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Demonstration models allow students to readily grasp theory and relate difficult concepts and equations to real life. However drawbacks of using these demonstration models are that they are can be costly to purchase from vendors or take a significant amount of time to build. These two limiting factors can pose a significant obstacle for adding demonstrations to the curriculum. This article presents an assignment to overcome these obstacles, which has resulted in 36 demonstration models being added to the curriculum. The article also presents the results of student performance on course objectives as a result of the developed models being used in the classroom. Overall, significant improvement in student learning outcomes, due to the addition of demonstration models, has been observed.

Online student assessments have gained popularity in the engineering education community in the past few years. McGraw-Hill Education (MGHE) Connect has been used extensively in higher education for online assessments. However, its efficacy in engineering education needs to be investigated. This study investigates the effect of using McGrawHill Education (MGHE) Connect online platforms on students' academic performance in a Mechanics of Materials (MoM) course. Evaluations from twelve sections (n = 367) were collected using past years' data, where conventional paper and pencil homework were adopted as a control group with MGHE Connect-based online homework intervention for synchronous and face-to-face MoM courses as the treatment group. The study examined the effects of MGHE Connect on homework score, cumulative score, grade and pass rate. Variations due to semesters, instructors, delivery type, and modality are analyzed using a mixed model to find the effect of the intervention. Moreover, this study assessed students' perceptions of the platform and its setup. The study findings showed 'immediate feedback' and 'multiple attempts' as the two major strengths, while the 'lack of access to the step-by-step solutions' and 'need to redo' as major weaknesses. There is a difference in homework grades, with the treatment group's median being higher; however, the study found no evidence to support the claim that MGHE Connect improved students' performance and grade. Students revealed that their satisfaction was significantly influenced by the setup preference of Connect. These outcomes provide insight into how homework should be set up to improve student satisfaction while maintaining academic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive studies have indicated that real-life project-based learning through industry involvement in capstone design courses provides benefits to students, faculty, and industry practitioners. This paper presents the contributions of industry participants to student experiential and project-based learning in the civil and environmental engineering senior design courses at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). Surveys were conducted to obtain insights into the contributions of industry involvement in the capstone design course from the perspectives of both students and practitioners. Practitioners have been involved in various roles, including project mentors for capstone design projects and/or judges for students' capstone design project presentations. Practitioners, through the students, are provided with new ways of looking at and solving problems. Practitioners, through their involvement, provide valuable feedback to the faculty and students that enriches the overall experience gained in the capstone design course. This feedback helps improve student performance on their projects and provides them with additional tools to carry forward into their engineering careers. However, there was a gap in perception between students and practitioners with regard to the benefits of industry involvement. This paper also describes two successful capstone design projects and culminates success drivers from the reflection of instructors teaching these courses. The results of this study have substantial implications for faculty teaching these courses. They showed what students did well and pinpointed areas for improvement through the lens of industry practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of a variational asymptotic method and Hamilton's principle establish the equations of motion for free vibration analysis of anisotropic thin-walled closed-section beams. The equations analyze arbitrary variations of stiffness along the cross section circumference and the effects of material anisotropy. The theory enables derivation of the closed-form expressions for the stiffness coefficients. The results of the study conducted on two configurations are given.

Demonstration models allow students to readily grasp theory and relate difficult concepts and equations to real life. However drawbacks of using these demonstration models are that they are can be costly to purchase from vendors or take a significant amount of time to build. These two limiting factors can pose a significant obstacle for adding demonstrations to the curriculum. This article presents an assignment to overcome these obstacles, which has resulted in 36 demonstration models being added to the curriculum. The article also presents the results of student performance on course objectives as a result of the developed models being used in the classroom. Overall, significant improvement in student learning outcomes, due to the addition of demonstration models, has been observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]