查看更多>>摘要：Incorporating 3D technology and artificial intelligence, often known as AI, into STEM education in the current day is creating new opportunities to improve student engagement and performance. With an emphasis on STEM areas specifically, this study attempts to bring the elements that affect the uptake of AI-enabled 3D instructional technology. A survey was carried out with 300 participants, including teachers and students from universities. To gauge participant impressions, the study used UTAUT2-the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 framework. IMB SPss 25 and AMOS 24 has been used to calculate, evaluate, analyze data to determine the main variables influencing the adoption of these technologies. The results show that while AI and 3D technologies have a great deal of potential to enhance users' interaction, understanding, and engagement with difficult scientific concepts, there are still obstacles to overcome, including those related to infrastructure, cost, and the requirement for faculty training. Furthermore, it was discovered that moderating factors including experience, gender, age, and education level had very little effect on the final outcomes. This study provides insightful information on how to successfully incorporate 3D and AI technology into STEM curricula at the university level.
查看更多>>摘要：In the rapidly evolving landscape of engineering education, the shift toward online and hybrid lab formats requires a critical examination of their impact on students' learning experiences. This study investigates the experiences of 82 students in a logic control course with campus, remote, and simulation labs, through the lens of the Community of Inquiry framework. Although our qualitative thematic analysis confirms students' general preference for campus labs, we extend this observation through nuanced insights into the cognitive, teaching, and social elements of students' perceptions of their learning experiences in the different lab formats. Students appreciate the increased accessibility and flexibility of remote options, while also identifying challenges and limitations for cognitive engagement, instructional support, and social connection. Our results suggest that with targeted improvements, online and hybrid labs can enhance students' learning experience considerably, particularly if inte-grated purposefully with campus labs. We discuss theoretical and practical key implications for designing blended lab environments.
查看更多>>摘要：This paper presents an experimental course focusing on computational design optimization for performance-based building design exploration in a newly developed course for second-year architectural students. The course uses a hybrid design system combining a parametric design tool with a cloud-based design evaluation server. The system allows students with no prior parametric modelling skills to conduct a series of performance-based design optimizations and subsequently extract knowledge regarding the interrelation between design performance and building form. The use of this system allows concepts, such as performance-based design optimization and design space exploration, to be integrated into the teaching of this 6-week course for more than 200-year two students. Throughout the course, students were able to conduct systematic design exploration assisted by computational design optimization and synthesize the knowledge obtained from the optimization into their design process. The paper showcases examples from students' coursework along with their reflections after utilizing the system in their design task. The analysis of these outcomes demonstrates how this course can enhance early-year students' understanding of the value and utility of performance-based design optimization in architectural practice. With the demonstrated coursework outcomes and students' reflections, the implication of this course to computational design teaching is discussed. Additionally, two key limitations are identified:the difficulties some students encounter in applying knowledge gained from optimization to the design process and the lack of transparency concerning the mechanisms of evolutionary optimization due to inadequate technical details provided.
查看更多>>摘要：Engineering students may find two challenges while studying finite element-based structural analysis:the transition from linear to nonlinear analysis theory and implementing finite element algorithms. Unlike damage and plasticity, which require often complex return mapping algorithms to update internal variables, introducing material nonlinearity with hyperelasticity is simpler as the stress tensor therein is computed explicitly from a deformation measure. To simplify the derivation process, we present HyperSym, an educational MATLAB-based tool that leverages symbolic differentiation to derive hyperelastic tensors from the strain energy density functional and automatically generate ready-to-use functions. We integrate these functions into the educational open-source finite element software NLFEA to illustrate the connection between user-defined subroutines and a finite element framework often found in commercial packages. This paper outlines HyperSym's core features and dem-onstrates its educational potential through numerical examples applicable to lecture and homework settings. Lastly, we explore potential extensions and customizations to HyperSym for further academic projects or research. The complete version of MATLAB implementation of HyperSym is available in a public repository, and some extensions and modifications are provided as Supporting Information.
查看更多>>摘要：Over the last few decades, many studies have explored the uses of virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) in different disciplines and examined their effects on learning. However, the effectiveness of the uses of VR and AR on students' learning is still inconclusive, and the uses and effects of VR or AR within the specific domain of higher engineering education have not been explored in extensive detail. The aim of this article is to systematically examine the overall effect of the uses of VR and AR in higher engineering education on different learning outcomes by meta-analyzing the results of 35 comparative studies from 24 high-quality journal papers published between 2013 and 2023. The results indicated that the uses of VR and AR in higher engineering education have a medium positive overall effect on cognitive outcomes (g=0.60, p＜0.01), have a large positive overall effect on psychomotor outcomes (g=1.67, p＜0.01), and have a small positive effect on affective outcomes (g=0.30, p＜0.01). Furthermore, both the type of VR/AR technology and the engineering subdiscipline don't influence the effectiveness of VR/AR applications that were used. Such results provided empirical evidence for teachers and policymakers to adopt VR and AR in higher engineering education.
