Integrating Design into the Sophomore and Junior Level Mechanics Courses

Engineering schools across the country are developing ways of integrating design into their curriculum, and a question that often arises is how to best integrate design into the sophomore and junior level courses. Freshman design projects or mechanical dissection courses are designed to give the students hands-on experience in conceptual design and construction, with little if any of the mathematical modeling normally used in engineering design. The capstone senior design project is a true engineering design experience, where students draw from their background to conceptualize, analyze, model, refine, and optimize a product to meet design, manufacturing, and life cycle cost requirements. The sophomore and junior level courses should assist students in making the transition from the “seat-of-the-pants” freshman design approach to the engineering design approach required for the capstone experience and engineering practice. This paper summarizes a three year effort at integrating design into the Mechanics of Materials course, but the principal conclusions drawn would apply to most sophomore and junior engineering science courses.     

Integrating Writing Instruction into Engineering Courses: A Writing Center Model

Engineering students often have difficulty learning how to write laboratory reports in their field. To assist students with this learning process and teach them writing strategies that will prove helpful in the workplace, a writing center was established in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at the University of South Carolina. There, consultants trained in technical writing work closely with ECE faculty members and teaching assistants to create a supportive network for students as they draft reports, including discussions during recitation periods, team consultations, and individual consultations. This paper presents a theoretical framework for the writing center program, as well as specific writing strategies that have proven helpful. Assessment methods and feedback from faculty and students about the success of the program are presented as well.     

Achieving the Right Balance: Properly Integrating Mathematical Software Packages into Engineering Education

The art of engineering involves developing models of the world and acquiring information with which to design solutions to meet the needs of society. Historically, engineering educators have spent significant time applying mathematical techniques to analyze these models. Decades ago, the slide rule and electronic calculator transformed the way basic mathematical operations were performed. Today, the digital computer is similarly impacting the way more complex analytical techniques are applied. Specifically, mathematical software packages are introducing revolutionary changes to engineering problem solving and design. This paper considers the appropriate role of mathematical assistant software packages in engineering education. Recommendations to properly focus teaching effort within the classroom are provided.     

The Learning Factory—A New Approach to Integrating Design and Manufacturing into the Engineering Curriculum

The Learning Factory is a new practice-based curriculum and physical facilities for product realization. Its goal is to provide an improved educational experience that emphasizes the interdependency of manufacturing and design in a business environment. The Learning Factory is the product of the Manufacturing Engineering Education Partnership (MEEP). This partnership is a unique collaboration of three major universities with strong engineering programs (Penn State, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, University of Washington), a premier high-technology government laboratory (Sandia National Laboratories), over 100 corporate partners covering a wide spectrum of U.S. Industries, and the federal government that provided funding for this project through the ARPA Technology Reinvestment Program. As a result of this initiative, over 14,000 square feet of Learning Factory facilities have been built or renovated across the partner schools. In the first two years of operation, the Learning Factories have served over 2600 students. Four new courses, and a revamped senior projects course which integrate manufacturing, design and business concerns and make use of these facilities have been instituted. These courses are an integral part of a new curriculum option in Product Realization. The courses were developed by a unique team approach and their materials are available electronically over the World Wide Web. Industry partners provide real-world problems and are the customers for students in our senior capstone design courses. As of December 1996, over 200 interdisciplinary projects have been completed across the three schools. These projects involve teams of students from Industrial, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical Engineering and Business. Forty-three faculty members, across five time zones, are engaged in this effort.     

工程地质实习的教学改革与实践

“工程地质学”是土木工程专业课程体系中一门必不可少的专业基础课,工程地质实习是培养学生能力的一个重要教学环节,文章分析了影响实习质量的因素,探讨了提高工程地质实习质量的有效途径.     

“工科基础力学”教学改革的思考与实践

文章从“工科基础力学”课程的教学出发，对教学内容、教师素质培养及学生能力培养等方面提出了一些改革的看法，希望寻求适应于社会发展的教学方法，以达到提高学生综合能力的目的。     

工程制图双语教学的实践

从培养现代工程意识的高素质人才的要求出发,基于双语教学的基本内涵,对目前条件下实施双语教学的目的和可行性进行了分析。总结了在工程制图课程双语教学中教学资源的选择、教学内容的选择和处理、教学模式的选择及考核方式进行改革与实践的经验,初步探索出在工程制图课程中进行双语教学的模式,并提出一些值得探讨的问题。     

专家们对《工程力学》的评价--热烈祝贺《工程力学》创刊20周年

1998年编辑部约请朱伯芳,赵国藩,董石麟,吴恒,武际可,陈至达,余寿文,尹双增,杨桂通,韦树英,夏亨熹11位专家对《工程力学》进行书面评议,评议结论已于第二年上报科协。值此《工程力学》创刊20周年之际,这里我们从当年评议书中做了极简要的摘录做为对《工程力学》创刊20周年的志庆。标题和副标题是编辑部拟的。 办刊方针是正确的,以推动力学在各个领域中的应用为主旨,刊物的内容兼顾了学术性和应用性。 为力学在工程中应用、促进力学理论与工程实践的结合作出了重大贡献,受到国内外从事力学科研、工程设计和教学及科技人员的普遍欢迎,可…     

土木工程专业工程制图课程的教学实践

基于多年教学实践与经验,分析了土木工程制图课程的教学特点及目前存在的问题.针对存在的问题,进行了教学改革,从优化教学内容、改进教学方法、采用现代教学技术、增强实践环节、改进考核方式等方面,详细叙述了所采取的措施与做法.改革取得了良好的教学效果,提高了课程建设的水平.     

