Work in progress — An example of the variations of visual representations in mechanical engineering education

In all forms of education, the method of representation of the concepts presented has a strong effect on both the learning of the students as well as the overall language and processes that the students will use when dealing with those concepts. With a focus specifically on mechanical engineering education, this paper provides a review of the role of visual representations in learning concepts in mechanical engineering. One of the main examples of such a visual representation is the free-body diagram which is used to display forces acting on a body. These representations not only influence the learning of the students, but also affect the methods used by students when they encounter similar concepts in their work. This review of the role of visual representations consists of several parts. First, an overview of such representations in mechanical engineering education is provided. Then a comparison of the different types of visual representations is presented. This paper culminates in a discussion of the effect such representations have on the language and processes used by mechanical engineering students.