This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)
This engineering education research award to Texas Engineering Experiment Station will employ researchers to develop a novel sketch recognition-based learning system which will allow students to use freehand sketching to enter their drawings of forces acting on components of physical systems. This work will advance understanding of automatic real-time interpretation of combined text and drawings. As a result, engineering learning will be improved by providing students with a natural unconstrained input mechanism and immediate feedback which will reduce the probability of developing misconceptions. In addition, engineering faculty will have new capability to track common student errors. The tool will be deployed in a first-year core engineering course in statics but has application in a wide range of STEM courses. The improved learning in core courses will contribute to better preparation of engineering students for more advanced study.