Ethic of Care: Guiding Principles for Engineering Teaching & Practice

Engineering draws guidance from many disciplines for its teaching and practice. The evolution of engineering as a response to societal and personal needs has created, together with technical challenges, ethical dimensions akin to more service-oriented professions. Several frameworks of ethics have been suggested to incorporate and address these dimensions. In this paper, the ethic of care is singled out due to the natural analogy between engineering and care: they both respond to a need and are oriented towards action. The suitability of care to provide guiding principles is supported by highlighting the distinguishing features that make the ethic of care especially relevant to engineering. Finally, it is shown through examples that the benefits from applying principles of the ethic of care vary from helpful reminders to valuable insights and guidelines in teaching and practicing engineering.     

工科专业教学计划的探讨

通过对工科专业教学计划中的主要课程设置、实习实践安排以及毕业设计等教学环节的分析，结合当前形势提出了一些具有探索性的建议，进一步符合现代社会发展的需要。     

《工程制图》多维教学资源建设与教学实践创新

阐述了《工程制图》教学改革的创新理念,介绍了从纸质教材到与教学全程配套的助教型、助学型CAI课件,进而到自主式专题学习网站的多维的立体化教学资源的创建、完善和利用.创新教学模式的特色在于利用多维教学资源开展自主探究学习活动,以优势资源为媒介开展双语教学和广泛的国际合作.     

土建工程图学教改应面向工程实际

列举出建筑工程实际中出现的十几个问题，这些问题主要表现为：①各工种设计不协调；②尺寸的设计、阅读、放线存在严重问题；③建筑造型形式单调划一；④曲线曲面应用太少。因此，土建工程图学的改革：①基本知识要为应用知识、应用技能、应用能力服务；②要服从于本课程所在大专业的纵深发展方向；③教学内容的加强环节要解决实际工程中暴露出的问题；④课程体系中拓宽、加深内容要以实际应用为前提，要代表工程实际未来的发展方向。     

Integrating Ethics & Engineering: A Graduate Option in Systems Engineering,Ethics, and Technology Studies

This paper describes an engineering graduate option in Systems Engineering designed to overcome some of the effects of specialization and compartmentalization by building a link between technical and ethical training. Students in this option produce case studies that emphasize ethical issues in the design process. The goal of the program is to turn out ethical professionals who are able to reflect on the moral implications of technology. The proposed approach uses realistic or real‐hypothetical hybrid case studies as a type of vicarious mentoring, and, when supplemented with readings in ethical theory and codes, may serve as a starting point for a deeper understanding of behavioral dilemmas. The developers of this approach are a multi‐disciplinary team from the Engineering School and the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia. The paper describes how the graduate option is structured and provides data on student outcomes.     

提高“工程图学”课程的教学效果和质量的实践

分析了近年来在扩大招生、学时缩短、教学基本要求提高的新的形势下，“工程图学”课程所面临的困难，探讨了“工程图学”教学的创新教学模式，实践了优化教材、采用现代化的教学方法和手段、改革课堂教学和课后实践、加强手工绘制草图能力和计算机绘图能力的培养等一系列教学改革的措施，提高“工程图学”课程的教学效果和教学质量。     

现代工程制图课堂教学改革的探索与实践

针对当前多媒体教学存在的问题,对工程制图课堂教学改革提出一些思路和方法.基于建构主义学习理论,遵循学生的认知心理,设计工程制图课堂教学过程和教学方法;以传统教学手段为基础,创建一种新式的多媒体教学法.通过“粉笔板书”和多媒体技术的完美融合,模拟真实的手工绘图过程情境;通过手势动作和课件动画的巧妙配合,实现组合体的构形过程情境;通过实物模型和绘图软件的娴熟运用,创造师生互动的学习情境.学生的成绩和评价证明这种新颖的教学法是对工程制图课堂教学改革的有益尝试;另外,通过公开示范课和教学竞赛对该教学法进行推广,也获得了同行认可和肯定.     

融入素质培养,优化供热工程课程的教学内容

分析供热工程课程教学中现存的问题,从培养学生工程素质、尤其是信息素质出发,优化供热工程的课程内容,提高学生的就业适应性和融入信息社会的能力。     

A New Model For Integrating Engineering Into the Liberal Education of Non-Engineering Undergraduate Students

In this paper, I will discuss a new model that integrates engineering into the liberal education of all undergraduate students, regardless of their majors. The model was proposed in 1992 by the Manufacturing Engineering Department at Miami University and was approved as part of a new plan for liberal education for all students. The objective of the model is to provide students with an opportunity to learn about the engineering profession and design, including its links to technology and society. To achieve this objective, the new model includes: a 3 credit hour course, with lab, to learn about engineering and technology and their impact on society; a 3 course, 9 credit hour sequence to study, in-depth, engineering methods and modeling; and a 3–4 credit hour, two-course, senior capstone. The implementation of the model started in the Fall of 1993. A mechanism has been developed for assessing this model and its impact on students' learning and understanding of engineering, the classroom-learning environment, and its ability to attract and retain women and minorities to engineering.