Integrating instrumentation and mechatronics education in the mechanical engineering curriculum

Abstract

A diverse and effective undergraduate mechanical curriculum should integrate learning from the different spheres of mechanical engineering, educate students about recent technological advances, and motivate them to pursue careers in this field. However, a seamless integration of varied topics in mechanical engineering curriculum is challenging, as courses range from traditional engineering classes in thermal fluids, solids and controls, to courses covering emerging technological aspects of instrumentation, sensors, measurement techniques, advanced control algorithms, electronics, and electrical components. Mechatronics is a newer branch of mechanical engineering that is a synergistic combination of mechanical, electrical, electronics, computer science, control techniques, and information systems. Integrating mechatronics content in mechanical engineering curriculum has been a challenge since it has been viewed as a significant deviation from traditional courses. In the past, pedagogical approaches like semester-long, project-based classes, or linking mechatronics to other engineering disciplines, have been used to integrate mechatronics into the mechanical engineering curriculum, with varying results. Furthermore, teaching an interdisciplinary class of this nature within a semester is a difficult pedagogical endeavor. To overcome these issues, the topics and concepts in the measurement laboratory/lecture (ME 335/L) and introduction to mechatronics (ME 435/L), a traditional mechanical engineering course, are interlinked to provide students with a unified learning experience. As a first step in this direction, ME 335/L was made a prerequisite to ME 435/L, which allowed the students to learn about the fundamental topics in ME 335/L, and thus be prepared to tackle more complex topics in ME 435/L course. The ME 335/L was redesigned to incorporate more tools, instrumentation, and programs typically used in ME 435/L. The key experiments in ME 335/L were tailored to expose students to topics commonly encountered in ME 435/L. This integrated approach to mechatronics allowed students to build a strong fundamental understanding of data acquisition and measurement systems, and enabled them to utilize these theories and principles in ME 435/L. Although some topics are repeated in both these courses (ME 335/L and ME 435/L), the contents become more advanced and in-depth in ME 435/L. The experiments in ME 435/L were redesigned such that the students used the fundamental concepts and modern tools taught in ME 335/L in more challenging projects to reinforce the foundation of instrumentation in design of a mechatronics system. This allowed students to develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are crucial for building successful careers as mechanical engineers.