Concurrent Laboratory Improvement for a Revised Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

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In 1998, the undergraduate Mechanical Engineering curriculum at Wayne State University will undergo major revisions aimed at increasing class scheduling flexibility for students, reducing the number of required courses, increasing the number of technical elective credits, combining and reorganizing a number of courses, and integrating laboratories with lectures. This proposal was developed on the basis of the unique opportunity presented by the implementation of this new curriculum. The proposal presents a plan for concurrent laboratory improvements which will significantly enhance the revised curriculum and have a strong impact on student learning. The proposed project will make it possible for the eight participating Mechanical Engineering faculty members to more effectively integrate laboratory experiences into coursework, to develop more relevant and realistic experiments based on faculty research and/or industry input and to introduce state-of-the-art PC-based virtual instrumentation technology in our laboratories. Nine new experiments are proposed, and funding is requested to purchase personal computers, special PC boards, virtual instrumentation software, special software and hardware, transducers, and materials for apparatus construction in order to implement the experiments. University commitments for matching funds have been secured and the evaluation of the project and the dissemination of its results are described in detail