Keeping hands-on activities during remote learning
August 24, 2020
It鈥檚 fair to say that when the COVID-19 crisis hit, the Olin community wasn鈥檛 exactly excited to disband in-person classes and jump into online learning. 鈥淏ut we learned a ton,鈥 says , assistant professor and practice and director of Lab & Fabrication Operations.
Unlike beginning engineering courses at other colleges, Faas鈥 Introduction to Mechanical Prototyping class is as far from lecture/exam-style learning as you can get. 鈥淭he whole curriculum is hands-on, project-based learning,鈥 she says. In this class, students learn mechanical prototyping by doing it and spend a lot of time in the Olin Shop. When the class was reimagined, Faas鈥 goal was to retain some form of hands-on design activity and not rely on screen time.
Professors Dave Barrett (center) and Daniella Faas (left) talk with students in the machine shop in 2019. Photo by Leise Jones.
Using only computer-aided design 鈥渄idn鈥檛 feel right and felt like it was short-changing students,鈥 she says. The question became, What could students create at home in a way that was accessible and equitable? 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to lose is that physical connection to making things, which is really important to me.鈥
At home, not all students had access to even simple tools like scissors, never mind a fully equipped machine shops with 3D printers, plasma cutters or laser cutters. Faas came up with the idea of having students build kinetic sculptures with Lego Technic. The goal of this module was actually the same as before the pandemic: to learn about mechanisms, which make things move in relation to other things and for students to build structural pieces to form highly complex movement. Using Lego Technic offered the same kind of learning opportunity.
Students were mailed kits and could request more pieces. 鈥淚 was really impressed by their creativity and I was thrilled with what they did,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 be prouder of how everyone engaged and that nobody disconnected from the class.鈥 Students appreciated the ability to do quick prototyping. 鈥淲e actually covered more design solutions than we would have if they鈥檇 been using the Shop,鈥 she says.
Introduction to Mechanical Prototyping final Lego Technic sculpture by Jocelyn Jimenez '22.
Faas is now adapting hands-on exercises for next semester鈥檚 Design for Manufacturing class. Instead of having one large project, there will be three modules in distinct sessions, so they can switch directions faster if needed. Along with her staff, Faas will be taking the students鈥 design instructions and making the parts herself at the Olin Shop, and mailing the students their pieces to work with at home. In many ways, this set-up mimics how things work in industry, as engineers work with machinists who aren鈥檛 always in same place. She鈥檒l do a design review with students on Zoom before they begin to make their product. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l still be able to design and fabricate, even if it happens differently,鈥 she says.
See some of the that students came up with using Lego Technic, from a space colonist, to a beetle that moves in sequence, to a campsite with sun setting in back and campfire flame going up and down.