Infusion of Emerging Technologies and New Teaching Methods into The Mechanical Engineering Curriculum at The City College of New York

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Terk

A systemic reform of the Mechanical Engineering program at The City College of New York ran from October 2003 to April 2008, aiming to infuse emerging technologies—such as nanotechnology, biotechnology, MEMS, and intelligent systems—and new teaching methods including project based learning, hands-on labs, inquiry based learning, and home experiments. NSF-supported changes affected all courses and involved nearly all faculty. The paper details modifications in Mechatronics, Mechanics of Materials, Heat Transfer, and System Modeling, Analysis and Control, and reports assessment results from student surveys.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages36

Reading Time1 h 31 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Drivers for curriculum reform

Emerging technologies

New pedagogical trends

National reports and learning research

| | Ad | vances in Engineering Edu | cation | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | SUMMER 2011 Infusion of Emerging Technologies and New Teaching Methods into The Mechanical Engineering Curriculum at The City College of New York FERIDUN DELALE BENJAMIN M. LIAW LATIF M. JIJI IOANA VOICULESCU and HONGHUI YU Department of Mechanical Engineering The City College of New York New York, NY 10031 ABSTRACT From October 2003 to April 2008 a systemic reform of the Mechanical Engineering program at The City College of New York was undertaken with the goal of incorporating emerging technologies (such as nanotechnology, biotechnology, Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), intelligent systems) and new teaching methodologies (such as project based learning, hands-on laboratory experiences, inquiry based learning, home experiments) into the curriculum. This reform activity was supported by NSF and affected all the courses taught by the Department. Almost all faculty participated in the effort. In this paper, we describe the modifications introduced in four courses of the curriculum, namely, Mechatronics, Mechanics of Materials, Heat Transfer and System Modeling, Analysis and Control. The modifications consisted both of topics related to emerging technologies and new teaching methodologies. Results of assessment conducted to ascertain the effect of the changes are presented. For example student opinions about course outcomes before and after the modifications were surveyed for the four courses discussed above. Based on the limited assessment data available thus far, it appears that students’ confidence and overall academic performance has improved in some courses following the reform. It is the authors’ opinion that these will see further improvement in coming years as the specifics of the reform elements are refined. Key words: curriculum reform, emerging technologies, teaching methodology SUMMER 2011 1 ADVANCES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION Infusion of Emerging Technologies and New Teaching Methods into The Mechanical Engineering Curriculum at The City College of New York INTRODUCTION The Mechanical Engineering Department, as many departments in the country, is engaged in a continuing effort to review and upgrade its curriculum. The impetus for this has always been the ever-changing nature of the profession. However, in recent years a confluence of circumstances has accelerated these changes, requiring urgent and comprehensive curriculum reform. There are two distinct currents that are driving ME programs to reform their curricula. First, is the emergence of new technologies that are revolutionizing the practice of engineering. The miniaturization of mechanical devices, the advent of nanotechnology, the advances in information technologies, the emergence of intelligent systems, the introduction of new and advanced materials, the development of sophisticated software and finally the revolution in biology cannot be ignored in designing a modern mechanical engineering curriculum. Nationally, with respect to its technical content, mechanical engineering education today is at a juncture not unlike the watershed that ended in the publication in 1955 of the Grinter Report [1] . As a result of this report, the engineering sciences portions of engineering curricula were strengthened and their core content defined. It is interesting to note that in spite of revolutionary advances in technology, the core courses recommended by the Grinter Report closely resemble the typical mechanical engineering core curriculum today: Mechanics of solids (statics, dynamics and strength of materials) Fluid mechanics Thermodynamics Transfer and rate mechanisms (heat, mass and momentum transfer) Electrical theory (fields, circuits and electronics) Nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties) As in most ME departments, until recently, t

FAQs

What timeframe and goal guided the mechanical engineering curriculum reform at CCNY?

The reform ran from October 2003 to April 2008, aiming to incorporate emerging technologies and new teaching methodologies into the curriculum.

Which courses received curriculum modifications?

The paper reports changes in four courses: Mechatronics, Mechanics of Materials, Heat Transfer, and System Modeling, Analysis and Control.

How were the effects of the reform assessed?

Assessment relied on surveys of student opinions about course outcomes before and after the modifications, along with limited available assessment data.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Terk