An active engagement pedagogy for introductory solid mechanics

Abstract

Introductory Solid Mechanics has historically been taught using the traditional methods of blackboard instruction. In the Mechanical Engineering Department, we have undertaken an initiative to comprehensively transform the pedagogy of 2.001 (Mechanics and Materials I), an undergraduate course in Solid Mechanics. This transformation represents a radical shift in the teaching paradigm, one which is best described as an active engagement model. Through discovery-based and cooperative learning, it is hoped that students will develop conceptual understanding of the course material, that students will become comfortable working in teams, that student retention of course material will improve, that students will be able to engage in independent learning, and that student satisfaction will improve. There are several components to this new pedagogy: physical desktop experiments, Web-enabled learning modules, a portable computing initiative, a new classroom, and a change in the lecture format. This thesis will describe all of these, but will focus on the development of the Web modules, the synthesis of these elements in developing the new pedagogy, and preliminary assessment of the project. The thesis is dually intended as a presentation of original research and as a working document for others who may wish to undertake a project of similar scope.