CDIO spirit in introductory physics courses in engineering

All first year engineering students at Reykjavik University take two introductory physics courses, on mechanics and electromagnetism. Over the last few years, in these courses the physicists have been introducing the basic physics in the traditional fashion, but have also incorporated to some extent the elements of engineering in the CDIO spirit. To engage students in active learning and encourage them to actually apply the physics they learn in real time, so to speak, students do two practical projects, in addition to several well structured lab experiments. In Physics 1 (mechanics) they have to conceive and design their own experiment in mechanics, perfom it, measure and analyse the dynamics quantitatively, and produce a report. Projects have included analysis of various oscillations, braking, projectile motion, Bernoulli effect, collisions, etc. The main idea is that they receive only minimal supervision from the teachers and do the work on their own. It turns out that the students are usually having fun, often designing unconventional or even surprising experimental setups. In Physics 2 (electromagnetism) students have to design and construct a small electrical device. They are given a very brief description of what the device is supposed to do. The students have to show up with the working device, explain it using the theory they are learning and demonstarate that it actually operates. The workmanship affects the grade and some of the devices are even put on display. The devices must be constructed from scratch and may be done at home, but the students may use the facilities at the University, like the electronics lab or the machine shop. Projects have included making electric motors, stepper motors, relays, and dynamos. Students are generally quite enthusiastic about these projects, they enjoy the opportunity and challenge to construct someting on their own and realize that cooperation is beneficial. Each project is typically done by a team of two students, but in case of more ambitious projects there can be three or even four students in one team. Often many students do the work at the same time in the school labs and we encourage them to do so and learn from each other‘s ideas, experience, and skills. This fall we started implementing this kind of free projects in the third physics course, which covers optics and modern physics, and is taken by some students in the third year.

Proceedings of the 10th International CDIO Conference, Barcelona, Spain, June 15-19 2014