Typical assignments in a traditional dynamics course often do little to motivate students or to give them an indication of how they would use the material in a future job situation. Many instructors are now attempting to provide motivational projects, hands-on demonstrations, and even laboratory assignments to increase understanding and motivation. To help provide motivation and real-world context in our dynamics course, we have implemented an Accident Reconstruction Model-Eliciting Activity (MEA). MEAs originated in the math education community. They focus on the process of problem solving and model development, rather than just a final answer. The originators of MEAs propose six primary principles to develop new problems 1 . These principles support and encourage open-ended problems in a realistic engineering context. By requiring students to apply problem-solving and modeling skills, MEAs promote long term retention of concepts. The Accident Reconstruction MEA asks student teams to create a new procedure that police in Sri Lanka can use when determining if a driver was speeding just prior to the accident. When first implemented, students were tasked with developing a step-by-step procedure, keeping in mind that the police were the end user/customer. Although students were free to create a computer program, the teams rarely did so. During the fall 2010 quarter, students were instructed to create an Excel file with a user’s manual to perform the analysis. The paper will discuss student surveys, comparison of exam performance, responses on reflection exercises, and performance on the Dynamics Concept Inventory.