A Building Block Approach To Dynamics

The transition from memorization of formulae to the independent thinking required in engineering courses is accomplished via courses typically entitled “Statics” and/or “Dynamics”. These courses, in particular Dynamics, pose a major hurdle for some students who wish to become engineers. They are known at many universities as “gate” or “weed-out” courses. Since competency in the principles of these courses is necessary for success in the higher-level courses, teaching practices that improve a student's learning and motivation in the course are desired. This paper discusses a practice that has proven successful for a dynamics course that included students in different years and majors, as well as a class of sophomores of one major.