TEACHING DESIGN OF MECHANICAL TRANSMISSIONS IN AN INTERNATIONAL CLASSROOM – EXPERIENCES AND REFLECTIONS

The topic of mechanical transmission design is one of the fundamental parts in the subject of machine design, and it is taught almost in all the mechanical engineering programs around the world. The fundamentals are the same but the teaching methods, literature and the instruction language are different from country to country, and from university to university.

Although the bachelor program in mechanical engineering at Linnaeus University (LNU), Sweden is taught in Swedish, there are some courses given in English language both for the program- and international students. The international students are usually exchange- or free movers staying at LNU for one semester of one academic year. That means almost all the international students have different background, skills and knowledge. The mix of program students and students from different countries in an international classroom is an excellent opportunity to gain international experiences but it is also a real challenge both for teachers and student groups.

This paper is presenting many years experiences and result from teaching machine transmissions design though project based learning for classes mixed of program and international students at Linnaeus University in Sweden.