Learning material for creating free-body diagrams within technical mechanics

Mapped principles 

The project is mapped to the following framework principles:

P1. Essential knowledge of the subject

P3. Active student-centred learning 

P4. Assessment and examination for learning 

P9. A developing educational culture 

Definitions of the principles

This project is implemented at the School Engineering Sciences (SCI) within the Future Education programme (project no. 2321-SCI).

Contact

Arne Nordmark associate professor

nordmark@kth.se , 087907192

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Carl Dahlberg researcher

carldahl@kth.se , 087907544

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Project context  

Students' ability to create free-body diagrams in technical mechanics has a major impact on student completion, as this ability is key to reaching the learning objectives in both first and second-cycle courses in mechanics, solid mechanics and related subjects. For many years, students have had difficulties in acquiring this ability. This was a project within the Future Education programme back in 2023, but it did not get off the ground at that time. Now we renew the project organisation to make a new effort. The need for the project remains significant, as we see that students still need to improve this ability, which would facilitate for the mechanics courses and the subsequent courses that depend on them. 

Purpose (outcome) 

The project’s main aim is to improve students' ability to create free- body diagrams in technical mechanics. In doing so, we want to achieve: 

• Increased student completion in all basic courses in mechanics and solid mechanics  

• Increased student completion in advanced courses in technical mechanics and related subjects  

• Increased insight among teachers about students' ability to deconstruct and the reasons for difficulties in developing this ability  

• Increased collaboration between teachers in different courses but within the same department. 

Project results (output) 

• Selected platform for the digital tool, with sufficient functionality for automatic feedback and systematic follow-up (learning analytics) 

• Collected task examples that train the ability to create free-body diagrams, with sorting of examples based on progression level 

• Digital learning material with created tasks that

  • provide students with feedback and guidance in their learning

  • can be shared by multiple teachers and provide the opportunity for systematic follow-up (learning analytics)  

• Results follow-up after use of the digital tool. 

Time plan 

Start date: 2025-05-15
End date: 2026-06-30 

Project documentation 

If you have a KTH ID, you can read the latest project documents on OneDrive when logged in:

• Poster: The project’s first poster (in Swedish) will be available at the ”Storträffen” meetup on 2025-12-01

• Project initiation document: Projektdirektiv_FrU25_2321-SCI_Lärmaterial_friläggning_250909.pdf (Swedish)