Evaluating the use of animation in presenting mechanical engines` operation

Abstract

Educational technology nowadays is becoming increasingly involved in many learning areas for the sake of supporting and enhancing the learning experience. Therefore, universities who use technology think of producing graduates who not only have up to date information but also good working experience and creativity. Mechanical engineering is one important area of engineering. Students of mechanical engineering require practice and live experiments on complex machines and tools. Unfortunately, certain machines are hard to purchase or to make available for learning purposes. In addition, difficult and detailed topics need advanced explanations and well prepared introductions in order to assist students in better understanding the topic. Such situations require technology and multimedia to support its delivery of information. Two methods will be applied in this research in the progress of collecting the necessary information, preparing the animation design and finally analyzing the findings. The first method is the empirical research and the second method is the heuristic evaluation. Both the regression and factor analysis methods are adopted. The final results show that the majority of level four mechanical engineering students agreed and preferred using animation technology in their studies. In this study, the researcher discusses the multimedia technology in education and mechanical engineering education. Practically, the researcher designs a short animated presenting of a mechanical engine which is provided in the questionnaire to assist students in the evaluation. Following this, the collected data is analyzed using the two aforementioned methods. In conclusion, it is believed that the animated presentation of each individual part of a machine, no matter how complex it may be, will enhance student learning capabilities compared to traditional methods of learning.