期刊名称：Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association
出版年度：2013
语种：English
出版社：The Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA)
摘要：The first course in Dynamics can be a challenging one for many undergraduate engineering students. Concepts can be complex, mathematical treatments can be non-trivial, and the theory can be difficult to apply. While lectures introduce course material, tutorials are often used for textbook problem solving and labs allow for an experiential exploration of the concepts. However, given the volume of material covered in Dynamics, the relative infrequency of labs, and their limited duration, one could argue that labs do not adequately fulfill their important role. With this perspective in mind, a redesign of this course took place so that in each lecture, one or more concepts were visually demonstrated and/or students took part in an activity to illustrate the concepts. This was in addition to the regular lab experiences. Furthermore, many of the demonstrations were taken from the world of sports to provide both accessible relevance and reinforcing examples. Feedback from students suggests that this approach is both helpful and motivating. Students report “getting it” through these demonst rations and enjoying the learning experience more than conventional approaches. Students were asked which “daily dynamic demos” they preferred, and the reasons for those preferences as a matter of course development. It appears that the richer, more personally relevant and more interactive the demonstrations, the more impact they had. This paper describes the various demonstrations and lab exercises, the motivations behind using each of them, and the concepts that were illustrated by each one. Preferred ones are identified, and the reasons for those preferences are also presented.
