Physical and Virtual Manipulatives in Mechanical Engineering Education

• In Event: Advances in Engineering Education Research

Abstract

Dynamics is the study of accelerating motion. It is a foundational course in an undergraduate curriculum in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and is traditionally taught as a combination of lecture and problem solving using static textbook diagrams of dynamic (moving) systems. This study investigated the use of physical and virtual models of machines depicted in textbook problems, as potential aids in problem solving in Dynamics. We compared adding these physical and virtual manipulatives to traditional instruction, and investigated whether students learn better with the manipulatives. The results suggest that adding physical and virtual manipulatives to traditional instruction in Dynamics can help students learn the subject more effectively than with lecture and problem solving using static diagrams alone.

Authors

• Edward Pan, University of Virginia

• Jennifer L. Chiu, University of Virginia

• Karen K. Inkelas, University of Virginia

• Shawn D. Russell, University of Virginia

• Edward Berger, University of Virginia