Students enjoyed learning about different areas of mechanical engineering from experts in the field. They also liked learning to use MATLAB, which would be useful for future courses. Students said some of the lectures were boring and some of the material was too easy. They also said the lecture topics were disjointed from class to class. Students suggested doing more MATLAB demonstrations in class and covering more advanced material. This course may be useful to students who are unsure of whether they want to study mechanical engineering. While the MATLAB component may be chal enging, the course is overall not difficult, as it doesn’t cover the material in much depth.

Students felt that the best aspect of this course was having a variety of guest speakers who spoke of the opportunities in the field of Mechanical Engineering. However, some students thought the course could be boring, and also said that the program MATLAB was difficult to master. Suggestions for improvement included spending more time going over MATLAB to make sure students understand it. Prospective students should know that the coursework was light, but students had to make sure they understood how to use MATLAB in order to be successful in the course.

Several aspects of this course stood out to students as their favorite element. Some students thought that the best aspect of the class was the introduction to MATLAB. Others appreciated the engaging approach of the instructor and the design project. Students also felt the course was a useful introduction to the mechanical engineering profession. Students argued the course’s weakest aspect was that at times the progression of material in the course seemed scattered. Students thought that the class could benefit from more guidance and demonstrations in class for assignments and exams, especially help for programming with MATLAB. Students thought it was important for potential participants to know that some prior experience with programming could be helpful for this course.