The Mechanics Project: A Pedagogy of Engagement for Undergraduate Mechanics Courses

Abstract

is a lecturer in the Department of Engineering Education at the University of Florida. Her teaching and research interests are centered around the sophomore level courses that engineering students take and how changes in those courses can impact student learning and retention.

A Novel Approach to Mastery-based Assessment in Sophomore-level Mechanics Courses

“…At a large R1 university in the southwest, we have redesigned the sophomore mechanics courses, through an effort called The Mechanics Project [3]. The goal of the project is to improve the learning outcomes of students in their sophomore year and to develop self-driven learners.…”

The ‘Typical Particle’ Approach to Learning Rigid Body Dynamics

“…However, as we put those ideas into place, we realized that there were significant content issues as well. We discuss some of the pedagogical strategies elsewhere [3], [4].…”

“…When we started The Mechanics Project, we implemented Dynamics first. A year later we implemented Statics [3]. One of the biggest lessons that we have learned is the importance of continuity between courses.…”

Advancing Computational Knowledge and Skill Through Computing Projects in Sophomore-level Mechanics Courses

“…In statics there are only four computing projects since that is the students' first introduction into CPs and it is a challenge for students to adapt to all the other unique features of the learning environment of The Mechanics Project [11]. The first project is designed as an introduction to MATLAB.…”

“…Almost a decade ago we embarked on a complete redesign of the sophomore-level mechanics courses: statics, dynamics, and deformable solids at a large R1 university in the southwest (Institution A). We changed the structure, environment, and feedback mechanisms in a redesign that affected every aspect of the courses, an effort we call The Mechanics Project [11]. One of the major changes was to introduce computing into all three courses.…”