ACTA TECHNICA CORVINIENSIS - Bulletin of Engineering

ACTA TECHNICA CORVINIENSIS – BULLETIN of ENGINEERINGof problems that can be solved andexplained by MDSolids. By click on aproblem number, the MDSolids Navigatorwill briefly describe the steps that arerequired to make MDSolids solve theproblem.Figure 6. Comments on the solutionin the describing boxDISCUSSIONS, APPROACHES ANDINTERPRETATIONSTo develop the student understands of themechanics of materials topics, homeworkassignments are the primary device used. Thetypical assignment can be somewhat lengthy;therefore, only selected problems can beassigned. Professors may expect that theirstudents will work enough extra problems sothat the fundamentals are firmly grasped, butstudents sometimes struggle just to keep up withthe homework and exam schedule. Tosupplement the student’s educationaldevelopment, the self-study potential offered bysoftware would seem to be the ideal means offilling the gap between the material presented inlectures and the understanding and skillsexpected in homework and exams.Educational Benefits to use dedicated software,with on-line accessibility:This can help students study mechanics ofmaterials and develop the necessaryproblem solving, skills in several ways thatare not inherent in lectures or customaryassignments.Obtain correct Solutions and IntermediateResults: when learning a new concept, it’svery helpful to use the correct solution as abenchmark. Knowing that the problem hasbeen solved correctly gives the studentconfidence in their problem-solving skillsand thereby provides a foundation for morechallenging problems. Every textbookprovides answers to selected problems forthis reason. Software can provide the studentwith the correct solution for a particularproblem, but in addition to the final answer,software can provide intermediate solutionsthat can be used to confirm the calculationsalong the way. These intermediate resultscan be helpful in tracking down faults in theproblem-solving approach.What-If Analyses: Observing a cause-andeffectrelationship can be quite helpful tostudents. For example, a student can developa sense of the column bucklingphenomenon without calculating a singlenumber by assuming various end supportconditions and then observing the effects onthe buckled shape. This can help students todevelop engineering intuition that will helpthem know what the correct solution shouldbe before they calculate a single number.Availability: In the evening hours, duringweekends or when working at home (whichmay be distant from the classroom), studentsdon’t have access to professors, graduateassistants, or others who can help themunderstand the course material. Having aversatile software tool at hand to supplementthe textbook and lecture notes can be a bigasset.Repetition: Some people must see orperform more repetitions involving aconcept before they begin to fullyunderstand it. Time limits the number ofexamples that can be presented in lecturesand textbooks can present only a fewexamples. With software, students can drillthemselves, trying various numericcombinations for a particular problem typeuntil they feel confident in theirunderstanding of the concepts.Visualization: Software can depictdeformations or show stress distributions502010/Fascicule 2/April­June /Tome III