Collaborative Experimentation and Simulation: A Pathway to Improving Student Conceptualization of the Essentials of System Dynamics and Control Theory

协作实验和仿真：提高学生对系统动力学和控制理论本质的概念化的途径

• 批准号: 0311349
• 负责人: Javier Kypuros
• 金额: $ 19.62万
• 依托单位: The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2003
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2003-09-01 至 2006-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0311349&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Experimentation; Simulation; Pathway; Improving

Engineering - Mechanical (56) Our project involves the development of innovative solutions to the major challenge of improving students' conceptualization of system dynamics concepts. Students struggle to understand application of seemingly abstract mathematics to predict and visualize the dynamic response of physical systems. The work we have adapted is from the work on Virtual Laboratories done by Moseterman and his team. In addition, the work of Johansson and his team is being utilized to develop pre-laboratory exercises and eventually have these experiments serve as stand-alone fully developed laboratories for the virtual laboratory format. Inter-university laboratory formats utilizing virtual systems and remotely-accessible experiments are being developed to complement the mechanical engineering curricula at the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) - institutions that serve significant populations of non-traditional students that struggle with strict time constraints. Hispanic students constitute 87% and 46% of the student populations at UTPA and UTSA, respectively. Over 70% of UTPA's and 40% of UTSA's entering freshmen are first-generation college students, and a significant percentage work at least part-time. The majority of these students enter college with limited exposure to physics and calculus and must catch up rapidly to compete. Our goal has been to effectively engage students in the engineering process of modeling and controlling dynamic systems. The objectives have been to develop and evaluate laboratory formats that: 1. enhance conceptualization and use of fundamentals using multiple means of visualization;2. increase participation through improved dissemination, accessibility, and availability of experiments via the Internet to students at many institutions; and3. engage students collaboratively to improve understanding of system dynamics.With aid from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness at UTSA, the PI and his team have been evaluating the new curricula.

工程-机械（56）我们的项目涉及开发创新的解决方案，以提高学生对系统动力学概念的概念化。学生们很难理解如何应用看似抽象的数学来预测和可视化物理系统的动态响应。我们所改编的工作来自Moseterman和他的团队所做的虚拟实验室的工作。此外，Johansson和他的团队的工作正在被用于开发实验室前练习，并最终将这些实验作为虚拟实验室格式的独立完全开发的实验室。利用虚拟系统和远程访问实验的大学间实验室形式正在开发，以补充德克萨斯大学泛美分校（UTPA）和德克萨斯大学圣安东尼奥分校（UTSA）的机械工程课程，这两所大学为大量非传统学生提供服务，这些学生在严格的时间限制下努力学习。西班牙裔学生分别占UTPA和UTSA学生人数的87%和46%。超过70%的UTPA新生和40%的UTSA新生是第一代大学生，其中很大一部分至少是兼职工作。这些学生中的大多数进入大学时对物理和微积分的了解有限，必须迅速赶上才能竞争。我们的目标是有效地让学生参与建模和控制动态系统的工程过程。目标是开发和评估实验室格式：1。1 .运用多种可视化手段，加强对基础知识的概念化和运用；在许多机构，通过互联网改进实验的传播、可及性和可得性，提高学生的参与度；说谎。与学生合作，提高对系统动力学的理解。在UTSA机构效率办公室的帮助下，PI和他的团队一直在评估新课程。