Upper Peninsula Teaching & Learning Conference - 2026

Engineering curricula are often structured around a sequence of core theory courses complemented by practice-based classes intended to develop professional skills, design intuition, and applied problem-solving. In practice, however, these two components are frequently experienced by students as disconnected or even competing elements of their education. This disconnect can limit students’ ability to transfer theoretical knowledge to real-world contexts and reduces the perceived value of both course types.


In response, the author describes a personal, instructor-driven approach to intentionally linking practice-based courses with core curriculum content, specifically within dynamics and vibrations. Practice classes are structured to allow for investigation and tinkering in mechanical engineering. Laboratory exercises, measurement activities, and semester long projects are deliberately aligned with topics currently being covered in dynamics, mechanics, and fluids classes, allowing students to discover physics phenomenon in some cases, and apply analytical tools in physical contexts in others. At the same time, examples in practice-based courses are carried back into core classes, where they are used to motivate theoretical development and highlight modeling assumptions.


Evidence from student feedback, course artifacts, and performance on integrative assessments suggests that this alignment improves conceptual understanding, increases student confidence in applying theory, and strengthens connections between analysis and engineering judgment. Students report a clearer sense of purpose in both course types and greater engagement when theoretical content is immediately contextualized through hands-on application. The results highlight the value of instructor-led curricular integration and offer practical, scalable methods for faculty seeking to better connect theory and practice within engineering education.