查看更多>>摘要：Virtual labs (VLs) are increasingly transforming education, replacing or supplementing traditional labs in response to tech-nological advances and remote learning demands. This study explores how adopting 3D VLs, Ward Design in our case, affects lecturers' teaching and students' learning experiences, focusing on areas like engagement, contextual learning, and collaborative learning. In this study, we draw on Dalgarno and Lee's model for virtual learning environments (VLEs) as the framework for our analysis. Qualitative research methods informed our exploration. Findings reveal VLs' positive impact on diverse 'Learning Benefits'. VLs can significantly enhance student engagement by offering an interactive and self-paced learning experience. Additionally, VLs provided opportunities for contextual learning, enabling students to apply skills in realistic, virtual settings. However, limitations in replicating collaborative learning and organic, real-world exploration within virtual environments were noted. The study also highlighted various challenges associated with cognitive load, such as the unfamiliarity of the technology, technical difficulties, and discomfort with VR tools, all of which at times hindered the learning experience. Our findings suggest that combining VLs with physical field trips could optimise the learning experience, addressing these limitations. This study contributes to the understanding of VLs' potential and challenges in education, informing their effective implementation to enhance teaching and learning.
Gaoxia ZhuJason Fok KowXiuyi FanIbrahim H. Yeter...
1-14页
查看更多>>摘要：Students with strong Computational Thinking (CT) skills possess a unique ability to analyze problems, devise efficient solutions, and navigate the intricacies of a rapidly evolving digital landscape. Given the conceptual overlapping between CT skills and engineering design competencies, engineering design processes provide students with a context for applying and developing CT skills. However, how to promote students to develop CT skills through pedagogical design in engineering education needs further research, especially in the formal higher education context. To address this gap, we constructed a model and designed a course that supports students in applying CT (i.e., decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, algorithm design, and troubleshooting/debugging) skills during multiple engineering design iterations. We collected 13 group design reports from 62 undergraduate students regarding their efforts in designing and solving mazes over three design iterations by applying CT skills. Using mixed methods, we examined what and how CT skills were demonstrated in the group reports, and what changes groups made between design iterations and why. We found that the participants demonstrated five CT skills with differing frequencies and needed more support in troubleshooting. When making changes between design iterations, groups mainly considered enabling users to apply CT skills, avoiding hard coding, adjusting the complexity of the mazes, considering design constraints to meet engineering design requirements, and enhancing user experience. The findings un-derscore the pressing need to equip students with the ability to navigate and resolve intricacies, particularly in troubleshooting, and groups' abilities to consider various elements when making engineering design decisions.
查看更多>>摘要：This study presents a novel modular package developed in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) that integrates into a macro-enabled MS Excel workbook. This package creates a three-dimensional coordinate system within the spreadsheet, allowing users to model various physics problems efficiently. Designed for users with basic knowledge of MS Excel and fundamental physics knowledge, the package enables rapid model development without the need for programming experience. Users can add vectors to the coordinate system, which can be transformed into other mathematical objects. The package features specialized cells that function as coordinates or time variables. It has been rigorously tested and includes 25 fundamental examples in disciplines such as electrodynamics, mechanics, thermodynamics, optics, and mathematics. This tool significantly simplifies the modeling process and provides an accessible approach to solving complex physics problems.
Ricardo Garcia‐GarciaJose M. RicoDavid B. DoonerJ. Jesus Cervantes‐Sanchez...
1-23页
查看更多>>摘要：This study presents procedures and guidelines for using the popular Dynamic Geometry Software (DGE) GeoGebra to create highly interactive simulations of mechanisms and robots towards educational and research purposes. The goal is to introduce and demonstrate the tool to develop self-explanatory constructions designed to present important topics, namely, the spatial posture, the graphical solution of the position analysis of mechanisms of serial and parallel manipulators, the Denavit-Hartenberg (DH) proximal convention, the homogeneous transformation matrices, and the hypothetical closure link method for serial manipula-tors. Seven constructions are illustrated:the interactive coordinate system construction, the 1-degree of freedom (DOF) position analysis of a spherical four-bar mechanism, the inverse analysis of a 4-DOF Schoenflies parallel platform with three universal-prismatic-universal legs, and four constructions for the 6-DOF General Electric P60 (GE-P60) serial robot. The first of these four constructions deals with the direct position analysis via the graphical method. The second one offers a detailed explanation of the DH parameters. The third one uses the DH parameters to obtain the homogeneous transformation matrices for solving its direct position analysis. Finally, the fourth construction solves the hypothetical closure link and the inverse position analysis of the serial robot. The results are interactive computer simulations accessible via hyperlinks, encouraging users to explore the constructions, to use them as a cornerstone for their own constructions, and enhance the topics comprehension. The authors envision these simulations as an effective tool to communicate the knowledge about mechanisms and robots.
查看更多>>摘要：This paper offers a comparative study for topology optimization (TO) with quadrilateral family elements, for example, 4-noded (Q4), 8-noded (Q8), and 9-noded (Q9) elements for diverse problems. MATLAB codes are developed with Q8 and Q9 elements for three distinct design problems involving different physics, wherein we provide straightforward and efficient methods for generating connectivity matrices and for determining elemental stiffness matrices in terms of Poisson's ratio for these elements. To demonstrate the relative performances, the paper presents (i) Compliance minimization for stiff structures subjected to constant forces, (ii) Compliance minimization for load-bearing structures under design-dependent pressure loads, (iii) Com-pliant mechanism problems focused on maximizing desired output deformation. A volume constraint is applied to all problems. Q8 and Q9 finite elements produce optimized designs free of checkerboard patterns. Sensitivity and density filtering schemes are incorporated to ensure a minimum feature size of the optimized designs. An outline for implementing a Heaviside projection filter is also provided for achieving optimized solutions close to binary (0-1). The presented exhaustive comparative study, accompanied by codes and supporting materials, serves as both an educational tool for academia and a valuable resource for those new to the field. The relevant codes are included in the appendices.
NETL
NSTL
Wiley