I recall my first two semesters of college (at night after work) and my calculus instructor was an engineer that worked for TRW during the day. There were only a few students in the class, and one evening I asked the instructor if he would make our homework assignments based on problems we would encounter as engineers. He loved the suggestion, and our homework assignments from then on usually involved some problem related to the satellite design he was working on. Solving a calculus problem that I could associate with an actual application like a satellite made the course far more interesting.
I agree that working the problems is critical and that _can_ be lacking in online education, but this part of online education is getting better too. I just completed an edx.org class on Calculus I, a refresher course for me, obviously, but it was a solid course and there were lots of problems to work, several of which I struggled with. Here's a link to the class:
And yes that's from MIT. I don't know how close it is to Calc class students at MIT take, but this was comparable to the class I took at K-State. As time goes on I hope to see not just the core classes, but whole degree programs available.
-Kirby
Kirby Wilkerson
Remember, first define the problem, then solve it.
Andries I have looked back on my original stress texts from college,and you are exactly correct there was little consideration given to fasteners, or connections,they were just there,and the details were left to our designers.Most of our designers,held a lower tier in our society,but in essence knew much more about design,and in particular connections,so necessary to make any of this stuff work,than we the degreed engineers did.Most I was around had an associates degree and their mathematical skills maxed out at algebra two or analytic geometry,this is most cases was in essence their downfalling,they had problems with math.At the time I was in school,the term "load path" was something for just the "rocket scientists" to deal with.It was mentioned in my classes but never explained,it was to be left to the intellectuals,they would tell us,yeah right.This is how "primitive" things were at a well thought of university in the late 60's and early 70's.sad but true.
Kirbywan,I agree the online education relative to aero engineering has improved,vastly in the last few years.As I stated early in the application of engineering based courses there lacked much needed problem solving involvement.Apparently I am not the only one noting this and there has been a great improvement in this area,let us hope that trend continues.
