Abstract:

Learning style changes from generation to generation. The current and incoming tech-savvy learners grow up with the digital world. The advancement of technologies makes learning more accessible. As one of the examples, mobile learning has become a commonly accepted and embraced concept among the younger generations. Effective learning occurs when the teaching styles align well with the learning styles. To better serve the need of the next-generation learners, a mobile learning module consisted of three components, namely numerical analysis, simulation and experiment, is developed for an undergraduate upper division class, Mechanical and Structural Vibration, at San Francisco State University (SFSU). Besides delivering the theoretical knowledge of the important concepts in vibrations, such as natural frequency, equation of motion, and transfer function, the teaching module also has the ability to allow students further examine the knowledge through simulations in the developed interactive apps. In addition, the teaching module also includes a mobile remote shake table laboratory (RSTLab) which allows students to remotely participate and conduct physical shake table experiments in real-time through smart mobile devices (e.g. smartphones and tablets). Through these hands-on experiments, students may easily build or modify scaled structural models to test theories and implement their own innovations to test how these structures behave under different excitations. A telepresence robot is innovatively adopted to integrate with the mobile RSTLab to actively engage students and provide them a real sense of in-person participation without the need of being physically present in the laboratory.

In this paper, the mobile learning module as well as the RSTLab will be demonstrated in details. Students’ feedbacks on using the module in the Fall 2016 semester will also be presented. The effectiveness of the module in engaging students and promoting active learning and critical thinking will be investigated.

Keywords:

Mobile Learning, Remote Shake Table Laboratory, Interactive Apps, Mechanical and Structural Vibration.