What are the learning goals and outcomes for your proposed EL activity/program?

The learning goal is to aid the student's ability to visualize/internalize the abstract mathematical concepts learned in the MCT313 Industrial Mechanisms course (including degrees of freedom, machine categorization, position vector analysis, & velocity vector analysis) with a physical four-bar mechanism that they construct with materials purchased with this grant and manufactured in the SoE Makerspace area. Each student in the class will be given the dimensions for a four-bar mechanism that they will construct over the first several weeks of the semester. Various classifications will be assigned to different students, which will allow a hands-on comparison to be given when that topic is covered. Later, when the course begins a multi-week discussion of position and velocity analyses, the students will use the mechanism they constructed to perform the calculations and then compare their analysis to that physical specimen.

How will you ask students to reflect on what they learned through the EL activity/program?

Students will reflect on their learning outcomes in several ways. The initial reflection will ask if their analysis agrees with the physical specimen they constructed. Inherit in this reflection will be measurement techniques and interpretation of analytical results. A secondary learning outcome reflection, particularly when velocity vector analysis is covered, will ask if they can properly visualize the difference in velocity vector directions and path of travel. Both of these learning reflections are especially important in mechanical design.

How will you assess what your students learn as a result of participating in experiential learning?

Several homework assignments will utilize the mechanisms that the students construct. In these homework assignments, the student will compare analytical results versus physical measurements. Additionally, I plan to have a "show-and-tell" class where each student will briefly present their mechanism to the rest of the class.

How does your EL program/activity advance at least one or more of UD's institutional learning goals?

This activity will advance both scholarship and practical wisdom. The students will gain a better understanding of mechanism analyses by comparing abstract calculations to a physical model. They will also gain practical wisdom in manufacturing through the act of building a mechanism in the SoE Makerspace area from a set of 2D prints.