If there was a mantra for fall 2021 in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, everyone would be saying 鈥榠t鈥檚 good to be back.鈥�
After months of connecting only through Zoom calls and getting to know people鈥檚 home offices all too well, the 麻豆影院 has welcomed students back to campus for fall 2021. Halfway through the traditional in-person semester, there is still a collective joy at seeing students mingling in the Engineering Quad or moving through the Engineering Center hallways.
Students walking听onto campus near the Engineering Center.听
Header image: Students chatting听outside the Engineering Center.听
鈥淚 just like the intangible little things about being on campus,鈥� said Andrew Brodsky, a mechanical engineering senior. 鈥淭he hallway conversations, the intricacies of hands-on learning that cannot happen on Zoom, being in other people鈥檚 presence and simply wearing pants instead of sweatpants!鈥�
The infectious buzz is, however, a tentative enthusiasm. Health and safety are still two of the top priorities on campus.
鈥淚 love being in person but there has definitely been a transition period of learning how to be around people again,鈥� said mechanical engineering senior Claire Isenhart. 鈥淭he energy needed to be in the classroom and in person is different from being online last year.鈥澨�
There are various COVID-19 protocols in place to keep Buffs healthy. You can read about the university鈥檚 latest .
Not all courses are fully in person, either. While most mechanical engineering classes are in person this semester, there are a few such as Mechanical Engineering Design Projects听and Manufacturing Processes and Systems that are hybrid.
鈥淗ybrid is nice,鈥� said Cordelia Kim, another mechanical engineering senior. 鈥淪ome students even attend the remote session together. We meet in a conference room for the lectures.鈥�
In either scenario, the ability to educate and learn from one another without the separation of a computer screen has brought a renewed energy to the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The benefit can be as simple as making eye contact during lectures or as valuable as obtaining the experiential education that ME is known for.
Click each tab below to read about how the return to campus has been a welcomed change in ME鈥檚 classrooms and labs.
In the classroom
Professor Michael Walker teaching Thermodynamics 2.
Professor Michael Walker compared teaching engineering to being a camp counselor. Engineering students may not always want to study 鈥� just like campers may not always want to partake in every activity 鈥� but the role of the professor or camp counselor is to get people engaged and excited.
鈥淵ou need students or campers to be excited so that they actually get something out of what they are learning,鈥� said Walker. 鈥淢y ability to inspire people when I have them in a room with me is a whole lot better than teaching from home. There is a more enthusiastic and engaged response from a higher percentage of the students when we are in person.鈥�
Walker teaches Thermodynamics 2, as well as environmental engineering courses Sustainable Energy and Capstone Design. In each of these courses, he pushes students to interact with him and one another. It is a goal that is much easier to achieve in the traditional in-person learning experience.
鈥淏eing back in the classroom is a benefit to students because it can be easy to let new engineering concepts go in one ear and out the other,鈥� said Walker. 鈥淭here is something special about physically going to class and being with your peers. That environment helps students focus more.鈥�
The energy in the Thermodynamics 2 class this semester is proof of that. Walker has reimplemented interactive workshops, allowing students to expand their engineering knowledge together.
Students listening as Professor Walker teaches.
The energy in the Thermodynamics 2 class this semester is proof of that. Walker has reimplemented interactive workshops, allowing students to expand their engineering knowledge together.
The workshops involve students completing a couple of example questions on their own. Walker then takes students through the solutions as a team, adding some humor along the way to get students laughing and participating. The group works together to determine the next steps in the problem, rather than Walker simply lecturing them from the front of the room.
The interactivity during these in-person workshops is natural and easy. That was not the case during remote-learning experiences. More often than not, Walker had to force those interactions, calling on students through the virtual computer screen.
While the renewed engagement has been stimulating, Walker explained that the biggest advantage to being back in the classroom as an educator is assessment.
鈥淏ecause of the nature of quizzes being online during remote learning, I did not feel as strongly about how well my assessment matched the performance of my students,鈥� said Walker. 鈥淚 realize I say this as an academic, but I enjoyed taking tests when I was a student. Exams helped me know what I needed to focus on.鈥�
The first exam for Thermodynamics 2 was at the end of September. Walker went through the solutions with his students afterwards and was proud to watch them learn from their mistakes as a group.
鈥淭hose interactions are the in-person elements that I missed,鈥� said Walker. 鈥淔rom a peer-to-peer standpoint, I think that there is a benefit.鈥�
In the lab
Professor Janet Tsai walks students through the casting lab.
Conducting labs during the remote-learning experience took some creativity. ME professors designed activities that students could complete at home, but it was not the same as being in person. For that reason, Professor Janet Tsai tried to maintain some in-person labs when hybrid options became available.
鈥淭he labs were okay, but they were really stressful with COVID-19 protocols,鈥� Tsai said. 鈥淚 called them Navy SEAL missions, in that you have to be prepared to get in and get out of the lab quickly for minimal exposure. It was tough to coordinate.鈥�
Tsai鈥檚 casting lab, where students use molten aluminum to create a cast of their own design, was one of those missions.
The lab is part of Manufacturing Processes and Systems, which is a course that is designed to include multiple workshops. The casting lab was the course鈥檚 only one that Tsai was able to keep in person from spring 2020 to spring 2021, when every semester was either remote or hybrid.
鈥淚t is fun because we are bringing back elements of the course and in-person labs that we have not done since fall 2019, which is kind of wild if you think about how long ago that was,鈥� Tsai said.
Reimplementing traditional labs has been a huge benefit to students after the lack of hands-on experience in previous semesters. There is a noticeable excitement as students test their engineering skills in the labs. Engagement is high and inspiration is flowing.
Students pour molten aluminum into their molds.
Reimplementing traditional labs has been a huge benefit to students after the lack of hands-on experience in previous semesters. There is a noticeable excitement as students test their engineering skills in the labs. Engagement is high and inspiration is flowing.
While Manufacturing Processes and Systems鈥� casting lab has important education outcomes 鈥� including teaching students how fluids, heat transfer and material science all come together 鈥� it is also one of the more creative outlets for engineering students.
鈥淲e have some creative designs this year,鈥� Tsai said. 鈥淎 lot of CU logos, some funny ones like Thomas the Tank Engine, even a banana."
Students participated in the casting lab this semester outside the Idea Forge by a loading dock. Tsai explained that placing the molten aluminum furnaces on the raised dock is more ergonomic than putting them on the floor, which is where the furnaces would need to go if the lab was done inside. Plus, students can take their masks off when outdoors.
After the students finished casting their designs, each team of three lined up for a photo with their end result. With arms around each other and masks off to reveal big smiles, it was clear that students are pleased to be back and excited for the next steps in the course 鈥� labs that they could never replicate over Zoom.
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