Haptic Paddle Enhancements and a Formal Assessment of Student Learning in System Dynamics

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Terk

The haptic paddle is a force-feedback joystick used at universities to teach System Dynamics, enabling students to model dynamic systems across multiple domains through physical interaction. The study also targets accessibility by supporting low-cost robotics and haptics for middle and high school teachers and students, limited previously by costly motor-control and interfacing electronics. Earlier evidence relied mainly on qualitative, anecdotal reports of improved learning and enthusiasm. This work presents design enhancements and a formal learning assessment using timed multiple-choice quizzes at lectures, lab sessions, lab report writing, and semester end.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages31

Reading Time1 h 18 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Haptic paddle objectives and educational context

Formal assessment approach

Quiz timing across lecture and lab activities

| | Ad | vances in Engineering Edu | cation | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | SUMMER 2014 Haptic Paddle Enhancements and a Formal Assessment of Student Learning in System Dynamics JENNA L. GORLEWICZ Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL LOUIS B. KRATCHMANAND ROBERT J. WEBSTER III Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN ABSTRACT The haptic paddle is a force-feedback joystick used at several universities in teaching System Dynamics, a core mechanical engineering undergraduate course where students learn to model dynamic systems in several domains. A second goal of the haptic paddle is to increase the accessibility of robotics and haptics by providing a low-cost device for middle and high school teachers and students, a goal which has been hindered to date by the lack of low-cost electronic solutions for motor control and computer interfacing. Prior assessments of the learning enabled by the paddlesat the college level have been qualitative, consisting of anecdotal case studies illustrating student and educator belief that they enhance learning and increase student enthusiasm. In this paper, we describe haptic paddle design enhancements and provide a formal assessment of student learning when interacting with haptic paddles. Design enhancements seek to enable broad dissemination and improve the student experience by making the paddle less expensive (less than $100 for a complete system including electronics) and easier to use. Our formal assessment quantifies if and when learning occurs in a System Dynamics course featuring haptic paddle laboratories, via multiple choice quizzes presented at various time points to measure learning in the lecture, in the lab, during lab report writing, and at the end of the semester. Key Words: Haptic paddle, systems dynamics, robotics SUMMER 2014 1 ADVANCES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION Haptic Paddle Enhancements and a Formal Assessment of Student Learning in System Dynamics INTRODUCTION The haptic paddle and an associated laboratory curriculum were developed in the late 1990s at Stanford University to provide a hands-on platform for students to physically interact with and “feel”simulated dynamic systems via force feedback (Okamura, Richard, and Cutkosky 2002). Since then, haptic paddles have been adopted at multiple universities (see (EduHaptics 2012) for an overview) including Johns Hopkins (Okamura, Richard, and Cutkosky 2002), Rice (Bowen and O’Malley 2006b; Bowen and O’Malley 2006a), Michigan (Gillespie, Hoffman, and Freudenberg 2003), Vanderbilt (Gorlewicz and Webster III 2012; VU Webpage 2012), ETH Zurich (Gassert, Megzger, Leuenberger, L., Tucker, Vigaru, Zimmermann, and Lambercy 2013), and Utah (EduHaptics 2012) . Generally agreed upon engineering education objectives (Felder and Silverman 1988) have spurred adoption of haptic paddles, includingthe desires to engage students with a variety of learning styles, enable students to connect theoretical principles to practical applications, and to provide students with cooperative learning experiences. The objectives of haptic paddles are in keeping with prior work incorporating hands-on demonstrations (Cox 2008; Dewoolkar, George, Hayden, and Neumann 2009; Abdulwahed and Nagy 2009), computer simulations (Wieman and Perkins 2005; Fraser, Pillay, Tjatindi, and Case 2007; Goeser, Johnson, Hamza-Lup, and Schaefer 2011), design projects (Terpenny and Goff 2006; Chen, Chase, Wang, Gaynor, and McInnes 2010), and laboratory experiences (Feisel and Rosa 2005), which have been found beneficial in the context of many different undergraduate courses. For System Dynamics, a core mechanical engineering undergraduate course required at most universities, haptic paddles provide a particularly good device upon which to build laboratory curricula (Okamura, Richard, and Cutkosky 2002; Grow, Verner, and Okamura 2007) . They are one of the simplest possible robots that a

FAQs

What is the purpose of the haptic paddle in System Dynamics teaching?

It provides force feedback so students can physically interact with and “feel” simulated dynamic systems while building modeling understanding across domains.

Why is accessibility a key goal for the haptic paddle?

The work aims to make robotics and haptics available through a low-cost device suitable for middle and high school teachers and students, addressing gaps in affordable motor control and interfacing electronics.

How is student learning assessed in the formal evaluation?

Learning is measured with multiple-choice quizzes administered at multiple time points, including during lectures, in labs, while writing lab reports, and at the end of the semester.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Terk