Incorporating Technology into the Traditional Engineering Mechanics Lecture

Author

Douglas R. Carroll, Missouri University of Science and TechnologyFollow
Hong Sheng, Missouri University of Science and TechnologyFollow

Abstract

The advancement of information technology has provided faculty with many opportunities to adopt and incorporate it into traditional classroom teaching. However, the new technology is not always better. For many topics, the best strategy is still the traditional chalk-and-talk lecture. There are three critical requirements in getting new technology adopted on a large scale. 1. The new technology should be able to facilitate student learning and understanding. It should be better than a traditional lecture. 2. The new technology should be easy to use. Learning to use the technology should not create excessive work for the faculty member. Class preparation should take approximately the same amount of time as for a traditional lecture. 3. The new technology should be reliable and convenient. Dr. Carroll is currently using a technological method for teaching engineering mechanics courses that meets the criteria listed above. A key component to the method is that the faculty member projects complex figures on the board and then uses chalk (or markers or a smart board or a tablet) to modify the figures. This teaching method blends the traditional lecture with the new technology, utilizing the new technology to improve the quality of the traditional lecture. From the instructor's perspective, preparing the lecture takes approximately the same amount of time as preparing a traditional lecture. The use of technology has been well received by the students.

Recommended Citation

D. R. Carroll and H. Sheng, "Incorporating Technology into the Traditional Engineering Mechanics Lecture," Proceedings of the ASEE 2007 Southwest Section Conference (2007, Reno, NV), American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Apr 2007.

Meeting Name

ASEE 2007 Southwest Section Conference (2007: Apr. 12-13, Reno, NV)

Department(s)

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Second Department

Business and Information Technology

Keywords and Phrases

Classroom; Instructors; Information technology; Teachers; Teaching

Document Type

Article - Conference proceedings

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2007 American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

13 Apr 2007