TOOLS AND TOYS FOR TEACHING DESIGN OF EXPERIMENTS METHODOLOGY

ABSTRACT: It is recognized that the factorial approach first introduced by R.A. Fisher is the correct and scientific approach in conducting multi-factored experiments. In this paper, an approach that uses specially designed toys and software that allow students to conduct multi-factored experiments, analyze the data collected, and do follow-up experiments, is described. Several physical and software toys and how they are used in a course on experimental design for engineers will be presented. The software available to analyze and present the data is also discussed. It is hoped that these toys and tools will help facilitate the teaching and learning of proper design of experiment methodologies