An Integrated STEM Approach for Studying Aerospace Engineering Design and Manufacturing

加州大学戴维斯分校的这一项目将开发一门航空航天工程课程，以显著满足工程行业的当代需求。 该课程旨在帮助本科机械和航空航天工程专业的学生通过设计，建模，制造和测试原型机翼的过程来了解飞机如何飞行。 设计，制造和实验验证的结合将构成工程专业本科生的教育理念，整合飞行物理和制造过程等重要主题，包括可持续性。 飞行和可持续发展的背景下，允许学生参与，同时提供大量的智力成长的机会。这项工作的目标是研究简单有效的方法，通过使用计算机模拟，制造和实验室实验，为大学生教授航空航天工程设计和制造概念和基础知识。 该课程采取积极的，基于项目的方法，研究表明，这是有效的促进深度，概念学习的发展，反过来，更大的解决工程问题的灵活性。 课程和项目评估将包括：（1）通过课堂考试评估学生的学习情况;（2）使用内在价值分量表、工程设计自我效能感和适应性专业知识评估学生的看法;（3）“基于学习的”评估，以评估教学的跨学科性质的好处。设计文件，课程模块和评估材料将被出版并提供给其他教学机构，使这种独特的教学理念可以应用，并可以导致航空航天工程设计和制造的变革性教学。设计文件将提供给教育机构以及工业界，以便这些社区的教学和研究可以从这一努力中受益。

This project at the University of California-Davis will develop an aerospace engineering course to significantly address contemporary needs within the engineering industry. The course is designed to help undergraduate mechanical and aerospace engineering students understand how airplanes fly by taking them through the process of designing, modeling, manufacturing, and testing a prototype wing. The combination of design, manufacturing, and experimental validation will constitute an educational concept for undergraduate students in engineering, integrating important topics such as physics of flight and manufacturing processes, including sustainability. The contexts of flight and sustainability allow for student engagement, while presenting substantial opportunities for intellectual growth.The goal of this effort is to research simple and effective methods for teaching aerospace engineering design and manufacturing concepts and fundamentals to college students, through the use of computer simulations, manufacturing and laboratory experiments. The course takes an active, project-based approach that research shows is effective in fostering the development of deep, conceptual learning and, in turn, greater problem solving flexibility in engineering. Course and project evaluation will include (1) assessing student learning through classroom examinations; (2) assessing student perceptions using the intrinsic value subscale, engineering design self-efficacy, and adaptive expertise and (3) "scenario-based" assessment to evaluate the benefits of the interdisciplinary nature of the instruction. The design documents, course modules, and assessment materials will be published and made available to other teaching institutions so this unique teaching concept can be applied and can lead to transformative teaching of aerospace engineering design and manufacturing. The design documents will be available to educational institutes as well as to industry so teaching and research in these communities can benefit from this effort.