The Effectiveness of Computer-Based Tutorials in Learning Computer-Aided Design Methods for Tool Design Procedures

• Main Author: Hall, Andrew Moroni
• Format: Others
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 2004
• Subjects: Computer-Aided Design; Computer-Based Instruction; Manufacturing; Manufacturing Education; Tool Design; Tutorial-Based Instruction; Tutorials; Web-Based Instruction; Construction Engineering and Management
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/203; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1202&context=etd

Throughout the past twenty-five years the process of designing and manufacturing a product has been revolutionized by the integration of Computer Aided Design (CAD). Although three-dimensional solid modeling, or 3-D CAD offers a better representation of the product in a virtual environment, it can be complicated and difficult to learn. Tutorials have been developed to assist manufacturing tool design student in the learning of 3-D CAD principles as they apply to tool design. This study seeks to test the effectiveness of those tutorials. A BYU tool design class was divided into two groups according to their assigned laboratory time. The experimental group used the tutorials in their lab assignments. The other group acted as the control group for the study and did not use the tutorial in their lab assignments. Both groups took a pre-evaluation quiz and three short quizzes throughout the semester to test how well they had learned the software. The short quizzes included ten written answers and a small design project. The answers to the quizzes were graded and the students recorded the time it took to complete the design project. This data was analyzed statistically using an ANCOVA model. The student who used the tutorials performed better on the written answer section of the quizzes. This was proven to be statistically significant. There was no significance difference, however, in the time it took students to complete the design projects on each quiz. It was concluded from this data that the tutorials were effective teaching 3-D CAD principles to tool design students.