This study intends to determine the demand for instructional materials that must be created for the mechanical engineering education program at Semarang State University’s Faculty of Engineering’s machining practicum course. Practical exercises using manual machine tools, lathes, and milling machines are part of the machining practicum course. The management of the mechanical engineering education study program, the instructors, and the students themselves served as the research subjects. Employing observation logs and student survey forms to retrieve research data. The lack of a textbook that might serve as a reference during the practicum was revealed to be the main challenge in the machining practicum lectures from the findings of observations and interviews with administrators and lecturers, It was demonstrated that one of the challenges in the machining practicum lectures was the lack of a textbook that could serve as a reference during the practicum’s learning process. According to the study of the student questionnaire, textbooks are the primary teaching tools that students require, and they also offer information on machines and the procedures involved in mechanical practicum activities. This research is a preliminary investigation into the creation of textbooks for the engineering practice course.