Harish Narayanan: Towards Mechanics Academy

We will take a look at ideas for Mechanics Academy (MA), a freely-accessible web-based resource for anyone aiming to learn mechanics.

Harish Narayanan is at SIMULA.

Continuum mechanics theory gives us the potential to understand phenomena that are amazingly diverse and important---from the fracture and failure of structures, to the dynamics of atmospheric circulation to the behaviour of soft biological tissue. This makes it a topic that is extremely relevant to industry and society.

In this talk, we will take a look at ideas for Mechanics Academy (MA), a freely-accessible web-based resource for anyone aiming to learn mechanics. The talk will begin with a brief summary of the recent state of online learning initiatives, to emphasise the need for a resource such as MA and to motivate some of its design. We will then take a look at how the technology underlying MA allows students on the site to experiment with hands-on simulation, giving them a more concrete understanding of the material and its application potential. Finally, the talk will close with some interesting research questions that open up while working on the technology and pedagogy for such a resource.

Published Oct. 9, 2012 10:33 AM - Last modified Apr. 22, 2014 1:26 PM