Instructors frequently ask themselves "What are the best ways for an instructor to support student learning? How can we assist students in engaging in deep learning? How can we help them bridge the divide between theory and practice?This paper discusses efforts to address these issues in a course on Kinematics and Dynamics of Machinery. Kinematics and Dynamics of Machinery is a core course in the mechanical engineering curriculum. One of the challenges in this course is to make students fully appreciate mechanism design by integrating the principles of kinematics and dynamics in real world design practice. To assist with this goal, students were encouraged, early in the term, to discover real life examples of mechanisms with an aim to promote curiosity and foster interest in learning. Throughout the term, a design project was introduced which required students not only to apply fundamentals of kinematics and dynamics, but also to exercise skills in teamwork, collaborative learning and communication. A student survey was conducted at the end of the course and the efficacy of the approach was assessed.
Overview and Aims Research has found that students in schools often hold stereotypes of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects and careers: they view them as maledominated, individualistic 8 and uncaring. They are perceived to marginalize women. 6 These stereotypes are reinforced by mass media 9 and by curricula and in class activities that may not include girls' preferred learning styles, 3 which centre around collaboration and relationships 3. Students hold views that scientists are men, 7 that males are better at STEM fields 8 and have negative notions of females in these fields. 1 As students view STEM fields to not encompass collaboration, connection, and care, 2 a significant number of girls choose not to go into them for careers. 5 However, these conceptions are questionable as the STEM careers, for example the field of engineering, in fact require collaborative work, which is embedded in an ethic of care. The researchers conceptualize care as collaborating with others in the development of solutions to societal issues embedded in a framework of concern for the welfare of other people. Care is a necessary component of successful group work and is thus related to effective engineering design by the researchers, as engineering frequently depends on multidisciplinary teams. This paper presents the findings of a collaborative study that explored stereotypes and how these might be addressed. In particular, it discusses:
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