Abstract:

These days, the main issue of higher education in the Czech Republic related to mechanical engineering is the lack of opportunities for students to acquire practical knowledge and experience in the field during their studies. Moreover, the local engineering companies in the Czech Republic are often reluctant to share their knowhow with universities and therefore the study of Machine Design has been isolated from praxis in engineering companies. One of the ways to deal with these issues is to improve different aspects of teaching technical subjects in order to improve quality, efficiency, comprehensibility and attractiveness of Machine Design. The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of West Bohemia (FME) has launched the Machine Design Teaching Enhancement Project (TEP). The goal of this project is to provide quality learning materials to students and academics at FME. Learning materials concerned with teaching of computer aided engineering (CAE) systems were developed as a part of TEP. These step-by-step learning materials promote self-study and make learning CAE systems much easier to students. Another part of TEP was concerned with developing the new concept of project-based learning materials based on interactive 3D models. The learning materials have been developed by academics in cooperation with local engineering companies and software developers. This paper presents those learning materials and their contribution to students and academics at FME.

Keywords:

teaching enhancement, machine design, design projects