2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Engineers in a variety of industries use engineering standards to guide their work. However, many engineering students have little awareness of relevant standards or codes, especially in cutting-edge fields with rapidly developing standards such as additive manufacturing. To address this gap, we have developed four online learning modules focused on the topic of additive manufacturing which are deployed in our university’s learning management system. These modules can be incorporated into manufacturing and design courses throughout the engineering curriculum. The covered topics include an introduction to engineering standards, an introduction to standards in additive manufacturing, how standards are used during additive manufacturing process development, and using standards during testing and evaluation of additively manufactured parts. Examples of standards covered include ASME Y14.46 and ISO/ASTM 52900-21. The modules are applicable for all types of AM processes but focus most on material extrusion and powder bed fusion. We describe the process of designing the modules, guided by best-practices for online learning and a backwards design strategy, use of a variety of online learning technologies, and interactive course activities. The modules have been deployed into the curriculum of several additive manufacturing-related courses offered at a large public university in the southwestern United States starting in Fall 2022. The impact of our modules is assessed using a survey-based instrument that measures students’ confidence in identifying, locating, and using standards for a sample of approximately 30 students. We found a significant large difference in students’ self-reported ability to utilize standards from the beginning to end of the semester. We discuss differences in survey responses and explore trends for varying levels of industry experience. The learning modules, which include interactive videos, interviews with industry representatives, and readings, activities, and quizzes, are freely available to any interested instructors to incorporate into their courses.