The Need to Implement Modelling and Simulation as Part of the Curriculum in Basic Engineering Courses (original) (raw)
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2015 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings
His BSc and MS degrees are in civil and structural engineering and he has a sixteen year long career experience in structural engineering along with four years of college instruction of both basic and advanced civil engineering courses. In his teaching experience he has been committed to introducing real life engineering problems to the learning environment. The subjects he has taught include engineering mechanics (statics, dynamics, and mechanics of material), soil mechanics and foundation engineering. His research areas of interest include: use of computer simulation in engineering education, project-based learning and innovative teaching techniques in interdisciplinary topics. He is also a member of ASCE and ASEE.
Interactive simulations as teaching tools for engineering mechanics courses
European Journal of Physics, 2013
This study aimed to gauge the effect of interactive simulations in class as an active teaching strategy for a mechanics course. Engineering analysis and design often use the properties of planar sections in calculations. In the stress analysis of a beam under bending and torsional loads, cross-sectional properties are used to determine stress and displacement distributions in the beam cross section. The centroid, moments and products of inertia of an area made up of several common shapes (rectangles usually) may thus be obtained by adding the moments of inertia of the component areas (U-shape, L-shape, C-shape, etc). This procedure is used to calculate the second moments of structural shapes in engineering practice because the determination of their moments of inertia is necessary for the design of structural components. This paper presents examples of interactive simulations developed for teaching the 'Mechanics and mechanisms' course at the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain. The simulations focus on fundamental topics such as centroids, the properties of the moment of inertia, second moments of inertia with respect to two axes, principal moments of inertia and Mohr's Circle for plane stress, and were composed using Geogebra software. These learning tools feature animations, graphics and interactivity and were designed to encourage student participation and engagement in active learning activities, to effectively explain and illustrate course topics, and to build student problem-solving skills.
Integrating simulation into the engineering curriculum: a case study
International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, 2013
In this paper, we describe improved strategies for teaching computational fl uid dynamics (CFD) using the commercial software ANSYS Fluent to upper-level undergraduates and graduate students. We consider a case study from an upper-level elective fl uid dynamics course and evaluate various out-of-class learning materials and in-class active learning techniques. We show that, in agreement with previous research, most student learning happens out of class. We show a direct correlation between the materials developed in a reference hand-out and the students' expertise in the area. We introduced i-clickers as a means of promoting active learning in the classroom to emphasize the 'expert approach' in simulation. Their use received a mixed response from the students and we discuss the reasons and a possible remedy. We demonstrate that carefully designed out-of-class learning materials are crucial to students' learning of CFD, and that i-clickers have to be used with care if they are to be effective in engaging students during the lectures. All of these fi ndings inform not only future renditions of this course, but also instruction of CFD in general.
Modeling and simulation practices in engineering education
Computer Applications in Engineering Education, 2018
Much can be learned from the vast work on the use of computer simulations for inquiry learning for the integration of modeling and simulation practices in engineering education. This special issue presents six manuscripts that take steps toward evidence-based teaching and learning practices. These six studies present learning designs that align learning objectives, with evidence of the learning, and pedagogy. Here we highlight the main contributions from each paper individually, but also themes identified across all of them. These themes include (a) approaches for modeling-and-simulation-centric course design; (b) teaching practices and pedagogies for modeling and simulation implementation; and (c) evidence of learning with and about modeling and simulation practices. We conclude our introduction by highlighting desirable characteristics of studies that report on the effectiveness of modeling and simulation in engineering education, and with that we provide some recommendations for improving the scholarship of teaching and learning in this field.
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The objective of this research was to develop a force and motion simulation based on the open-source Easy Java Simulation. The process of computer simulation development was done following the ADDIE model. Based on the Analysis and Design phases, the Development phase used the open-source Easy Java Simulation (EJS) to develop a computer simulation with physics content that was relevant to the subtopic. Computing and communication technology continue to make an increasing impact on all aspects of education. EJS is a powerful didactic resource that gives us the ability to focus our students’ attention on the principles of physics. Using EJS, a computer simulation was created through which the motion of a particle under the action of a specific force can be studied. The implementation phase is implemented the computer simulation in the teaching and learning process. To describe the improvements in the students’ understanding of the force and motion concepts, we used a t-test to evaluat...
