USMA Digital Commons (United States Military Academy, West Point)
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Motivating Class Preparation with Oral Quizzes
Get PDFIn this article we compare the effectiveness of oral quizzes and online homework (WebAssign) as means of preparing for class. We find that both assessment methods motivate students to prepare for a similar amount of time, but oral quizzes cause them to spend more of their time reading the textbook than does WebAssign. We found no significant difference between the performance of students using these two methods. We conclude that while oral quizzes do not dramatically increase the quantity of preparation, they seem to improve the quality. We believe that oral quizzes are a valuable technique for instructors to add to their repertoire
The Effects of Transitioning an Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Course from Shorter and More Frequent Class Periods to Longer and Fewer In-Class Sessions
Get PDFClass frequency and duration are fundamental parameters within engineering education across nearly all pedagogical methods. Optimizing these factors enables programs to achieve a higher level of learning in the classroom while providing for more efficient time management.
The objective of this paper is to document the perceived effect on students and instructors when transitioning from a traditional 40 lesson course with 55 minutes duration, to one comprised of 30 lessons at 75 minutes in length. This analysis limits research to a mechanical engineering curriculum at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. Major assessment performance under the new structure was compared with historical results to provide objective qualitative comparison. Anonymous student feedback was also collected at the midpoint and end of each course. Survey questions centered on perceived information absorption and synthesis, impact on problem solving opportunities, and the effect of variation in classroom contact time. Changes in course syllabi to accommodate the 75 minute structure generally resulted in no net gain or loss of new material to the original curriculum, though outliers did occur and are discussed in more detail. Class size averaged 18 students over four different courses, ranging from Helicopter Aeronautics to Vehicle Dynamics. Course size averaged 34 students with a total of 135 students enrolled across all courses.
The change in course structure demonstrates potential opportunity for both greater depth and application of learning in the classroom as well as increased schedule flexibility. Conversely, the heightened implications of students missing class and the administrative feasibility of such a shift can be problematic. Instructor assessment of student learning and student feedback through end-of-course evaluations will be presented in this paper, as well as recommendations for future instructors wishing to apply similar changes
Atmospheric Flow Validation for Contaminant Transport
Get PDFhttps://digitalcommons.usmalibrary.org/presentations/1016/thumbnail.jp
An Enhanced Gas Turbine Engine Laboratory: A Learning Platform Supporting an Undergraduate Engineering Curriculum
No full textA gas turbine engine has supported the U.S. Military Academy’s mechanical engineering program for nearly three decades. Recent, substantial enhancements to the engine, controls, and data acquisition systems greatly increased the student experience by leveraging its broad capabilities beyond the original laboratory learning objectives. In this way, the laboratory served as a learning platform for more than just instruction on gas turbine fundamentals and the Brayton cycle.
The engine is a refurbished auxiliary power unit from Pratt & Whitney Aeropower, installed in the Embrauer 120 and similar to a unit installed on a U.S. Army helicopter. Whereas the original laboratory experience permitted students to test the engine at three different loads applied by a water brake dynamometer, the revised experience allowed for a broader range of test conditions. The original laboratory included single point measurements of three temperatures and two pressures, along with the fuel flow rate, dynamometer torque, and engine speed. The revised laboratory allowed the user to vary bleed air and engine loads across an operational envelope at a user-specified acquisition rate. The improved data acquisition system used LabVIEW (TM) and included multiple state sensors for pressure, temperature, fuel flow, bleed air, and dynamometer performance, thereby enabling a more complete analysis by accounting for the energy transported by bleed airflow and absorbed by the water brake. Students then quantified the uncertainty in their measurements and analysis. The new emphasis on uncertainty quantification, part of a program-level initiative, challenged students’ notion of “substitute and solve” while also familiarizing them with large, experimental data sets.
