Abstract:

The paper deals with a method used for example based learning for the virtual prototyping. The authors collaborate since ten years in Erasmus background. It means four french students a year in the bachelor of technology course got a 3 months placement in Romania supervised by the authors. They are applying this learning method described here.

The domain of investigation is the virtual prototyping. The virtual product development replaces traditional material object test with digitized form product by building product’s digital model. It offers to analyze product’s static and dynamic characteristics on the circumstance of digital state, and rebuild and improve the original design. The virtual prototype technology carries out any product optimization. Virtual prototype technology is a kind of engineering method which can shorten new product development cycles by replacing cost physical prototype with virtual digital model.

The subject detailed here deals with a virtual prototyping using Delphi programming environment. The example based teaching method is thus applied. There are several potential advantages of example based learning programs, including the ability for people to learn from their homes and study without the assistance of an instructor. As the use of computers in life is increasing, all teaching methods and strategies should be renewed to match with the advancement of technology. It means that videos, texts, lessons, answered homeworks in electronics format should be easily downloaded by any new learners.

The method proposed takes 3 main steps. The first step offers the connected student to download as many examples as he wants. Any example is given in an executable format only. The student launches the example, takes notes and comments on the scenario and writes down new ideas on a working platform. The second step is a discussion with the teacher in order to choose the subject they would like to define or improve. At that moment, the source code example is provided to the students in order to identify the role of each part, procedures or functions. The third step is based on the invention of the personalized virtual prototype. In that last step, the students uses his own imagination in order to create a product and sometimes to obtain a patent.

The paper ends with two well detailed example in the robotics domain and the building engineering domain and draws some conclusion

Keywords:

Virtual prototyping, creative works, modern strategy for learning.