Intelligent Statics Tutoring Systems as Tools for Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Education

This thesis presents two intelligent tutoring systems for statics, Newton's Tablet and Newton's Pen, and the results from experiments examining their value as tools for undergraduate mechanical engineering education. The systems are unique in that they break down the problem-solving process in a manner which makes conceptual decisions explicit. This allows for focused feedback to correct conceptual errors that would otherwise lead to incorrect free-body diagrams and equilibrium equations. The intelligent tutoring systems were designed to help ease the intrinsic cognitive load associated with the first difficult engineering subject that mechanical engineering students encounter. Results from experiments indicate that the problem-solving method employed is beneficial, and that Newton's Tablet is more effective than Newton's Pen.