Mechanical Engineering Technology Online Labs--Improving Lab Accessability

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Engineering-Engineering Technology (58) The project is addressing the continuing need to update and augment the content of laboratory courses in web-assisted and web-based courses through meaningful and relevant course work that emphasizes experimentation by adapting on-line electrical engineering laboratory components that were developed at San Jose State University under the direction of Dr. Julio Garcia (CCLI 0411330). The techniques are being applied to thermal sciences in mechanical engineering thermal/fluid sciences and controls systems technology. Five hands-on laboratory experiments are being adapted to a web-based format for five upper level undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) courses. On-line labs include airflow, experimental heat pump and air cooler, and controls laboratory components. A typical experiment includes activities associated with designing virtual instruments for pressure and temperature measurements, monitoring, collecting and analyzing experimental data and controlling the experiment through the Internet. These laboratories are being implemented through the widely used LabView environment, which combines graphical programming with data acquisition, analysis and control. This software allows Internet access so that users in any location can perform the experiments. Through the Ohio Learning Network, community colleges are being engaged in the development of the material to provide greater accessibility to these practical experiments for students who are in remote locations or are place-bound.In addition, the project is: (1) Providing faculty training on how to effectively use the on-line laboratory experiments; (2) Developing a foundation of experiments that can be adapted for secondary school STEM classrooms; (3) Developing learning methodologies that target students with different learning styles; and (4) Assessing the effectiveness of these methodologies on student learning, particularly with respect to underrepresented populations of students. Results are being disseminated at conferences.