International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, Ahead of Print. Hands-on engineering design is a critical element of quality engineering education commonly featured in the first and last year of undergraduate programs. Technical science and engineering coursework dominate the sophomore and junior year, often with fewer hands-on design experiences. We sought to mitigate this by integrating a hands-on engineering design project into a second-year thermodynamics-focused course for mechanical engineering students. We iterated on a heat-to-work device design project developed by Shepard ..read more

International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, Ahead of Print. This study establishes the manufacturing capability of the machines present in a machine tools laboratory at an engineering institution in India. The capability indexes for potential capability as well as performance capability are employed to determine the machine capability of the machine tools. Statistical process control (SPC) studies are performed in a laboratory environment for relatively older and non-automated machines comprising lathes, shapers, drilling and grinding machines. The process potential capability i ..read more

International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, Ahead of Print. Scaffolding learning and incorporating hands-on activities are proven pedagogical techniques that improve student engagement. A growing movement within engineering education has been to educate beyond the technical skills and foster an improvement in students’ entrepreneurial mindset. A modified version of a validated self-efficacy tool is used here to assess the impact that scaffolding and hands-on activities within a Mechatronics course have on developing the three student learning outcomes associated with the Kern En ..read more

International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, Ahead of Print. When teaching robotics, instructors face the challenge of finding an effective approach to bridge theoretical concepts and practical applications. Both computer simulations and hands-on laboratory experiments provide learners with opportunities for active, immersive, and experiential learning. As students progress from introductory to advanced topics and from theory to practice, their performance is contingent upon earlier knowledge and may increase, remain unchanged, or decrease. The question that arises is whether com ..read more

International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, Ahead of Print. Under the regional economic background, local colleges have a crucial role in evaluating and researching the training of new engineering talents. With the continuous development of technology and the improvement of economic strength, training new engineering talents has become an important mission for local higher education institutions. This study aims to explore the evaluation methods and strategies for training new engineering talents in local colleges within the regional economic context. It proposes an evaluation s ..read more

International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, Ahead of Print. The problem under analysis looks at the overall comparison of about 1300 students’ performance considering separately their conceptual and problem-solving knowledge over 7 academic years of the course of Instrumentation for Measurement within the Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto . This course gives the relevant background for later content courses on Automation, Control, Mechatronics, Smart Factories, etc., in that Mechanical Engineering master's degree. It is important to n ..read more

International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, Ahead of Print. Complex numbers and complex functions are frequently utilized in solving equations of motion in free and harmonic responses of vibration systems. However, certain fundamental details are sometimes overlooked and many books and articles may present differential equations with inconsistencies, which can confuse meticulous readers. This confusion often arises because one side of the equations is in real form, while the other side is expressed in complex form. To address this issue, the present article offers examples from ..read more

International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, Ahead of Print. In the September 2022 issue of The Physics Teacher (TPT), Richard Kaufman and Harvey Leff showed the interdependence of the first and second laws of thermodynamics. Here, I go further and use the facts that the first law implies the second law, and that the second law implies the first law. This two-way implication establishes the logical equivalence of the first and second laws. Although the laws are logically equivalent (when one is true, then the other must be true), this does not mean that they are the same. The equ ..read more

International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, Ahead of Print. Fluid flow visualization techniques are becoming more widespread every year due to the availability of lasers, high-speed cameras, and the development of a large amount of image processing software. Nowadays, one of the most popular methods of flow optical visualization is particle image velocimetry (PIV). PIV is an innovative way to measure and analyze fluid characteristics, giving students a more in-depth understanding of how fluids move. This paper is focused on using low-cost components and free software to implemen ..read more

International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, Ahead of Print. Teaching the basics of a profession to university students and graduates requires the use of intensive training methods to reduce time and increase the efficiency of knowledge acquisition. Railway workers have a special responsibility related to the safety of train traffic. In this regard, appropriate training, retraining, and certification should be provided. For this purpose, it is appropriate to use computer interactive teaching methods that use modern technologies for modeling and simulating the operation of various ..read more