Computer Simulation Development for Simulation-Based Learning in High-School Physics
International Journal of Learning and Teaching
COVID-19 has affected how teaching is carried out at all levels of education, including in high school. Teachers must adapt their teaching methods since students can no longer access school’s facilities. This became a concern, especially for subjects that require students to conduct experiments such as Physics. This paper is aimed to design and develop a computer simulation that can be used for simulation-based learning in high-school Physics, particularly on the topic of Newton’s law. The topics covered are constant acceleration linear motion, fraction, and force. Through literature studies, the features of the simulation were determined. The implemented features are interactivity through changeable parameters and immediate visual feedback, three graphics to show the acceleration, velocity, and position of an object, and a Comma-Separated Values (CSV) file that contains the detailed calculations of the simulation for debriefing. The simulation has been developed and evaluated throu...
Effect of Simulation based teaching strategy in Engineering Physics course
Journal of Engineering Education/Journal of engineering education transformations/Journal of engineering education transformation, 2024
Computer-based simulations have gained significant popularity in science education, particularly in subjects like Physics that involve intricate and abstract concepts. Simulations offer learners the opportunity to engage with complex phenomena and manipulate them, making them particularly valuable in these contexts. In line with this notion, our study adopted a teaching strategy centered on simulations. This approach was implemented in two separate classes of first-year Bachelor of Technology (F. Y. B. Tech) students, specifically for the Engineering Physics course. In one of these classes, simulations were solely utilized without incorporating any formative assessment, while the other class was exposed to a strategy that combined simulations with formative assessment. Our observations revealed that solely using simulations during instruction did not contribute significantly to conceptual understanding. However, when simulations were integrated with formative assessment, a substantial improvement in understanding was noted. Through our data analysis, a noteworthy discrepancy in average scores between the two classes became apparent. Notably, the class that experienced the simulation-based formative assessment strategy demonstrated a higher average score of 63.85.
Computer simulation as a tool for developing intuitive and conceptual understanding in mechanics
Computers in Human Behavior, 1993
This study focuses on the intuitive and conceptual understanding that engineering students develop of the central phenomena in their studies, and of the problem situations in which those phenomena appear, when computer microworlds and simulations have been at the core of their learning experience. Intuitive understanding refers to the immediate sense that a situation has for u student and the way he or she discerns, delimits, und relutes the central phenomena within the situations. This kind of understanding is supposed to develop through experience-the more extensive and the more varied the better Conceptual understanding refers to the way in which concepts are discerned and delimitedfrom, and related to, the relevant domains of knowledge. Computer microworlds and simulations have potential for providing the students with extensive and varied experience of the phenomena involved, and it should hence contribute to the development of intuitive and conceptual understanding of them. This hypothesis has been the object of empiric& investigations, one of which concerned two central concepts in mechanics, potential energy and moment of inertia. Forty-two second-year students were randomly assigned to work in pairs at one of two experimental conditions; both groups carried out a computer laboratory exercise, one involving potential energy and the other moment of inertia. Both experimental groups received a preand a postinterview in both conceptual areas, thus serving as control groups for one another Experimental comparisons could thus be made in both conceptual ureas, and a global analysis was carried out focusing on changes in the students'
The Effect of Simple Modeling in Learning Physics for Engineering Students
Jurnal Informatika Teknologi dan Sains
research aims to determine the effect of simple modeling in learning physics for engineering students. The sample of this study were all 1st semester engineering students at the Medan Area University are 36. The research method used was the ex post facto method, by not providing treatment but directly conducting related evaluations. Engineering students' abilities in learning physics can be helped with simple modeling. Data analysis technique used is by regression analysis. From the results of the analysis it was found that Freghitung= 4.382 and Freg-table = 4.230 (Freg-count >Freg-table), so the conclusion of this study is that there is a very large the effect of simple modeling learning physics for engineering students at the University of Medan Area.
PHYSICS TEACHER AND MODELING IN TEACHING PROCESS
For a detailed analysis of physical phenomena is often necessary to have adequate mathematical apparatus. However, students often do not have adequate mathematical skills. This disadvantage can be replaced by modeling of various phenomena. Work with models and even with the computer can be understood as inter-subject binding, for example, between physics and mathematics, computer science, technology, or other objects. Modeling of phenomena or processes is used in engineering and science; however we can also take advantage of his strengths in education. Computer models, work with graphs and other visual means to help students to understand of phenomena and processes. The realized research deals with the skills of the teacher as a user and/or a creator of the models. The paper presents the current status of the use and the creation of modeling based on different integrated development environment in the Czech Republic.