2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Transforming Engineering Education: Project-Based Learning and Technology Integration in a Senior-Level Mechanisms Course

Presented at ME Division 5: Advancing Robotic and Mechanisms Education

Engineering education faces the challenge of preparing students for a rapidly evolving, interdisciplinary field that demands a strong foundation in theoretical principles, practical skills, and the ability to solve real-world problems. This study describes a project-based learning (PBL) intervention implemented in a senior-level mechanical engineering course focused on mechanisms analysis and design. The intervention combined foundational coursework with bio-inspired design projects, where students developed walking end-effector robotic mechanisms for medical applications. Students utilized tools such as MotionGen software and SnappyXO kits to synthesize, simulate, prototype, and test their designs. Qualitative analysis of student evaluations and project reports revealed that the approach effectively reinforced theoretical concepts, fostered critical thinking, and promoted self-directed learning. Challenges identified included time management and balancing project demands with new material. Recommendations for improvement include earlier project introduction and structured lab-based assignments. The findings highlight the potential of project-based learning and technology integration to enhance interdisciplinary learning and prepare engineering students to address complex societal challenges.

Authors

Dr. Krishnanand Kaipa http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-8095-938X Old Dominion University [biography]

Dr. Krishnanand Kaipa is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Old Dominion University. Dr. Kaipa received his BE in Electrical Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani and his master’s and PhD degrees from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He pursued postdoctoral studies at the University of Vermont and the University of Maryland, where he was also a research assistant professor. Dr. Kaipa directs the Collaborative Robotics & Adaptive Machines (CRAM) Laboratory where his group actively conducts research in diverse fields including swarm intelligence, autonomous systems, human-robot collaboration, bio-inspired robotics, surgical robotics, and robotics in education. Dr. Kaipa currently serves as the Associate Editor for IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, Frontiers in Robotics & Artificial Intelligence, and ASME Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering.
Dr. Anurag Purwar http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1755-470X Stony Brook University [biography]

Dr. Anurag Purwar is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stony Brook University. His research interests are in bringing together rigid body kinematics and machine learning for design of mechanisms and robots. He has published 109 peer-reviewed conference and journal papers and his research has been funded by National Science Foundation (NSF), NY-state SPIR, NY-state Center for Biotechnology, Sensor-CAT, SUNY Research Foundation, industry, Stony Brook University, and SUNY Office of Provost.

He received A.T. Yang award for the best paper in Theoretical Kinematics at the 2017 ASME Mechanisms and Robotics Conference and the MSC Software Simulation award for the best paper at the 2009 ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences (IDETC) . He is the recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching by Stony Brook University and the winner of the 2018 FACT2 award for Excellence in Instruction given to one professor from the entire SUNY system. He also received the 2021 Distinguished Teaching Award from the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Mid-Atlantic Division.

He has been twice elected as a member of the ASME Mechanisms and Robotics committee and served as the Program Chair for the 2014 ASME Mechanisms and Robotics Conference, as the Conference Chair for the 2015 ASME Mechanisms and Robotics Conference and has served as symposium and session chairs for many ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences. He was the general Conference Co-Chair for the 2016 ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences (IDETC/CIE).

He won a SUNY Research Foundation Technology Accelerator Fund (TAF) award, which enabled him to develop a multifunctional Sit-to-Stand-Walker assistive device (http://www.mobilityassist.net) for people afflicted with neuromuscular degenerative diseases or disability. The technology and the patent behind the device has been licensed to Biodex Medical Systems for bringing the device to institutional market. The device won the SAE Top 100 Create the Future Award in 2016. Dr. Purwar gave a TEDx talk on Machine Design Innovation through Technology and Education which focused on enabling democratization of design capabilities, much needed for invention and innovation of machines by uniting the teaching of scientific and engineering principles with the new tools of technology. Five of his patented inventions have been successfully licensed to the companies world-wide.

Dr. Purwar is the Secretary and Chair-Elect of the the ASME Mechanisms and Robotics Committee and a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). He is currently an Associate Editor of the ASME Journal of Mechanical Design.
Dr. Orlando M Ayala http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0604-8606 Old Dominion University [biography]

Orlando Ayala, a Cum Laude graduate with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Universidad de Oriente (Venezuela) in 1995, obtained his MS in Mechanical Engineering in 2001 and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in 2005 from the University of Delaware (USA). Currently serving as the endowed Ray Ferrari Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Technology Program at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, he joined ODU in 2013. Prior to his tenure at ODU, Dr. Ayala spent three years as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Delaware, focusing on multiphase flow simulation, high-performance parallel computing, and scientific computation. He has taught courses in Fluid Mechanics, Heat Transfer, Thermodynamics, Multiphase Flows, and Mechanical Engineering Labs. Dr. Ayala possesses valuable industry exposure, having worked with engineering consulting firms on diverse projects, spanning petroleum, natural gas, brewing, and newspaper industries. He has actively contributed to professional organizations like ASME, notably in the Committee of Spanish Translation of ASME Codes and the ASME Subcommittee on Piping and Pipelines in Spanish. With a prolific research background, Dr. Ayala has authored 90 journal and peer-reviewed conference papers, presented his work globally, and maintains an average yearly citation rate of 44.78.
Sebastian Bawab Old Dominion University

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025

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