Comparison of TAPS Packages for Engineering

• Published in: Campus-wide information systems Vol. 25; no. 3; pp. 161 - 175
• Main Author: Sidhu, S. Manjit
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford Emerald 2008; Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subjects: CAD; Civil engineering; College Instruction; College students; Computer aided design; Computer Assisted Instruction; Computer Simulation; Computer Software; Computer Software Evaluation; Developing Nations; Education; Educational Environment; Educational Objectives; Educational Quality; Educational Technology; Engineering; Engineering Education; Foreign Countries; Geometric Concepts; Human-computer interaction; Instructional Design; Instructional Effectiveness; Learning; Malaysia; Mechanical engineering; Mechanics; Multimedia; Multimedia Materials; Problem Solving; School environment; Software; Teaching Methods; Technology; Technology Integration; Theory Practice Relationship; Undergraduate Students; Virtual reality; Visualization; Malaysia
• DOI: 10.1108/10650740810886330
• ISSN: 1065-0741; 2056-4880

Purpose: This paper aims to present the development of technology-assisted problem solving (TAPS) packages at University Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN). The project is the further work of the development of interactive multimedia based packages targeted for students having problems in understanding the subject of engineering mechanics dynamics. Design/methodology/approach: In this study TAPS packages are compared with other selected engineering computer packages. Findings: The differences found were indicative of better presentation and clarity, step-by-step approach to solve engineering problems, user-friendly environment, unbiased assessment of performance and flexibility to incorporate 3-D geometric models in the TAPS packages. Originality/value: This paper provides a brief account of the differences between the TAPS packages approach used in this research with that of commercial simulation packages accompanying the engineering mechanics dynamics textbook and will be of interest to those in the field of engineering. (Contains 8 figures.)