3D Modeling Education Experience



3D Modeling Education Experience

Over the course of the last two years, the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Idaho has created a studio environment for solid modeling, advanced computational analysis, research and creative problem solving to support our educational, scholarship, and outreach missions.  This studio involves workstations capable of running cutting-edge software, built pedagogy following principles in Diane Oblinger’s book Learning Spaces, and collaboration with regional industry.  This laboratory began as an idea that became an image by modeling it with Rhino and rendering with Flamingo.  This image was the focal point of several proposals that allowed the laboratory to become a reality.  The solid modeling software focal point of the laboratory is CATIA. 

The topics covered in our ME 421/521 Advanced Computer Aided Design course include approximately 15 Workbenches, as well as rendering and animations.  During the first half of the course, as a way to increase student engagement and interest, small teams of undergraduate and graduate students reverse engineer models of engines and mechanical devices.  This reverse engineering of our historical engineering legacy also supports Professor Odom’s area of research on machine component design.  He seeks out possible plans and works with the authors to obtain proper copyright permission.  Additionally, Professors Beyerlein and Odom have invited individuals from the Boeing company to come in for seminars.  These special events provide access to very highly knowledge engineers on how CATIA is presently being used in industry.  During the second half of the course, when skills have been developed, we seek to find a creative outlet for the students in the class.  This takes several routes, for example students can animate and render a reverse engineered model.  Alternatively, students can perform a manufacturing study for the reverse engineered model, if time and resources permitting, that can lead to the actual manufacture of a model.  For example, the Howell V-4 is currently being fabricated along with a miniature dynometer.  These two projects will be used to test a student’s design of a miniature hybrid transmission. Another creative project is to reverse engineer a production model Yamaha 250 engine for reconfiguration into a hybrid FSAE mini-Formula 1 power plant.  We term these challenges “stretch projects,” which are purposely sized to challenge students. 

This laboratory not only seeks to teach, but to explore and develop best teaching methods for these, sophisticated software packages.  For example, we have found that locally produced just-in-time learning resources created with inexpensive video, screen capture, and home editing equipment to be very effective.  Our development process insures technical quality and learner-centeredness through peer review of story boards by peers, faculty, and staff before production begins.  Because these resources are locally produced, they capture the infrastructure as well as the culture of our program.  A sample of these resources is available at webs1.uidaho.edu/ele/mindworks

The faculty members submitting this Vision Grant proposal have been leaders in the Mechanical Engineering capstone design program for the past 15 years.  This is a two-semester product realization experience that involves industry-sponsored design projects.  These individuals have also provided guidance and organization for the college wide design exposition that annually showcases student project work.  (See uidaho.edu/expo.)  Additionally, during the last three years, the Mechanical, Electrical, and Biological Engineering Departments have joined forces in an interdisciplinary capstone design class (over 100 students) that meets concurrently and has uniform project expectations.

            Since this laboratory is about teaching and research on teaching methods, assessment is essential.  Five dimensions of instructional quality defined by the Sloan Foundation’s Asynchronous Learning Networks Consortium are being investigated: learning effectiveness, accessibility, student satisfaction, faculty satisfaction, and cost effectiveness.  Learning effectiveness results from appropriate cognitive models, engagement of multiple learning styles, alignment of assessment methods, and connection with a motivating learning environment.  Accessibility requires prompts for timely use, on-demand availability, and indexing for easy retrieval.  Student satisfaction is likely to be greatest if learning resources are organized around concrete case studies that are locally relevant.  Faculty satisfaction is likely to be greatest if the content is rigorous and if student performance perceptibly improves as a result of the learning experience.  Cost effectiveness is created by improved student performance and minimizing the time and resources committed.  While this laboratory is a new initiative here at the University of Idaho, our initial assessment is very positive.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download