Teaching computer-aided mechanism design and analysis using a high-level mechanism toolkit

A pedagogically effective teaching strategy that integrates computer-aided design and programming into a course on mechanism analysis and design is presented. Mechanism analysis is enhanced when coupled with computer programming that allows students to find solutions to more complex systems than would otherwise be possible. Webbased distance learning is part of the class and students also learn how to create these kinds of materials themselves. Students can better understand the course material through an integrated computing environment. By solving mechanism design problems in C/Cþþ, the programming skills gained in the course are widely applicable in other areas of engineering. Ch, a C/Cþþ interpreter, is used to incorporate programming and mechanism design because of its high-level numerical and graphical plotting capabilities, scripting capability, and a mechanism toolkit with easy and quick animation. A student project is presented as an example to show how computer programming is integrated for effective learning. This teaching strategy has been actively used at the University of California, Davis for several years in an undergraduate course in computer-aided mechanism design and has been adopted by other universities as well. 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 15: 277 288, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20156