@inproceedings{79,
  author = {James Baleshta},
  title = {Increasing Student Practical Experience with the Hurdle of Large Class Sizes},
  abstract = {<p>Many students entering Mechanical or Mechatronics Engineering (MME) at the University of Waterloo (UWaterloo) have limited hands-on skills and lack practical technical knowledge. Student surveys cite a desire for increased practical experience within the curriculum.This paper presents an initiative to address this issue. A keychain project was designed to involve all first year MME students in a practical (hands-on) activity that would foster competence with machinery. This objective proved difficult to implement due to large student enrollment, where scheduling, supervision, and resources were all significant challenges. However, as a result of this experience, over 400 engineering students were provided early exposure to the Student Machine Shop, creating a desire and confidence to pursue additional experience.This program is expected to continue at UWaterloo and become a component of a wider engineering clinic initiative. The methodology and key takeaways will be discussed herein.</p>
},
  year = {2014},
  journal = {Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA)},
  url = {https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/PCEEA/article/view/5867},
  doi = {10.24908/pceea.v0i0.5867},
}