Interactive Web Based Instructional Modules Concerning Human Joint Mechanics Using The Legacy Cycle

In this work we describe the integration of an interactive, web-based instructional approach with the Legacy Cycle learning algorithm for the investigation of human joint mechanics. The interactive web-based approach was developed as an instructional aid for an Engineering Graphics course and has repeatedly been used with great success. This approach is based on the use of Lotus ScreenCam tutorials and interactive exercises, games, and quizzes. The ScreenCam exercises interactively guide the student through examples using modeling software such as Working Model 2-D and MathCad. The instructional material is organized using the Legacy Cycle algorithm, which has been shown to be highly successful in K-12 instruction and is based on a sequence of challenges of increasing difficulty. An example demonstrating the delivery and instructional techniques used is given. The example deals with a simple, planar Hinge Joint model of the Human Elbow. The challenges begin with determining which of the three muscle groups (biceps, brachioradials, and brachialis) is most efficient with respect to muscle force magnitude for an isometric curl lift, and progress to the proposition of an appropriate load distribution scheme for the prediction of muscle-group activation force for an isometric curl lift.