| Jonathan E. Clark GRASP Laboratory University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 |
William R. Provancher Department of Mechanical Engineering University of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112 |
Paul Mitiguy Department of Mechanical Engineering Stanford University Stanford, California, 94305 |
This article describes a series of experimental and simulation laboratory sessions currently under development that are designed to support a system dynamics course. A novel harward setup is introduced that is used in different configurations throughout the eight-lab sequence. The labs incrementally bulid upon themselves and cumulate in the final lab with the stabilization of a coupled dynamic system. The labs are designed to augment the fundamental theory taught in class with hands-on experience using hardware and software simulations. We find that the labs that most effectively create and resolve tension between the results of physical experiments, simulation, and theory result in the most satisfying and effective lab sessions. The absence of any one of these three elements diminishes the educational value of the course. End-of-quarter lab surveys are used to quantify our findings.