Enhancing the Undergraduate Educational Experience: Development of a Micro-Gas Turbine Laboratory

Fosheim, Jesse; Gagné, Andréanne; Johnson, Peter; Thomas, Bernd

doi:10.7227/ijmee.0015

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Their implementation is costly and time consuming, but they receive very positive feedback by the students. 18,19 To reduce time and cost, their development can also be initiated as part of student projects. 20 An alternative is a capstone design project, which can combine the development of interpersonal skills and the technical engineering design knowledge, 21 and typically is a large part of a course.…”

Section: Enhancing Student Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reforming heat and power technology course using student feedback to enhance learning experience

Aslanidou

Zimmerman

Pontika

et al. 2020

International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education

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The main outcomes of an engineering course should be for the students to achieve the educational goals, enhance their problem solving capabilities and develop essential skills for their future career. In that context, it is important to understand what motivates the students and what helps them develop an engineering mind-set. This paper discusses the improvement of a course with the use of student feedback to motivate students and help them develop essential skills. The purpose of the paper is to provide insight into how different aspects of the course are linked to the students’ growth. Different activities have been integrated in the course over the past years. The effect these have on the student motivation to follow the course and develop skills, knowledge and interest in the subject is discussed through the analysis of student performance, student feedback and the experience of the lecturers. The improvements in the course based on the student feedback were received positively by the students, whose learning experience improved, even though the workload of the course was high. Their motivation to successfully complete the course has also increased through the changes in the delivery of the course and the support by the teachers. The combination of student feedback and teacher experience is key for the improvement of a course, while ensuring that the students develop their engineering knowledge. Therefore, the teachers should strike a balance between helping the students find the solution and encouraging them to think on their own in order to develop essential skills.

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Section: Enhancing Student Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reforming heat and power technology course using student feedback to enhance learning experience

Aslanidou

Zimmerman

Pontika

et al. 2020

International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education

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“…HPL is a one-credit laboratory course where students must synthesise concepts from thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and heat transfer and apply these conceptual models to real systems. 4 Through analysis of the de Laval nozzle experiment, students witness the thermofluid concepts explained earlier in the sophomore-level thermodynamics I (Thermo I) and the junior-level fluid mechanics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2 Faculty at Valparaiso University have consistently felt that the value of these is worth the expense. 3,4 The basis for this rationale is due to the thought that students in experimental laboratories are better able to connect observation to theory, especially when that theory feels abstract to the students.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An improved de Laval nozzle experiment

Goodman

Leege

Johnson

2021

International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education

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Exposing students to hands-on experiments has been a common approach to illustrating complex physical phenomena that have been otherwise modelled solely mathematically. Compressible, isentropic flow in a duct is an example of such a phenomenon, and it is often demonstrated via a de Laval nozzle experiment. We have improved an existing converging/diverging nozzle experiment so that students can modify the location of the normal shock that develops in the diverging portion to better understand the relationship between the shock and the pressure. We have also improved the data acquisition system for this experiment and explained how visualisation of the standing shock is now possible. The results of the updated system demonstrate that the accuracy of the isentropic flow characteristics has not been lost. Through pre- and post-laboratory quizzes, we show the impact on student learning as well.

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“…The idea of using a hands-on training for educational purposes is not new. [10][11][12] It was actually applauded by both the teachers and the students, offering better understanding of the studied subject. 13,14 In order to restore the machine tool to its full functionality, the calculation of the internal gear ratios of the hobbing machine was essential.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A mathematically assisted methodology for the experimental calculation of the internal gear ratios to extend the lifecycle of a hobbing machine

Sakaridis

Ntourmas

Athanasopoulos

et al. 2017

International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education

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Manufacturing of gears can be achieved with various methods, including the cutting of gears in a hobbing machine. The function of such a machine tool is based on a combination of timing gears which synchronize all moving components accurately. Variations in the synchronization, which alter the geometric features of the gear being cut, are achieved via external gearboxes with interchangeable gears. Thus, precise knowledge of the change gears that correspond to the desired gear geometry is essential in order to operate the machine tool properly. The hobbing machine examined in this paper had remained unused for years, without a manual to indicate the correct use of the external gearboxes. The task was to render the machine tool functional by devising an experimental procedure for the calculation of the internal gear ratios and the correct combination of change gears, making use only of simple tools. The project was carried out successfully and proved to be an excellent case study to delve into the manufacturing as well as the use of gears. The documentation of the whole procedure and a short explanatory video are integrated within the educational aids of a relative course in the School of Mechanical Engineering 1. The nature of gear drivetrains themselves, in particular the fact that all gear ratios are ratios of integer numbers; this is not true, for example, for belt drives.

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Enhancing the Undergraduate Educational Experience: Development of a Micro-Gas Turbine Laboratory

Cited by 5 publications

References 3 publications

Reforming heat and power technology course using student feedback to enhance learning experience

Reforming heat and power technology course using student feedback to enhance learning experience

An improved de Laval nozzle experiment

A mathematically assisted methodology for the experimental calculation of the internal gear ratios to extend the lifecycle of a hobbing machine

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