Paper Info
Title
Designing a Visuohaptic Simulation to Promote Graphical Representations and Conceptual Understanding of Structural Analysis.
Abstract
Structural analysis is a foundational statics concept for students majoring in mechanical engineering, civil engineering, and engineering technology, among others. However, the mathematical emphasis of a typical statics courses lies in algebraic calculations, matrices, vectors, and sometimes de-emphasizes student understanding of the behavior of the overall structure as a system, focusing instead on its individual elements. This study investigates students' conceptual understanding of forces acting and reacting in a truss structure as well as their corresponding representations in the form of Free Body Diagrams (FBDs). Our findings suggest that students primarily demonstrated partially coherent answers suggesting that they may hold some misconceptions about truss behavior. The most prevalent error was that students failed to account for the mutual (equal and opposite) forces between connected bodies that were separated for analysis. Based on our findings we propose the design of a learning experience that combines principles of embodied learning with the affordances of visuohaptic simulations to address students' misconceptions.
Year
DOI
Venue
2018
10.1109/FIE.2018.8658885
Frontiers in Education Conference
Keywords
Field
DocType
conceptual understanding,graphical representations,statics,trusses,visuohaptic simulations
Free body diagram,Truss,Cognitive science,Sociology,Information technology,Statics,Engineering education,Knowledge management,Learning experience,Affordance,Computer graphics
Conference
ISSN
Citations 
PageRank 
0190-5848
0
0.34
References 
Authors
0
9
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Yoselyn Walsh100.68
Alejandra J. Magana26119.05
Jenny Quintana300.34
Vojtech Krs4122.85
Genisson Silva Coutinho500.68
Edward J. Berger614.40
Ida Ngambeki712.71
Eddy Efendy801.01
Bedrich Benes9127680.15