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     Research Journal of Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology

    Abstract
2014(Vol.7, Issue:19)
Article Information:

Engineering Graphics Education: Webcomics as a Tool to Improve Weaker Students’ Motivation

Riccardo Metraglia and Valerio Villa
Corresponding Author:  Riccardo Metraglia 
Submitted: December 13, 2013
Accepted: December 23, 2013
Published: May 15, 2014
Abstract:
In engineering colleges, first-year students come from different kinds of high school and have different technical backgrounds. In engineering graphics courses, the weaker students are the ones entering with a lower technical background. Such students are less motivated and have generally difficulties in keeping high their attention level during the lessons. In this study, the use of a webcomics structured in graphic novels was experimented as a motivational support in an engineering graphics course. Sixty nine students of a class taught by using webcomics as support and 47 students of a class taught traditionally were classified according to the kind of their high school of provenience: technical; scientific; non-technical and non-scientific. The findings showed that in the class where webcomics were used, students from non-technical and non-scientific high school scored a higher level of attention compared to others. The teacher who used the webcomics commented it an effective tool to encourage and stimulate weaker learners to actively participate to the lessons and the majority of students agreed such tool was stimulating. At the same time, some students considered the webcomics representation of engineering graphics topics as too far from the reality. It is concluded that the use of webcomics structured in graphic novels is a proficient way to better motivate weaker students to arouse and keep their attention at a high level during engineering graphics lessons.

Key words:  Comic strips, engineering education, graphic novels, teaching, technical drawing, ,
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Cite this Reference:
Riccardo Metraglia and Valerio Villa, . Engineering Graphics Education: Webcomics as a Tool to Improve Weaker Students’ Motivation. Research Journal of Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology, (19): 4106-4114.
ISSN (Online):  2040-7467
ISSN (Print):   2040-7459
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