Interdisciplinary collaborative learning in mechatronics at Bucknell University

Journal of Engineering Education, Jul 2002 by Shooter, Steven, McNeill, Mark

ABSTRACT

Examination of the "cone of learning" shows an increase in retention when students are actively engaged in the learning process. Mechatronics is loosely defined as the application of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer intelligence to the design of products or systems. By its nature, mechatronics is an activity-oriented course. The course content also provides an opportunity to employ interdisciplinary collaborative learning with active learning techniques. The mechatronics course at Bucknell consists of mechanical and electrical engineering students at the senior and graduate levels. The students engage in a variety of activities in teams comprised of members from each of these groups. In addition to team laboratory exercises and homework assignments, the students work in interdisciplinary groups to process their efforts. That is, they engage in meaningful discussion among themselves concerning their activities and the implications of the various results. The students also act as teachers by preparing lectures and exercises on topics from their discipline to the students in the cross discipline. Specifically, the electrical engineers teach the mechanical engineers microcontrollers, and the mechanical engineers teach the electrical engineers mechanisms. This paper describes the learning techniques employed in this course, as well as the interpretation of the results from the students. It also discusses the relationship ofthe course outcomes to Criterion 3 ofthe engineering accreditation criteria promulgated by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (EAC/ABET).

I. INTRODUCTION

It is dear from a review of recent literature on mechatronics [1-3] that recognizing the interdisciplinary nature of modern technical systems is essential. Engineering curricula internationally are recognizing the need to develop engineers proficient across traditional engineering fields [4-6]. While each school has chosen to emphasize particular aspects of mechatronics in their course, the focus remains on interdisciplinary topics. At Bucknell we have developed the mechatronics course to exploit the strengths found in its interdisciplinary and applied nature.

In his "Cone of Learning", Dale [7] suggests that people learn and retain 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see, 50% of what they see and hear, 70% of what they say, 90% of what they experience directly or practice doing. While there are logistical advantages to the standard lecture format, it is advantageous to use active learning techniques whenever possible. Because of the applied nature of mechatronics, there are many opportunities to engage students in active learning through laboratory and design exercises. It is then a relatively easy leap for students to accept other practices of active and collaborative learning in the classroom setting.

In our syllabus we describe mechatronics as a multi-discipline technical area comprised of the synergistic integration of mechanical engineering with electronic and intelligent computer control in the design and manufacture of industrial products and processes. Given that the technical area is interdisciplinary, we saw a benefit to including students from mechanical and electrical engineering. The elective course was cross-listed in each department. The intent was to draw on the strengths of the students in their disciplines to advance the learning of the entire class. The class provided the opportunity for students to reinforce their discipline-specific knowledge and integrate it with new knowledge and applications.

We also focused on the applied nature of mechatronics. This design-directed course covered topics such as actuators and drive systems, sensors, programmable controllers, microcontroller programming and interfacing, and automation systems integration. Rather than start with theory, we focused on how to specify, integrate, and use mechatronic elements in a system. Theory was provided as supporting information. A larger emphasis was placed on discerning the advantages and disadvantages among alternative elements and appropriate selection for a desired application. Students explored alternative approaches through a variety of exercises in the classroom, the laboratory and the design setting.

This paper describes the collaborative and active learning techniques employed in this course. It begins with a general overview of collaborative and active learning theory. The next section describes the activities used in the course to employ those theories. This is followed by a discussion of the relationship of this course to Criterion 3 of the EAC/ABET and techniques for assessment. Finally, reflections on the course are provided.

II. COLLABORATIVE AND ACTIVE LEARNING

Lecturing to a classroom of students is probably the most common form of "information transfer" used to teach at the university level. This method places undo pressure on both the professors administering the lectures as well as the students forced to identify and process important concepts in the presentations. To the contrary, collaborative learning removes the professor as the so-called expert on the course material and empowers students with control of their own understanding of both basic and advanced concepts. Implicit with collaborative learning in addition to higher retention is the students' ability to achieve a deeper understanding of the subde concepts and procedures.