The Challenges of Teaching Finite Element Analysis in the Undergraduate Curriculum

The widespread availability of commercial FEA software in the academic institutions and pressure from industry to include it in the modern undergraduate curriculum has resulted in unique challenges in teaching the topic to undergraduate students who may or may not be adequately prepared to handle the subject. The present expository paper shares the author’s experiences in delivering the FEA subject to university students both at the undergraduate and the graduate levels. The most common pitfalls for the understanding of the tool, particularly by the undergraduate students are highlighted. Keywords—undergraduate curriculum, finite element analysis, commercial software, mechanics. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): http://dx.doi.org/10.18687/LACCEI2016.1.1.028 ISBN: 978-0-9822896-9-3 ISSN: 2414-6390