Designing an O-Wing Glider
Summary
How can I build an O-Wing glider that will fly the farthest? Teams of secondary mathematics preservice teaching candidates used the engineering design process and mathematical modeling to improve on the basic design of an O-Wing glider. The modeling teams collaboratively used iteration to improve their control glider by first working together to develop an engineering plan that tests design modifications to a control glider; Next, team members individually tested different modifications and reporting their findings to the team; and Finally, the team members collaborated to implement information from the individual reports and test their final model design.
Context
Audience
This project is the second engineering modeling activity in a STEM preservice teacher education course called Functions and Modeling, which is a required course of the UTeach model for undergraduate STEM teacher education (UTeach Institute). This course is specifically for secondary mathematics teacher candidates.
Skills and concepts that students must have mastered
The topics in this course are presented in a "discovery-based" format so that the teacher candidates learn how to design models connected to mathematical functions. The course synthesizes topics from the K-12 secondary mathematics curriculum with university-level mathematics. This course has four modeling projects of which O-Wing Gliders is the second. In the first modeling project, preservice candidates learned how to ask and test questions to design a mathematical model for a real-world problem. Also, they were introduced to the engineering design process with specific focus on using a real-world prototype to inform the alignment between a mathematical model and real-world problem.
How the activity is situated in the course
In this modeling project, candidates focus on collaborating in engineering teams to improve the design of their prototype glider through testing and iteration. To reflect on the engineering design process, students used a CANVAS (Learning Management System) discussion board to collaborate about design iterations and test results. Since the students are mathematics teacher candidates, they also reflected on mathematics concepts and procedures used to design, test, and improve the prototype glider. Technology plays an important role in the designing, testing, and reporting of the design process, because the course was completely on-line and the materials needed to be easily obtained at home. All of the collaboration and presentation was done in an asynchronous online format without in-person interaction.
Goals
Content/concepts goals for this activity
Students (preservice candidates) can identify and state a hypothesis with a single independent variable related to improving the team prototype with a common dependent variable.
Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity
Students can collaborate in an engineering team using iteration to improve a prototype model.
Other skills goals for this activity
Students can test their hypothesis and report the results to the team.
Description and Teaching Materials
All instruction and participation was done virtually using a CANVAS platform; students were introduced to O-Wing gliders by watching an introductory video and reading the attached CANVAS Modeling Project Description. Within this CANVAS page, students were reminded of the engineering process by looking at the Engineering Design Process graphic and watching the Engineering Design Process: A Taco Party video. Additional optional resources to inform and motivate testing and iteration of O-Wing Gliders were linked on CANVAS, and included a video of aerodynamic basics, design principles of O-Wing Gliders, and a lesson example of testing possibilities from the ABC ScienceOnline designed by Ruben Meerman in 2004.
The project problem: Design an O-Wing glider that flies the farthest, with the following parameters on materials and release of the gliders: Maximum of 100 square feet of folder paper, 3 straws, 3 paper clips, and scotch tape. The gliders are release 1.5 m above the floor and thrust of 45° elbow bend.
The engineering modeling design task is separated into two parts, a group and an individual investigation. Even though they are related, they were assessed separately. An example of the CANVAS O-Wing Glider Group Discussion Board is attached. This is the medium groups used to design and test their iterations of a control glider. Group members used the Discussion Board to plan and report results from individual projects to promote a team iterative process. The group results and assessment are documented on final project presentation assignment. An example of this CANVAS page is attached along with the template for the Final Project Presentation. Each group presented both video and written documentation of their final model and the process used to arrive at this final design.
CANVAS O-Wing Glider Modeling Project (Acrobat (PDF) 871kB Aug4 20)
CANVAS O-Wing Glider Group Discussion Board (Acrobat (PDF) 413kB Aug4 20)
CANVAS Final Modeling Project Presentations (Acrobat (PDF) 443kB Aug4 20)
Template for Individual Testing Report (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 13kB Aug4 20)
Template for Final Modeling Design Presentation (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 14kB Aug4 20)
The project problem: Design an O-Wing glider that flies the farthest, with the following parameters on materials and release of the gliders: Maximum of 100 square feet of folder paper, 3 straws, 3 paper clips, and scotch tape. The gliders are release 1.5 m above the floor and thrust of 45° elbow bend.
The engineering modeling design task is separated into two parts, a group and an individual investigation. Even though they are related, they were assessed separately. An example of the CANVAS O-Wing Glider Group Discussion Board is attached. This is the medium groups used to design and test their iterations of a control glider. Group members used the Discussion Board to plan and report results from individual projects to promote a team iterative process. The group results and assessment are documented on final project presentation assignment. An example of this CANVAS page is attached along with the template for the Final Project Presentation. Each group presented both video and written documentation of their final model and the process used to arrive at this final design.
CANVAS O-Wing Glider Modeling Project (Acrobat (PDF) 871kB Aug4 20)
CANVAS O-Wing Glider Group Discussion Board (Acrobat (PDF) 413kB Aug4 20)
CANVAS Final Modeling Project Presentations (Acrobat (PDF) 443kB Aug4 20)
Template for Individual Testing Report (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 13kB Aug4 20)
Template for Final Modeling Design Presentation (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 14kB Aug4 20)
Teaching Notes and Tips
As mentioned earlier, this engineering modeling project was taught completely on-line when students were not able to collaborate in person. Since one of the goals of this modeling project was team collaboration, extra planning was given to eliciting student discourse. To motivate and engage students in the engineering design process of an O-Wing glider the instructor made an introductory video to supplement the webpage (see top of CANVAS Modeling Project Description document). In the video, the instructor modeled how to use the CANVAS group discussion board to facilitate and record modeling idea and their investigation results. To design, test, and improve their model through iteration most groups organized their own zoom or face-time meetings. Students were encouraged to record and share these meeting as documentation of their team engineering modeling work.
Assessment
The students are assessed individually using the discussion board. There was two parts to this assessment: 1. Students' ability to test and report their individual iterative process. 2. Students' participation in a team collaboration to design, test, and improved the design of a glider prototype using iteration.
The students were also assessed as a group using the final project presentation, which consisted of two parts: 1. Video of three trials documenting proper launching and measuring. 2. Written final report documenting the data from the trial flights, analysis of those flights, picture of the glider, material specifications (constraints), and explanation how the iterative process is used to design an improved glider flight.
The students were also assessed as a group using the final project presentation, which consisted of two parts: 1. Video of three trials documenting proper launching and measuring. 2. Written final report documenting the data from the trial flights, analysis of those flights, picture of the glider, material specifications (constraints), and explanation how the iterative process is used to design an improved glider flight.
References and Resources
Engineering Design Process: A Taco Party, (2017), YouTube, https://youtu.be/MAhpfFt_mWM
The Engineering design Process Poster, (2017), learning-next.com
Ring-Wing Glider, (2011) episode of O Wow Moment featuring Mr. O, YouTube, https://youtu.be/Kn40S5mQ_PE
Lesson example of an O-Wing Glider investigation was used to facilitate investigation ideas: Meerman, Ruben (204) Lesson 6, The "O-Wing" Experiment, ABC Science Online, abc,net.au/science
Vincenti, Walter (1986), The Davis Wing and the Problem of Airfoil Design: Uncertainty and Growth in Engineering Knowledge, Technology and Culture, Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 717-758 (42)