The re-envisioned laboratory raised the students’ level in the cognitive domain and served as their premier engine experience. Rather than merely observing engine adjustments across a small range of conditions, students designed their own laboratory experience. With the updated approach, students viewed a graphic of the turbine’s laboratory operating range and chose the key variables of interest – selecting data points within the laboratory operating range – and then justified their selections. The enhanced experience added analysis of flow exergy and exergetic efficiency. The exercise also challenged students to hypothesize why actual turbine performance was less than predicted and determine sources of error and uncertainty. Moreover, the new laboratory offers opportunities to expand the turbine engine’s utility from supporting a single thermal-fluids course to a multidisciplinary learning platform. Concluding remarks address concepts for augmenting course instruction in other courses within the curriculum, including heat transfer, mechanical vibrations, and dynamic modeling and controls
Influence of intraoperative laxity measured during total knee arthroplasty on post-operative knee dynamics during gait
No full textPerformance Comparison of Inertial Measurement Units Fused with Odometry in Extended Kalman Filter for Dead-Reckoning Navigation
No full textAre baseline strength measures predictive of Changes in Spatio-Temporal Gait Measures Throughout a Load-Bearing Military March?
No full textMilitary members are often required to carry more than 46 kg for extended periods of movement and, subsequently, perform high-level operations that often require strength, acuity, and endurance. Previous research has shown that these attributes are negatively affected by fatigue. Muscular strength may be indicative of an increased ability to resist fatigue. The purpose of this research was to identify baseline strength measures that may be predictive of fatigue resistance during an extended load-bearing military march. Greater baseline muscular strength was expected to minimize changes in spatiotemporal metrics throughout the ruck march
Comparison of On-Shoe Wireless Sensor to Instrumented Treadmill and Outdoor Environment – A Pilot Study
No full textThis study compared the MilestonePod (MSP) wireless running sensor to a fully instrumented treadmill (FIT) in measuring average vertical loading rate (AVLR), ground contact time (GCT), cadence, and stride length. MSP data from treadmill was also compared to MSP data during outdoor overground running. The MSP accurately measured GCT, cadence, and stride length during treadmill running compared to the FIT but failed to provide accurate AVLR data
Insecure at any bit rate: why Ralph Nader is the true OG of the software design industry
No full textThe software design industry lacks standards for both code quality and security; as a result, code vulnerability at the time of a product’s release is often compromised at subsequent, critical junctures in its consumer-use phase. Exacerbating this problem is the fact that developers typically waive all liability for code errors and place the burden of security on unqualified, non-expert users. Although certain legal remedies exist in the US – often in the form of US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforcement actions classifying inadequate data security as an ‘unfair trade practice’ – they are limited in nature, infrequently utilised and are generally incapable of meaningfully protecting consumers. History has shown that other major technological advances, including developments in the aircraft and automotive industries, have occurred in similar unregulated manners, often resulting in negative and potentially dangerous outcomes for the public. To ensure the security of today’s software environment, change from within the industry – not unlike the Ralph Nader-inspired industry-wide automotive safety improvements in the 1970s – is necessary to create a shared liability model for software which protects users from poor development practices. Such a model, when coupled with certification standards and education, will result in a more secure software design industry
Metabolic cost adaptations during training with a soft exosuit assisting the hip joint.
No full textDifferent adaptation rates have been reported in studies involving ankle exoskeletons designed to reduce the metabolic cost of their wearers. This work aimed to investigate energetic adaptations occurring over multiple training sessions, while walking with a soft exosuit assisting the hip joint. The participants attended five training sessions within 20 days. They walked carrying a load of 20.4 kg for 20 minutes with the exosuit powered and five minutes with the exosuit unpowered. Percentage change in net metabolic cost between the powered and unpowered conditions improved across sessions from -6.2 ± 3.9% (session one) to -10.3 ± 4.7% (session five), indicating a significant effect associated with training. The percentage change at session three (-10.5 ± 4.5%) was similar to the percentage change at session five, indicating that two 20-minute sessions may be sufficient for users to fully adapt and maximize the metabolic benefit provided by the exoskeleton. Retention was also tested measuring the metabolic reduction five months after the last training session. The percent change in metabolic cost during this session (-10.1 ± 3.2%) was similar to the last training session, indicating that the adaptations resulting in reduced metabolic cost are preserved. These outcomes are relevant when evaluating exoskeletons\u27 performance on naïve users, with a specific focus on hip extension assistance