This project involves the implementation of equipment in developing nontraditional course materials for the Thermal Science and Aerospace Engineering programs. These innovations extensively utilize a discovery-oriented learning environment in the Mechanical Engineering Department known as the Discovery Classroom. In the Discovery Classroom, the traditional lecture hall has been redefined to include a multimedia classroom, an adjoining experimental laboratory, and computational facilities to create a unique environment where nontraditional learning can take place. The Discovery Classroom emphasizes an integrated approach to engineering education by simultaneously exposing students to different analysis techniques (theoretical, computational, and experimental) on a daily basis. The course materials employed are developing student awareness of the interrelated nature of the different analysis techniques; the advantages, limitations, and appropriate context for the use of each; and the practical incorporation of these techniques into the engineering design process. This innovative approach is redefining several basic thermal fluid science courses at the sophomore level. Innovations consist of (1) nontraditional lectures that utilize the experimental apparatus and computer simulations directly in the lecture hall of the Discovery Classroom, (2) interactive classroom exercises in which students compare real-time data from the in-class experiments and simulations to developed theory concurrently, and (3) open-ended design projects emphasizing rapid prototyping and experimental evaluation of candidate designs. The major equipment used in this project includes several heat transfer apparatuses, a potential flow table, a flow visualization system, a data acquisition system and several computer workstations with software. In addition to its use in the Discovery Classroom, the equipment can also support a new Heat Transfer Laboratory.
