Airplanes for everyone: A general education course for non-engineers

Journal of Engineering Education, Jan 2000 by Eberhardt, Scott

VIII. LESSONS LEARNED

Several lessons have been learned teaching AA101. For example, teaching the history of aviation and space proves to be useful because it not only lets the students appreciate the steps taken to get where we are today, but by showing the development over time, airplanes and space vehicles become simpler devices that have improved with technology. The use of multi-media presentations attaches visuals to specific historical events.

The first time the course was taught the traditional approach of most aerospace programs was used. The basic disciplines were covered followed by design, which ties it all together. This was a disaster. Students did not understand where all the apparent "disconnected" topics fit in until it was too late. The solution was to discuss airplane design first. Students are now introduced to concepts of design, including economics and manufacturing before they get into aerodynamics, structures and propulsion.

Another example of how material must be presented differently is in teaching how airplanes fly. Most people view wings only in three dimensions. Our traditional approach, which starts with twodimensional airfoils and then builds to three-dimensional wings, does not connect with the students of AA101. A new direction, which focuses on 3D wings, was taken which uses a direct Newtonian explanation of lift. (I have co-authored a paper entitled "Why Airplanes Fly. A Physical Description of Lift",' which is essentially identical to the material presented in class.)

At the level of AA101, cartoon examples are used to illustrate many concepts. An example demonstrating the connection of bridge trusses and airfoils is shown in fig 1. A cartoon example of a Hohmann transfer is shown in fig. 2.

Creativity must be encouraged. When teaching mission analysis, emphasis is given to the freedom and creativity involved. Students get really excited if they believe there are still new ways to do things. Covering some well-known missions, and illustrating the differences, really gets the students thinking. In one lecture, the hour was spent with students debating the merit of sending humans into space. The class naturally fell into roughly even sides, those for sending humans and those for using autonomous missions.

IX. CONCLUSIONS

Teaching AA101 can be a rewarding experience for any faculty member. Teaching AA101 can be fun and challenging since it forces the instructor to understand how to explain things at a very elementary level. A lecturer cannot turn to an equation and explain it on the basis of a particular term in an equation. Nor can Whe use language or experiences that are outside what can be expected of non-engineering/science majors. But, offsetting these challenges are the eager students who make teaching a reward in itself.

Courses like AA101 are a great way to introduce the public to

the aerospace field. We are in an era where the technology education of the voting public can have a great impact on our industry.

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