Introduction and Assessment of i-Newton for the Engaged Learning of Engineering Dynamics

摘要

Engineering dynamics (Newtonian mechanics) is often a difficult subject for students to grasp, particularly when taught in traditional lecture-only settings. In lecture-only settings, students often exercise concepts solely through idealized textbook problems which provide little to no opportunity for understanding or exploring in realistic contexts. This is understandable given the considerable expense and resources needed to create companion laboratories where students might otherwise explore concepts through hands-on experimentation. Despite these difficulties, it has been shown across STEM fields that demonstrations and experiments can dramatically improve student learning compared to traditional teaching methods. This project aims to introduce hands-on experiments in an otherwise traditional dynamics course as a new platform of active learning. The hands-on experiments are possible through a MEMS sensor technology that we call interactive-Newton (iNewton) that represents a versatile, portable and inexpensive means for students to explore concepts in dynamics inside or outside of the classroom. In other words, iNewton has the potential to promote the learning benefits on hands-on exploration, but without the large investment otherwise required for a dedicated companion laboratory.