Integrated use of programming in machine design course

This paper presents enhancements to an undergraduate mechanical engineering machine design course that are aimed at teaching students the importance of computer-based analysis of complex systems. These enhancements also aim to provide students with preparation for professional practice by instilling in them the skills needed for using modern engineering tools, specifically in the machine design process. This was accomplished by developing analysis-based projects that students code in a math computational program (typically MATLAB). Three of these projects were carried out throughout the semester in conjunction with an introduction to the design philosophy presented by the textbook by R.L. Norton [1]. The following manuscript (1) describes the rationale for the introducing the projects, (2) gives detail description of the projects and (3) assesses the efficacy of the projects to achieve the objectives through results obtained from a survey given to students during their senior capstone design course.