Work in progress - An innovative instructional model for improving manufacturing engineering education

This paper reports our ongoing effort in developing a new instructional model to improve cognitive learning and student motivation in undergraduate manufacturing engineering education. In this model, a computer animation and simulation program is incorporated into hands-on real-world experiments. The paper describes the interactive computer program that we have developed for animating and simulating machining processes in an undergraduate machining course that we teach. A representative example of student projects is provided to demonstrate how computer simulation is employed in the new instructional model. Both qualitative and quantitative evaluations are conducted to assess students´ attitudes toward our computer program and if and how it helps students understand fundamental machining concepts and theories. The evaluation results show that the developed instructional model has a positive impact on enhancing and increasing students´ cognitive learning of machining concepts and theories.