A university engineering professor is using The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to help teach his students the basics of building.
Months after the initial release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, players are still finding new ways to get the most out of the RPG. A professor at the University of Maryland recently uploaded a YouTube video explaining the fundamentals of his new class and how the latest Zelda game is helping him teach his students.
"I felt like we had this unique opportunity to help students advance their understanding and knowledge of machine design and engineering," Professor Sochol said. "What surprised me, as I was playing through the game, was the unexpected emphasis on machine design and engineering."
Professor Sochol's students are encouraged to use The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to advance their machine design and engineering knowledge by experimenting with the building tools and Link's new Ultrahand ability.
The pilot course is currently designed for second-year undergraduate students in mechanical engineering. Then, everyone is divided into groups and is given a Nintendo Switch and a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Students must complete various tasks such as solving specific problems within the Nintendo game and investigating elements of particular machines. Students were also given construction challenges to help develop their engineering know-how. For example: one class was asked to design a transforming bioinspired amphibious robotic vehicle, i.e. a vehicle that is a car and a boat.
"We believe this pilot course is just the beginning," Professor Sochol said. "We want to leverage the special opportunity in [The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom...] to provide a reasonably authentic and relevant learning experience for students to inspire a lasting interest and confidence in machine design and engineering."
It's great to see one of the best Nintendo Switch games being used in such a helpful and interesting way, and hopefully, this pilot course will continue to educate and inspire students of all kinds.
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