Background: A redesigned curriculum for teaching engineering graphics was adopted in an introductory mechanical engineering course. The rollout of this curriculum was staggered, allowing for comparisons of student perceptions across the newly revised and previous instructional approaches. The new curriculum borrows from content and pedagogy…

Engineering design is known as an answer to an ill-defined problem. As any answer to an ill-defined problem, it can never be completely right or absolutely wrong. The methods that universities use to teach engineering design, as a consequence of this, suffer from the same fate. However, the accumulated experience with the "chalk and…

Students often have difficulty grasping the principles of dimensional tolerances and frequently fail to recognize that dimensioning practice has a significant impact on the tolerance of part features. This observation may be attributed to several factors, not the least of which are changes in prior student education and life experiences and…

In recent years major changes have been introduced into the system of higher education in the common European Higher Educational Area (EHEA). On account of the Bologna Process the EHEA is leading to greater compatibility and comparability of the systems of higher education and is making it easier for learners to be mobile and for institutions to…

Engineering design graphics courses taught in colleges or universities should provide and equip students preparing for employment with the basic occupational graphics skill competences required by engineering and technology disciplines. Academic institutions should introduce and include topics that cover the newer and more efficient graphics…

If education is to meet the challenged posed by the U.S. productivity crisis and the large number of computer-assisted design (CAD) workstations forecast as necessary in the future, schools must integrate CAD into the drafting curriculum and become aggressive in providing CAD training. Teachers need to maintain close contact with local industries…

Describes the process of metric conversion in residential drafting courses. Areas of concern are metric paper sizes; metric scale; plot, foundation, floor and electric plans; wall sections; elevations; and heat loss/ heat gain calculations. (SK)

Examines the three ways of introducing CAD (computer assisted drafting) systems into industrial education curricula without spending large amounts of money. These are (1) buying software and additional hardware for computers that the school may already have, (2) getting industrial support, and (3) building your own system. (CT)

A Delphi panel of 15 experts determined that (1) computer-assisted drafting (CAD) and traditional drafting are complementary; (2) differences in teaching strategies related to use of computers versus traditional drafting instruments; and (3) traditional drafting knowledge and skills are very important for CAD. (SK)

Discussion of technical education as part of the engineering education curriculum focuses on the effects of computerization, specifically the computerization of technical drawing. Topics include computer-aided graphics, computer-aided design, and the need for curriculum changes to allow more hours of practical work. (Author/LRW)

Architectural drafting and building construction teachers need to become informed about barrier-free access. This information should be included in programs to give students experience and competence in this area. Industrial educators should assume a leadership role in training personnel to design and build a barrier-free environment. (JOW)