Knowledge Pills for Teaching of Mechanism and Machine Theory

Abstract

From the beginning of its activity, simultaneously with the implementation of European Higher Education Area (EHEA), the Defense University Center located in Spanish Naval College has developed a great effort to improve the learning methods. This effort takes two main directions: improve of classroom activities and the implementation of e-learning systems. These systems are a way of support for the students attending our classes, facilitating subsequent study. One method used for e-learning are the knowledge pills. However, although the pills are widely used for theoretical explanations, at Mechanical Engineering studies the explanation of basic exercises and the problems resolution provides a new and more difficult scene. Teaching of Mechanism and Machine Theory is a good example of these cases. At 2011–2012, we developed a knowledge pills collection for this course, like a guide for the resolution of kinematics problems at planar mechanisms. The student can follow a sequence of learning, from the resolution of position to the accelerations problem, passing for the velocities. In this work, the authors aim to show the learning sequence chosen, the characteristics of created pills concerning at their duration and structure, and the tools used for save them and edit.