A Case for Scaffolded Virtual Prototyping Tutorial Case-Studies in Engineering Education

By permitting designers to realistically, accurately and quantitatively prototype and test multiple intermediate models within virtual environment, Virtual Prototyping (VP), also known as Simulation-Based Design (SBD), has rapidly gained popularity and become a crucial part of most engineering design processes. While there is a significant demand from industry for students trained in this methodology, currently there is not much room in engineering curricula to permit widespread adoption in the lecture-bused classroom. It is possible to develop a rationale and its various stages for a series of well-based and self-paced scaffolded VP tutorial case-studies targeted (it students oil a course in machine (aid mechanism design. These undergraduate seniors are permitted to: (1) interactively explore the process of creating engineering analysis models in all integrated VP environment: (2) develop skills for interactive SBD of models: and (3) develop their engineering judgment by interactive exploration of a spectrum of examples. The outcome of a phased introduction at these exercises and our experience based on a number of successful courses offering are also discussed.