Work in progress - implementation of a freshman level engineering analysis software

As part of an introductory engineering class at Grand Valley State University, freshman students are required to design, build, and test a simple support bracket with the objective of optimizing its strength to weight ratio. However, freshman students do not yet have the capability to predict the mechanical behavior of their designs. Commercial analysis software is available, but teaching the students to use the software is far beyond the scope of a freshman engineering course. As a result, the students utilize a trial and error approach to design, leaving the students a lasting misimpression of the engineering design process. Simple analysis software was written and implemented to predict the mechanical behavior of the student-designed parts with the intent of instilling a more professional design practice at the freshman level. This allows the students to modify their designs accordingly to improve performance. The software was designed specifically for the freshman design project in order to simplify use and to limit its applicability to other design problems. The software has now been implemented in the classroom. After one semester of use, statistical tests do not indicate a significant difference in design strength, but freshman students are becoming actively engaged in a professional engineering design process.