This planning grant to Virginia Commonwealth University reform undergraduate education in the mechanical engineering department. In order to meet this challenge, the VCU Mechanical Engineering Department will develop a novel experiential engineering library that will:
1) Provide an easily accessible and readily available environment for hands-on engineering learning experiences beyond the traditional Mechanical Engineering curriculum. 2) Foster critical thinking by encouraging students to apply fundamental mechanical engineering principles to emerging interdisciplinary fields including MEMS, bio-engineering, and nano-technology. 3) Encourage collaborative team-based learning among peers as well as mentoring by more senior undergraduates, graduate students and faculty.
The experiential library is envisioned to be analogous to a traditional library. It will contain a large number of experiments and computer simulations either "on reserve" or available to be "checked out" by the students. At the instructor's discretion, hands-on problems will be assigned as a complement to or in lieu of paper and pencil homework. The equipment can also be used independently by students seeking to improve their understanding through manipulation and visualization. Additional activities will provide enrichment opportunities for both undergraduate and visiting secondary school students. The flexibility and integration of the experiments in the library make it superior to laboratories used in traditional engineering courses.
