Learning benefits by integrating design, manufacturing, and testing in a course for compressible flow visualizations

Abstract

Although engineering is by nature an applied and interdisciplinary field, courses in engineering can lead even the best students to develop knowledge that is disconnected from other related fields and from conditions of application. This paper describes an innovative undergraduate course that integrated the theory of shock waves, computational modeling, experimental testing, and science of sustainable manufacturing. The course supported better visualization of mechanical and aerospace engineering phenomena, such as shock waves in supersonic gas flows, by utilizing the hydraulic analogy of shallow water and a simple water table. Airfoil design and manufacture were integrated through aerospace and manufacturing theory and application. For the first course offering, student learning was assessed with regard to their views of engineering, learning experience, and transfer of learning. The course proved to increase self-efficacy as engineers, as well as their self-reported confidence in working comfortably on multi-disciplinary teams. Furthermore, scenario-based assessments confirmed that the students were able to integrate aerospace and manufacturing theory and application within new scenarios.

Teaching and assessing strategies for an undergraduate manufacturing processes course: Experiences of 9 years

“…Linke 22 introduces an innovative course design that is based on integrating theory of a topic, computational modeling, experimental testing, and science of manufacturing. The interdisciplinary and project-based teaching approach is proven to bridge the theory-application gap.…”

“…On the other hand, agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored coalitions in the United States and the United Kingdom Employment Department's Enterprise in Higher Education Initiative may influence the professional organizations. Kardanova et al 14 7 Usher and Barak, 8 Linke et al 22 2018, 2018, 2020 Example-based learning Sanchez-Gomez 9 2020…”

Classroom demonstration of a stagnation flow using cell phone-captured particle image velocimetry data

“…3,4 Special attention has been given to flow visualization demonstrations, which utilize the appealing visual nature of flowing fluid to encourage students' interest in the subject. [5][6][7][8] Pedagogy in fluid mechanics courses can benefit from a hands-on demonstration using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), which combines the visual representation of the flow with quantitative analysis. This classroom exercise would promote active learning 9 and demonstrate a modern experimental technique to students.…”