This study developed an integrated-STEM CO2 dragster design course using 3D printing technology. After developing a pre-engineering curriculum, we conducted a teaching experiment to assess students' differences in creativity, race forecast accuracy, and learning performance. We compared student performance in both 3D printing and manual creation of dragsters. One hundred and eighty-two participants in five classes of Grade 10 participated in this study. The results of the teaching experiment showed that students who used a 3D printer significantly outperformed those students who made their dragsters by hand in terms of both the novelty and sophistication of their dragsters. The students in the 3D printing group were able to forecast the outcomes of the race significantly more accurately than those in the group who made theirs by hand were. No significant difference in learning performance was found in the two groups. Based on these experimental results, the development of the curriculum and hands-on activities and the teaching recommendations were revised. This research has an impact on offering an effective approach to the design and implementation of digital manufacturing and pre-engineering curricula in the future.
Automatic dynamic displays, e.g., scrolling displays, are frequently used to present text information on small screens. This study examined the effects of three dynamic displays [leading, scrolling, and rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP)] and three presentations speeds [171, 250, and 305 wpm (words per minute)] on subjects' reading comprehension for different types of small screens for laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and mobile phones. 12 college students who were native speakers of Chinese (4 men and 8 women between the ages of 19 and 36 years) participated. Scores for reading comprehension indicated (1) for laptops, both leading displays and RSVP, at speeds of about 250 wpm, comprehension was highest; (2) for PDAs and mobile phones, scrolling displays and RSVP, speeds of about 305 wpm were more suitable for presenting information in Chinese text; (3) consequently, RSVP appeared to be the most viable dynamic display on small screens and led to the highest reading comprehension for these Chinese readers.
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