2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Using Course Workbooks as a Classroom Supplement

Presented at New Engineering Educators 4: Tips and Tools

Traditional course delivery, with daily in-class lecture and a textbook for reference, presents a number of shortcomings. In traditional lecture, students must transcribe notes from the board, which may take their attention away from the critical thinking associated with trying to understand the material. Additionally, students tend to not use textbooks as the instructor intends, but rather choose to pattern match examples to homework problems, which again limits their deeper understanding of course content. Instructor-developed workbooks have the ability to remedy some of these shortcomings, either as a replacement for or supplement to an existing course textbook.

The present paper discusses the implementation of course workbooks into a number of sophomore through senior level Mechanical and Construction Engineering courses at [Institution]. These course workbooks act as a more focused and condensed resource for students to use throughout the course. While these workbooks have no resale value, they typically cost approximately 10% of the price of a course textbook, depending on a variety of customization options and number of pages. Most students do not feel that the workbooks are a large financial burden, and they tend to use their workbooks for note taking, problem solving, and studying for exams.

These workbooks have been adopted by 6 faculty members across 8 courses and take a variety of different forms, which will be discussed in this paper. This initiative has spread organically through the department as a solution to a variety of issues regularly faced by the faculty. In some implementations, these workbooks have been helpful in reducing pre-class faculty preparation, as it eliminates the need for printing daily handouts, both for in-class exercises in a flipped class and as example problems in a traditional lecture. In other implementations, the workbooks contain lecture material so that students spend less time copying notes and more time engaging with the professor as they explain concepts. This caters to a range of different learning styles, as some students still choose to take their own notes, but more audible learners prefer to just listen and follow along in class. The workbooks have also been used to deliver supplemental problems, learning objectives, and hints for problem solving. In the present implementation, students have reported that they find the workbooks valuable, use them to study for exams, follow along with lecture more closely, and work ahead more.

Authors

Dr. Nathan John Washuta P.E. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4575-0564 The Citadel [biography]

Dr. Nathan Washuta is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The Citadel in Charleston, SC. He received both his B.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Maryland – College Park. His primary research interests include Hydrodynamics, Turbulence, and Experimental Methods.
Dr. Robert J. Rabb P.E. The Citadel [biography]

Robert Rabb is a professor and the Mechanical Engineering Department Chair at The Citadel. He previously taught mechanical engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Military Academy and his M.S.E. and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. His research and teaching interests are in mechatronics, regenerative power, and multidisciplinary engineering.
Dr. Emily Kate Bierman The Citadel [biography]

Dr. Emily Bierman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The Citadel. She received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University, her M.B.A. from Clarke College, her M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Wisconsin, and her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University. Her research and interests’ areas include high pressure combustion, internal combustion engines, and engineering education.
Dr. Patrick Bass http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6495-6202 The Citadel [biography]

Patrick Bass is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The Citadel, in Charleston, SC. He received his B.S. degree in aerospace engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL, in 2005, his M.E. degree in space operations from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO, in 2009, and his Ph.D. in materials engineering from Auburn University, Auburn, AL, in 2016. His main areas of research interest are electroactive polymers and space mechanics.
Dr. Jason Howison The Citadel [biography]

Jason Howison is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at The Citadel. His research areas include computational fluid dynamics, wind turbine aeroelasticity, and engineering education.
Dr. James Righter The Citadel [biography]

James Righter is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the School of Engineering (SOE) at The Citadel. He earned his BS in Mechanical Engineering at the U.S. Naval Academy, his MS in Military Studies from the Marine Corps University Command and Staff College, and his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Clemson University. His research interests include design methods, engineering leadership, collaborative design, and engineering education.

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