Program to integrate mobile, hands-on experiments into the ME, AE, and ECE curricula

精心设计的实验室体验可以使工程概念变得生动，让学生从讲座中真实地确认概念和理论。然而，学生很少有足够的时间在传统的实验室完成任务分配沿着与前和后的实验练习。移动的动手学习将消除这些限制，并允许学生在自己的时间在任何地点做实验，以基于网络的资源的帮助。该项目的目标是开发便携式动手工程实验室实验，供学生在教室或宿舍的传统工程实验室之外使用。根据以往在电子和计算机工程方面的经验，PI计划在机械和航空航天工程的课程中部署便携式实验室。该项目的智力价值是开发和验证机械和航空航天工程的低成本，高度灵活，移动的动手实验平台。实现实验室教学模式转变的技术创新包括新的数据采集设备、功能强大的微控制器和低成本传感器。即将开发的便携式动手实验模块将采用机械和航空航天工程系统中常见的移动部件、流体和热组件。预计将建立一个新的教学模式，促进理论与实践更全面的结合，这将为探究式学习开辟新的途径。几个研究问题将涉及到新的模块对学生学习的影响，学生的兴趣，并对知识的长期保留。将进行具体研究，以审查所开发的模块对代表性不足群体的学生的影响，并寻求教师干预方法，以改善这种影响。在线讨论论坛作为移动的动手学习的支持机制的作用也将得到审查。 该项目更广泛的影响包括让学生能够随时随地以自己的节奏进行实验，同时为教育工作者提供创新和灵活的教育技术。与格鲁吉亚理工学院合作的有霍华德大学、南方理工州立大学、国家仪器、Piazza和德州仪器，他们都将努力确保所开发方法的有效性，并确保其传播给广大受众。

Well designed, laboratory experiences can make engineering concepts come to life, giving students a real-world confirmation of concepts and theory from lectures. However, students rarely have enough time in traditional labs to complete the tasks assigned along with pre- and post-lab exercises. Mobile hands-on learning would remove these restrictions and allow students to do experiments in their own time at any location with the help of web-based resources. The goal of this project is to develop portable hands-on engineering lab experiments for use by students outside of traditional engineering laboratories in classrooms or dorm rooms. Based on previous experiences in electrical and computer engineering, the PIs plan to deploy the portable labs across the curricula in mechanical and aerospace engineering.The intellectual merit of the project is to develop and validate low-cost, highly-flexible, mobile, hands-on experimental platforms in mechanical and aerospace engineering. Technological innovations that enable this paradigm shift in lab instruction include new data acquisition devices, powerful micro-controllers and low cost sensors. The portable hands-on experimental modules to be developed will feature moving parts, fluidic and thermal components that are typically found in mechanical and aerospace engineering systems. It is expected that a new pedagogical model that promotes a more complete integration of theory and practice will be created, one that will open new avenues for inquiry-based learning. Several research questions will be addressed pertaining to the impact of the new modules on student learning, student interest, and on long-term retention of knowledge. Specific studies will be done to examine the impact of the developed modules on students from underrepresented groups and to seek instructor intervention methods that improve that impact. The role of online discussion forums as a support mechanism for mobile hands-on learning will also be examined. The broader impact of this project includes giving students the ability to perform experiments at their own pace anywhere/anytime while providing educators with innovative and flexible educational technology. Partnering with Georgia Tech are Howard University, Southern Polytechnic State University, National Instruments, Piazza, and Texas Instruments all of whom will work to ensure the validity of the methods developed and ensure their dissemination to a broad audience.