Affordable learning solutions and interactive content in engineering mechanics

Digital Affordable Learning Solutions (ALS) provides students with quality yet affordable educational content and enables instructors to utilize multimedia and interactive technology as effective ways of delivering course material. The reduced course content expenses not only allow more students to access the educational material, but also permit the instructors to customize and adapt the material to their teaching style. Incorporation of interactive technology through visually appealing media such as animations, graphics, simulations, videos, and threedimensional models promotes students’ interest in learning theoretical and abstract subjects in science and engineering. In this study, the incorporation of an interactive eBook as an affordable learning solution in Mechanics of Materials is discussed. Features offered in the eBook include responsive three-dimensional models, animations, lecture videos, course summaries, algorithmically generated problem sets, pop-up hints, and guided steps. Such an eBook provides various avenues for students to learn and practice concepts, and has yielded very encouraging results, including increased student performance and positive feedback from the students themselves. The presented interactive eBook has the potential to inspire other educators and course designers to develop and implement interactive tools in their pedagogical approach. 1 Introduction Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs) are essential components of engineering education. TLMs provide teachers with resources to deliver the course content, support student learning, and increase overall student success. TLMs that are offered in various formats such as text, pictures, videos, charts, and slides aid in the learning process by allowing students to explore the knowledge independently as well as providing a resource for practice and repetition. Many college courses, specifically the fundamental and introductory engineering courses such as Chemistry, Physics, Engineering Mechanics, Circuits, and Thermodynamics, rely on the use of textbooks and online platforms that are provided by various external publishers. Despite the high quality of such TLMs, most of those offered by publishers are expensive. It is not unusual for a single textbook to cost more than $200. According the study by Government Accountability Office [1], the price of college textbooks rose 82 percent between 2002 and 2013. Despite a growing online market for discounted books and the popularity of eBooks, the average cost of college textbooks has risen three to four times faster than the rate of inflation over the past 10 years. In a single year, the average college student spends more than $1,200 on books and materials, as reported by the College Board [2]. The survey conducted in this research confirms the high cost of learning resources for engineering students. The main problem is that as the end users, students generally have no role in selecting the course learning materials. The high and rising cost of textbooks and its impending influence on the learning of students who cannot afford such prices has been investigated and discussed by government agencies, researchers, and even public media [1], [3], [4], [5]. Digital Affordable Learning Solutions (ALS) and affordable and open educational resources (AOER) are alternative solutions to traditional TLM [6], [7], [8]. They enable instructors to choose and provide high quality yet affordable TLMs for their students. ALS and AOER (used to refer to the same type of TLM in this paper) are not only used to reduce the cost of textbooks and other required learning materials, but also for enabling the instructors to customize the content and tailor it toward the course objectives and their teaching styles. Digital ALS can take advantage of rapidly growing digital platforms that allow for real-time contribution of various instructors. The input of various instructors who are motivated to produce the best solution possible, along with the peer evaluation process, will often lead to a superior TLM. The entire community benefits from supporting one another and contributing to the development of learning materials that could enhance dissemination of knowledge in a more efficient way. Another advantage of Digital ALS over TLMs is the utilization of multimedia and interactive technology to effectively deliver course material. Most publishers offer textbooks in both printed and digital format, but the eBook typically contains the same content as the printed version, just adapted to be displayed on digital devices. However, a book that is designed for print and then adapted to be displayed digitally cannot utilize the full power of digital media, such as multimedia embedment, responsive content, and interactive engagement. Utilizing the capabilities of digital media enables authors and instructors to convey the subject matter in a more efficient way and provides students with various avenues of learning. Several researchers [9],[10],[11] have shown the influence of visualization on the effectiveness of engineering education and how the lack of visualization capabilities among engineering students can prevent effective knowledge transfer. The eBooks that are designed for print include the figures in a twodimensional format even if the object was modeled in three dimensions. However, many digital devices that are currently available are powerful enough to render even complicated threedimensional models and provide students with a real time interaction with CAD models. Content visualization is able to convey the subject matter in a condensed manner, increasing its assimilation compared to traditional text transmission [9]. In this study, an affordable learning solution in the form of an interactive eBook is developed and its incorporation into an entry level engineering course as an affordable learning solution is discussed. By choosing ALS over traditional learning materials, more students can acquire the course materials they need to succeed and benefit from their learning experience at a reduced cost. 2 Development and application of digital ALS in Mechanics of Materials The digital ALS that is developed for Mechanics of Materials is in the form of interactive eBook. This learning resource is intended to provide students with the fundamental concepts and applications of Mechanics of Materials. The developed TLMs place a great emphasis on examples, solving problems, and practical algorithms for solving problems that engineers are faced with in designing various elements. The illustrations, models, and steps used in the solved problems are designed to explain and depict the technical components graphically in a way that augments learning specifically for visual learners. Other illustrations, three-dimensional models, and animations help students visualize the components of problems. The features offered in this ALS include: Dynamic, responsive content designed for digital devices: An interactive eBook has so many more capabilities than a printed textbook. One benefit is the ability to embed various forms of media to create a dynamic and responsive environment. In the developed eBook, students can have instant access to video segments or voice recordings on different topics. Students can use the media to review topics and lessons to enhance their learning. The digital ALS allows students to access the material from anywhere using their electronic device of choice instead of carrying around a large textbook. The ALS displays dynamic and responsive content that gives students a more in-depth, virtual experience beyond the limits of ink and paper. The ALS also provides multiple avenues for the different styles of learning. The lesson notes and animations benefit the visuals learners, the example problems benefits the reading/writing learners, the interactive models benefit the kinesthetic learners, and the embedded media lessons benefit the auditory learners. Real time interactive 3D models: Because visualization is sometimes a challenge for students, the real time interactive three-dimensional models are an excellent source of learning. Interactive 3D models are already available on many lessons and examples, and will continue to be developed and spread to more. Using these models, students are able to visualize components and structures as if they are holding it in their very own hands, and with much more freedom than ever found in a paper textbook. Students can rotate the model fluidly to see every degree of the 3D model. Two views of a sample 3D model are shown in Figure 1. Figure 1: Sample three-dimensional model Animation: In addition to the interactive models, the three-dimensional animated models allow students to visualize the effects of forces, torques, etc. on the structures used in an example problem. The animation provides a short video clip for students to watch, replay, and pause while the clip describes the different steps of the problem. It has been found that animations are very useful for students when solving complex problems that involve several steps. Instead of students having to imagine how the complex problem looks and reacts in their head, they can directly observe and learn from an animation. For example, a combined loading problem involves three-dimensional analysis. Three-dimensional animations are very useful for students to visualize how each force affects the beam in three dimensions. Students can use this tool to help them visualize an example as if they were watching the forces being applied in a laboratory, as well as better understand the reactions, steps, and concepts in additional examples. Sample frames of an animation are shown in Figure 2. Figure 2: Sample frames of an embedded animation Responsive hints and guided steps: There are several examples in the eBook that students can use to learn, practice, and assess their knowledge. There are many different options for how a student