needs of Engineering graduates. The outcomes of both studies seem to highlight that self-directed learning activities could enhance students’ enthusiasm to learn and engagement in engineering investigations, contributing to improve the achievements of students and acquire a more effective learning approach.

FEUP peer mentoring: Promoting integration through support and experience sharing

Admission to higher education is a milestone in the lives of young people. This can be accompanied by several changes in the student’s life such as a new place of residence, a new group of friends, and a new type of education. This entry into higher education can provide a new series of experiences, challenges, and newfound independence. However, it might also expose problems and difficulties, possibly hampering the student's personal and academic development. In order to ease the integration into higher education, the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP) has developed a Peer Mentoring Programme promoted by students already attending different FEUP courses (mentors) which intends to support the first-year students (mentees) in this phase of their life, coordinated by some teachers from each course. This social and academic integration program is supported by 4 core ideas: Integration, Support, Experience, and Sharing. This work provides insight into the way in which this program is organized at FEUP, highlighting the students’ participation (mentees and mentors), the main contributions that each of them values, their degree of satisfaction and involvement, activities that were developed, and some testimonies.

A build-at-home student laboratory experiment in mechanical vibrations

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused many university educators to redesign their teaching to online delivery. This can be an effective approach for theoretical and conceptual teaching, but it is challenging to provide practical laboratory experiences. The objective here is to design a hands-on laboratory experience that can safely be undertaken by students remotely and that has substantial educational content. A new experiment was designed featuring a bifilar pendulum that students build themselves from readily available low-cost materials. This simple vibrating system has a surprisingly rich set of interesting physical characteristics that provide several important learning points. Initial trials indicate good student experience with the new experiment, notably an appreciation for the “do-it-yourself” aspect of the apparatus construction. The self-directed features and multiple learning features of the new student experiment make it attractive for use during Covid-19 times and beyond.