2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The fundamental nature of Statics may give the impression that offerings of the course at different institutions differ from one another only superficially. While the focus on proper system identification and drawing correct free-body diagrams is virtually universal, this instructor’s experience teaching the course at three institutions suggests that there are, in some instances, significant differences in how the course is constructed, taught, assessed, used as a prerequisite for other courses, and catered to the students. In this paper, some of the similarities and differences between these Statics courses are highlighted and qualitative assessments, in the form of instructor observations and student feedback, and quantitative assessments, in the form of student performance on exams and quizzes and preparedness for follow-on courses, are provided. Based on these assessments, the strengths and weaknesses in the Statics course at each institution are identified and recommendations are made to address shortcomings. A comprehensive consideration of assessment tools suggests that imbalance in the course structure, lack of coverage and non-assessment of important topics in Statics at the expense of others, and limited or flawed resources to aid the instructors and students are some of the significant weaknesses identified at these institutions.