Graphical Applications: Analysis and Manufacturing
Abstract
Graphics is the universal language of the engineering profession. Within the EDGD curriculum, students need to learn the fundamentals of the graphical language and how to use graphics to communicate. This paper focuses upon extending the basic EDGD curriculum to include application tools. These tools include mass properties analysis, Finite Element Analysis, Kinetic Analysis, and Rapid Prototyping. Should students learn how to use these graphical applications within the EDGD curriculum? Should a graphical thread be established in modern engineering and technology curricula to incorporate these tools within the fundamental courses? Alternatively, should these tools be learned on the job? Discussed in this paper are these basic tools, alternative approaches to teach their use, and potential changes to the EDGD curriculum.