This project at Washington State University (WSU) will improve learning in undergraduate engineering education by helping to graduate engineers that are capable of applying their knowledge in synthesis of new designs, evaluating design alternatives, and integrating information. The project will create ultra-low-cost desktop experiments with which engineering students can conduct investigations to learn fundamental principles of fluid mechanics and heat transfer. Fluid mechanics and heat transfer are areas of engineering science that are studied in many engineering disciplines including aerospace, biomedical, chemical, civil, environmental, and mechanical engineering. The ultra-low-cost of the experiments will make it possible for engaging investigations to be integrated widely throughout fluid mechanics and heat transfer courses. With a target cost comparable to a textbook, these experiments will make it possible for teams of students to pursue their own investigations of fluids and heat transfer phenomenon. This Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) project will result in an array of simple, inexpensive, easy to use experiments and companion materials that cover fundamental aspects of fluid flow and heat transfer.
This project will build on earlier NSF-supported work at Washington State University which established the effectiveness of the use of desktop experiments compared to traditional lectures and laboratories. Four experiments are planned for manufacture: a venturi nozzle, a pipe flow experiment, a concentric tube heat exchanger, and a shell and tube heat exchanger. The experiments chosen model actual industrial equipment that students can analyze at multiple levels from simple correlations accessible to first year students, to the use of sophisticated engineering principles and tools in advanced course work. The small desk-top experiments will be able to be used in standard classrooms or comparable work areas. To achieve cost and portability targets, the project will utilize design for manufacture techniques and take advantage of new manufacturing modalities such as rapid prototyping through 3-D printing and vacuum forming. Evaluation will assess the direct benefits of the research on student learning outcomes, integrating both qualitative and quantitative data. Data concerning the efficacy of the ultra-low-cost fluid mechanics and heat transfer experiments will be collected and analyzed as part of the project. Conceptual understanding will be measured at several levels of Bloom's taxonomy. Also measured will be improvements in critical thinking, significant learning based on Fink's taxonomy, and transfer of knowledge to novel situations. These ultra-low-cost experiments will create opportunities to measure gaps in understanding and student misconceptions.
