Teaching Approach Reform of Metal Structures of Cranes Course Xin Wang*1, Rumin Teng2, Xuyang Cao3, Dianlong Wang4 School of Mechanical Engineering, Dalian University of technology, Dalian, China *1
wangxbd21@163.com; 2tengrumin@163.com; 3saner@126.com; 4wangx@dlut.edu.cn
Abstract For limited period and rapidly update knowledge, teaching approach of metal structures of cranes is innovated to improve students’ self‐directed studying abilities. The contents of this course are optimized, and the metal structure knowledge system is built based on mind‐map theory. The heuristic method and discussion method are applied to improve teaching effect. According to these teaching methods, students autonomously search and collect and study relative literatures. Their achievements are evaluated by comprehensive assessment with integration of teacher’s assessment, self and mutual assessment of students proposed in this paper. This improved teaching approach is applied in course of this autumn term. The results show that students’ studying interesting is promoted and self‐directed studying abilities are improved. Keywords Metal Structures of Cranes; Teaching Approach; Assessment
Introduction Metal structures cranes course is one of core courses for hoisting and transporting machinery specialty. In this course, theoretical mechanics, mechanics of materials, structural mechanics are comprehensively applied to analyze different typical structural strength, stiffness and stability, and kinds of structural design methods are provided. Students are difficult to grasp them. In addition, some theories, standards and technologies are rapidly updated along with rapid development of steel structure, but the classes are limited. Therefore, the requirements of teaching contents and methods are higher. Teaching is not only to expand students’ knowledge, but also to train students’ self‐directed abilities so as to obtain more advanced knowledge. So, inquiry‐based teaching is widely researched to encourage student’s self‐directed learning. This teaching mode breaks through teacher‐classroom‐textbook centered, and emphasizes students centered which realizes learning way of self‐inquiry, cross‐disciplines, cooperation and practice. On the early 20th century, Dewey and W H Kilpatrick presented successively problem‐based teaching and design‐ based teaching. After that, Bruner and Schwab proposed respectively discovery‐based teaching and inquiry‐based teaching which can be easily implemented and applied in American education innovation. In North Carolina State University, a series of courses based on inquiry learning were open in many subjects. In Case Western Reserve University and McMaster University, problem‐based learning was proposed, and was widely applied in many subjects, such as architecture and business etc. After that, Maastricht University and Linkoping University etc. followed to use these teaching methods. In other universities, such as Aalborg University and University of Bremen etc., project‐based learning was applied in most engineering courses. These teaching methods are also widely applied in steel structure courses. Xiaolin Xun discussed reform of steel structure curriculum design. Xiaoping Wang and Juan Du analyzed how to integrate engineering practice and teaching. Honghua Zhao recommended mind‐map method to make steel structure teaching courseware. Hong Li studied the reform of curriculum group, and proposed comprehensive assessment methods. Zhizong Hu applied project‐based teaching in his steel structure course. Wenming Cheng offered a detailed introduction, including the organization of teaching staff teams, teaching materials selection, the reform of the teaching system. Above researchers all proposed their feasible teaching reforms based on analyzing their teaching problems. In this 14 International Journal of Sociology Study, Vol. 3 No. 1‐June 2015 2328‐1685/15/01 014‐05, © 2015 DEStech Publications, Inc. doi: 10.14355/ijss.2015.03.003
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paper, to promote students’ learning interesting and self‐directed study abilities, the teaching reform about teaching contents and teaching method and comprehensive assessment of metal structures cranes course is proposed. Reform of Teaching Approach Optimization of Teaching Contents On the background of basic theory and basic design methods of metal structures of cranes course, some teaching contents are added as follow:
Input of more structural engineering histories, accidents and developments. Some of significant structure engineering are introduced to improve student’s perceptual knowledge. Structures’ accidents are analyzed to enhance students’ awareness of safety. The development of structures is described to promote students to search and learn academic foreland. For example, there are many branches of structural design theory to be developing, including limit‐state design method, fatigue design method, stability of structure etc. Students can try to explore these developments.
Teaching contents combined with engineering cases and research projects. The traditional teaching contents are composted of discrete knowledge points, which can be connected with engineering cases. As an example of portal crane’s structure design, it is important to check structure’s strength, stability and stiffness. To complete this check work, it is spontaneously connected together with knowledge point of loads combination, connection of structures, structure strength, stability and stiffness. From this, students are really aware of the importance of structure’s design method in engineering projects. In addition, a network resource platform of construction machineries is built by students themselves through searching and collecting and organizing literatures. In this platform, there is more than 10 cranes’ information, such as crawler crane, truck crane etc. Each crane’s information is shown in Fig. 1. Meanwhile, teachers introduce their research projects and share their problems and solutions to make students feel the experience of research. From these, students are interesting to grasp easily design key points and understand product market development and research orientation.
