Design Project to Build up Jumping Machine and Its Educational Effects

Abstract

This paper reports the concrete educational effects in the process of constructing "the straw leaning tower" and "the jumping machine", both of which need some specialized knowledge of the mechanical engineering. Although building up the practical objects is necessary for bringing up the students inquiry ability and creativity, the first year trial shows that it often fails without enough preparation and that constructing the ideas with the creative thinking way and the precise plan to realize them are indispensable. In the second year the practice of FD(Faculty Development) remarkably improves the both creativity of the straw leaning tower and jumping machine.