2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Introductory mechanical design courses can either be invigorating and inspiring experiences or they can be alienating and intimidating depending on students’ prior experience with design. This study explores cognitive psychology-based methods to teach mechanical engineering design courses effectively and inclusively to a diverse body of students regardless of their backgrounds. Therein, we investigated the effects of a course redesign that implemented deliberate practice and preparation for future learning. As a result of this theory-driven redesign, we observed significant improvements in individual problem-solving practices by evaluating student-produced artifacts. These artifacts were elements of the course final projects, called photo essays, which describe and justify students’ prototyping efforts and the decisions they made during a four-week period in which they design and build a physical device—a candy dispenser in the control course and a stamping machine in the intervention course. A set of metrics of performance were compared with those of students in the control offering prior to the redesign of the course.