Teaching design and technical graphics in a green environment

Abstract

Green Research for Incorporating Data in the Classroom (GRIDC) is a National Science Foundation project designed to improve instructional practices in the curricula areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The project uses data collected from a variety of renewable energy technologies and enables students and teachers from both secondary and post-secondary education to access downloadable data and analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the data. One aspect of this project is to teach students in both engineering education and preservice teacher education for technology, engineering and design education to visually explain data for targeted groups. Students and teachers take the information and create both data-driven and conceptual models to explain information obtained from the project's website using a variety of methods involved in technical data presentation. This paper explains the GRIDC project and how students develop good visual skills in areas of presentation, data-driven and conceptual modeling using the information and data collected from the website. Preliminary research has been conducted on the effective use of these materials in college level engineering classes and in a technical animation course for graphic communications. Research and analysis has taken place as to how students take data of this type and create both data-driven and conceptual models using a design brief format. The research being conducted during this project will provide a base for continued research and development on using data-rich learning environments to develop good thinking and visual skills for both pre-engineering and engineering students throughout the country. © 2011 American Society for Engineering Education.