Comparing Physical and Cyber-Enhanced Product Dissection: Analysis from Multiple Perspectives

Abstract

Product dissection has evolved into a versatile pedagogical platform useful across the engineering curriculum. Simulation technologies have recently broadened the opportunities to implement cyber- enabled product dissection, but its effectiveness on achieving educational outcomes must first be studied. In this paper, we carefully delineate the difference between physical, virtual, and cyber-enhanced (a blend of physical and virtual) dissection considering the advantages and limitations of each type of platform. We then study and report on the impact of variations of cyber-enhanced dissection across two populations of sophomore engineering students at two universities using a number of exercises and data collection methods. We found that students perceived the cyber- enhanced dissection exercises to be relevant to the students' own professional preparation, to facilitate easier dissemination, to better align with emerging industrial practices, and to provide unique experiences not available in other courses the students had taken. Some potential drawbacks of cyber-enhanced dissection were also reported by students, including technology distracting them from the core educational objectives and over-reliance on historical data of unknown origin. Although there are important tradeoffs between physical and cyber-enhanced dissection that need to be considered, using a blend of physical and virtual instructional tools may provide an effective platform to teach a wide range of engineering concepts across a curriculum.

Department(s)

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Cyber-enhanced dissection; Digital tools; Product design; Product dissection; Student perceptions

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0949-149X

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2010 TEMPUS Publications, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jun 2010

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