Multi-disciplinary Hands-on Desktop Learning Modules and Modern Pedagogies

Abstract

Multi-Disciplinary Hands-on Desktop Learning Modules and Modern PedagogiesThis research focuses on fundamental problems in undergraduate education in terms of how toexpand use of well researched, yet still “new”, teaching pedagogies of ‘sensing’ or ‘hands-on’,‘active’ and ‘problem-based learning’ within engineering courses. It is now widely accepted thattraditional lectures ARE NOT best for students – yet that is what the community almostuniversally does.To address this issue we are developing new Desktop Learning Modules (DLMs) that containminiaturized processes with a uniquely expandable high powered components electronicsystem to contend with known sensor systems/removable cartridges, as well as, unknownexpansions to the project. We have shown that miniaturized mimics of industrial-scaleequipment produce process data that agree with correlations developed for large scaleequipment. We are now adapting concepts shown efficacious in a single chemical engineeringcourse to a variety of engineering classes within civil, mechanical, bio- and electricalengineering. Some examples of new hands-on learning applications in chemical engineeringinclude a boiler / condenser and evaporative and shell & tube heat exchangers. Inbioengineering, we are developing prognostic devices for separating Prostate Cancer TumorCells (PCTCs) from blood, sensing for the presence of PCTCs, a thermoregulation simulatedlimb cartridge for studying kinematics of heat flow and heat distribution in human extremities,and immunoaffinity neuron-like ion selective electrodes. In civil engineering the DLMs illustrateopen channel flow units and a solar powered Rankine cycle is underway in mechanicalengineering.We are implementing DLMs along with team learning pedagogy and will present theexperimental design for a chemical engineering course in fluid mechanics and heat transfer,which includes a pre- and post-test assessment to determine improvement in understandingbasic concepts, and use of taxonometric analysis and surveys.