2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Getting in the (tolerance) zone: GD&T successes and failures in the classroom

Presented at Mechanical Engineering (MECH) Session 6: Mechanical Design, CAD, and Manufacturing

Research has shown that instructors face significant challenges when it comes to teaching geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) in engineering and engineering technology classrooms. Some of these challenges are intrinsic to the topic – the syntax and semantics of GD&T are complex, the concepts require intensive spatial reasoning, and it can be difficult to appreciate it without the proper background knowledge. Other challenges are extrinsic – instructor expertise is often lacking, there is limited time to cover the material, and there is a paucity of resources to leverage in the classroom. This work will highlight possible tripping blocks to avoid, successful strategies instructors can implement, and possible solutions that the community can work on developing going forward. The discussion will be based on the authors’ personal experiences teaching GD&T in their classrooms which span the mechanical engineering, mechanical engineering technology, and engineering design programs at three different universities. Additionally, the author's industrial experience and complimentary research activity will be referenced to provide further insights.

Authors

Dr. Jaime Berez http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9589-4865 University of North Carolina at Charlotte [biography]

Jaime Berez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science at UNC Charlotte where he works with the Center for Precision Metrology, an industry-university collaborative research center. He conducts research at the intersection of advanced manufacturing and dimensional metrology, often with a focus on metrology as applied to metal additive manufacturing (AM) machines and workpieces. Additional research interests include dimensional X-ray computed tomography (XCT), functional tolerancing, methods divergence in computational metrology, and engineering education/workforce development. His research often leverages geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) and he is passionate about integrating GD&T, metrology, and documentary standards into engineering curricula using strong teaching pedagogy. Jaime is certified by ASME as a Senior Level GD&T Professional (GDTP) in accordance with the qualifications of ASMEY 14.5.2-2017.
Dr. Rustin Webster Purdue University, New Albany [biography]

Dr. Rustin Webster is an associate professor in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute at Purdue University and specializes in mechanical engineering and computer graphics technology. Prior to academia, he worked for an aerospace and engineering company as a mechanical engineer, product development lead, and researcher. Dr Webster designed various solutions for multiple branches of the Armed Forces, the Department of Defense, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He holds a B.S. in Engineering Graphics and Design and a M.S. in Management of Technology from Murray State University, and a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Webster is a certified GD&T-Technologist, SOLIDWORKS Expert, and Six Sigma Green Belt. For his teaching and mentoring of students he has been awarded the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Engineering Technology (ET) National Teaching Award, Purdue University Teaching Academy Fellowship, School of Engineering Technology Outstanding Faculty in Teaching and Learning Award (twice), Purdue Teaching for Tomorrow Fellowship, Purdue Teaching Academy Pandemic Teaching Award, ASEE Engineering Graphics and Design Rising Educator Award, and SME Distinguished Faculty Advisor Award (twice). Dr Webster’s research interests include ET design education with focus areas in computer-aided design (CAD) and pedagogy.
Dr. Joseph Rudy Ottway [biography]

Dr. Rudy Ottway is an assistant professor in the Institute of Engineering at Murray State University in Murray, KY. He teaches SOLIDWORKS, AutoCAD, and engineering drawing in the Engineering Graphics and Design program. Prior to academia, he worked as a C

Download paper (966 KB)

Are you a researcher? Would you like to cite this paper? Visit the ASEE document repository at peer.asee.org for more tools and easy citations.

» Download paper

« View session