Expression of structure knowledge system. This course is one of strong comprehensiveness and involves many subjects, so it is necessary to express clearly its knowledge structure. Mind‐map theory, proposed by Tony Turrill, can be used to draw relation graphs with simple words and simple diagram elements for complicated problems based on person’s emanative thinking pattern. So, it is widely applied in British, American and Singapore universities. In this paper, the metal structure knowledge system is built with mind‐map to help students grasp structure’s principal line and relationship with other subjects. In this system, knowledge points are made with mind‐map, and group into a networked route maps. As examples, Fig. 2 shows the route map of structure’s damage, and Fig. 3 shows the route map of structure design.
a)Framwork of platform b) Crawler crane’s webpage FIGURE 1. CONSTRUCTION MACHINERIES RESOURCE PLATFORM.
16 XIN WANG, RUMIN TENG, XUYANG CAO, DIANLONG WANG
FIG. 2 THE ROUTE MAP OF STEEL STRUCTURE’S DAMAGE
FIGURE 3. THE ROUTE MAP OF STEEL STRUCTURE’S DESIGN.
Improvement of Teaching Method The single classroom teaching method is not satisfied with the characteristics of many equations and many graphs and cases for this course. So, heuristic method, discussion method and self‐studying method are applied. From these methods, the mode of students centered and teacher instructing is built, in which interaction between teaching and learning is emphasized. Combining with engineering cases, students are grouped into teams to self‐ directed search and collect technology information, and to acquaint new development of steel structure, and to grasp structures’ key design points and advanced design methods. Furthermore, deeply analyzing engineering cases, students can find out structures’ problems, and learn to study and solve problems and try to design, calculate and draw structures with structure’s design theory. For difficulties of technology and different opinions, students can discuss each other or with teachers. These train students’ cooperative and communicative abilities. At the same time, students have their speech and share their achievements in class, which cultivates their oral communication skills. Comprehensive Assessment The single assessment of written examination is not completely adaptive to cultivate students’ qualities and abilities. To this course, the assessment not only emphasizes students to grasp basic conception and basic theory of steel structure, but also emphasizes to inspect students’ competence in solving problems. So, a comprehensive
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assessment is proposed with integration of teachers’ assessment, self and mutual assessment of students. The assessment contents are shown in Table 1. On the one hand, students can improve their abilities of self‐searching and self‐collecting and self‐organization and self‐learning and oral communication skills. On the other hand, as assessment members, they seriously listen to other teams’ works to discuss and assess their works, from which they can learn and master more knowledge each other and train their judgments abilities. TABLE 1. COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT CRITERIA.
Items Assessment items Assessment values Assessment mode Assessment criterion Assessment members
Speech Discussion Every member of a team should express Question and answer after his or her works speech 30 30 Teacher assessment, self and mutual assessment of all team members. Everage of them is final value of each item. The contents’ fullness, practicability and The answers’ reasonability creativeness and profession All team members and teacher
Reports Work’s reports 40 Teacher assessment The reports’ profession, fullness and clearness Teacher
Case Study The proposed reform of teaching approach for metal structures of cranes is applied in autumn semester of this year 2014. The senior students are freely grouped into 5 teams and 4 members are in each team. They respectively select and study tuck crane, loader, excavator, floating crane and bridge crane by themselves. Firstly, they widely search and collect and organize information about these cranes. Secondly, according to design theory in class and their self‐searching information, they learn and analysis these crane’s structures each other in teams, and cooperate to design parts of them and assemble them together into one crane’s structure or one crane’s sub‐structure. Finally, every team member expresses his or her works to other teams and discusses each other, and then teacher and members assess theses works. From this, students can positively prepare their works so that their works are very full, and cultivate their abilities of self‐directed studying and problem solving skills and team‐work skills. At the same time, they can learn to use theory to design structures. Conclusions In this paper, teaching approach reform of metal structures of cranes course is improved, including reform of teaching contents and method, and a comprehensive assessment. Besides, a resource platform of construction machineries is built. The case shows the proposed teaching approach is effective, and improves their comprehensive quality and abilities. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This research is sponsored by Education and Teaching Reform Funds for Dalian University of Technology. REFERENCES
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[10] Honghua Zhao, Lihua Chen. ʺThe application of the mind‐manager in the process of teaching of the steel structure.ʺ Modern Educational Technology 20 (2010): 74‐76. [11] Juan Du. ʺResearch on teaching reform of steel structure course.ʺ Time Education 5 (2012): 145. [12] Hongming Li, Baijian Tang, Zhijun Wang. ʺResearch on innovation about teaching of steel structure curriculum group.ʺ Shanxi Architecture 37 (2011): 236‐237. [13] Zhongjun Hu, Jianhui Qiu, Qinghua Wang. ʺTeaching reform of steel structure course.ʺ Education Teaching Forum 24 (2014): 51‐52. Xin Wang was born in Lanzhou of China on Feb. 1972. In 2000, the author earned PHD of mechanical design and theory in Dalian University of Technology, China. The authorʹ s major field is structure optimization, dynamic analysis and life evaluation. She is an associate professor of Scholl of Mechanical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, China. Her publications are more than 30 papers. Rumin Teng is an associate professor of Scholl of Mechanical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, China. His major field is structure optimization and FEA. Xuyang Cao is an associate professor of Scholl of Mechanical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, China. His major field is structure simulation. Dianlong Wang is a professor of Scholl of Mechanical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, China. His major field is electromechanical control.