Learning Kinematics From Concept And Experience

Study of kinematics and dynamics of machinery involves very challenging mathematics for engineering technology students who typically take this course at their junior level in a 4-year baccalaureate curriculum. Although mathematics is an essential tool for designing and analyzing mechanisms, this heavy burden in mathematics carries a risk of taking students’ attention away from developing the important fundamental concepts of kinematics which are truly beneficial in their future practical technical work. This paper describes an attempt at WSU to develop an experimental kinematics and dynamics course such that students learn the subject from concept and experience. In this method, students are first challenged to solve kinematics problems through the computer simulation software Working Model without knowing the underlying mathematical tools. In this challenge, students will improve the simulation results through trial and error and their own approaches. In most cases, they will realize that the perfect solution has to be obtained from an approach they do not yet know. This challenge will provide them with the experience to develop a concept of each kinematics problem. Only after this challenge, will students be exposed to mathematical approaches to provide perfect solutions to challenge the problems. Finally, they will try another set of simulations using the mathematical approaches they mastered and verify the validity of the mathematical approaches.