Search for: All records

Low-Cost Desktop Learning Modules (LCDLMs) are innovative, affordable educational tools designed to enhance hands-on learning experiences in engineering education. Previous studies have shown the effectiveness of LCDLMs in promoting engineering student engagement and learning outcomes. The present study further explored whether different types of LCDLMs could influence student engagement and learning outcomes differently. This study compared four LCDLMs (i.e., Double Pipe, Hydraulic Loss, Shell & Tube, and Venturi). In total, 2190 undergraduate and graduate students from 29 universities in the United States participated in this study. Results of this study showed that the Shell & Tube module significantly outperformed the Hydraulic Loss and Venturi modules in promoting enhancements in student Active scores. However, no significant differences were observed between the Double Pipe module and the other modules on Active scores. Moreover, the Hydraulic Loss module led to significantly higher knowledge growth compared to the Double Pipe, Shell & Tube, and Venturi modules. 

Over the past seven years, our team has disseminated low-cost hands-on learning hardware and associated worksheets in fluid mechanics and heat transfer to provide engineering students with an interactive learning experience. Previous studies have shown (1-5) the efficacy of teaching students with an active learning approach versus a more traditional lecture setup, with a number of approaches already available, such as simple active discussion, think-pair-share, flipped classrooms, etc. Our approach is differentiated by the inclusion of hardware to add both a visual aid and an opportunity for hands-on experimentation while keep the costs low enough for a classroom setting. Learning with a hands-on, interactive approach is supported by social cognitive theory (SCT) (6-7) and information processing theory (8). Unlike earlier views of learning theory, which simply posit that the key to learning is repetition, social cognitive theory considers the agency of the student and the social aspects of learning. The primary assumption of SCT is that students are active participants in the learning process, acquiring and displaying knowledge, skills, and behaviors that align with their goals through a process called triadic reciprocal causation, illustrated in figure 1. 

Not AActive, hands-on learning is essential for engineering education, fostering deep engagement and enhancing knowledge retention. This multi-institutional study investigates how different instructional methods—Hands-On, Virtual, and Lecture-only—combined with four distinct Low-Cost Desktop Learning Modules (LCDLMs: Hydraulic Loss, Double Pipe, Shell & Tube, and Venturi Meter) affect student engagement and learning outcomes. Anchored in the ICAP framework (Interactive, Constructive, Active, Passive), the study measured cognitive engagement through direct observations, virtual screen recordings, and self-reported surveys. It assessed learning gains using normalized pre- and post-tests among 2,316 undergraduate engineering students from eight universities. Results indicate that virtual instruction yields significantly higher learning gains, while the Shell & Tube module enhances active engagement through tangible, hands-on experiences. In contrast, the Hydraulic Loss module demonstrates the greatest impact on quantitative knowledge growth. These findings underscore the potential of integrating virtual simulations with physical learning tools to optimize instructional design in engineering education. Implications for future research include refining measurement instruments and exploring the long-term effects of hybrid instructional models. 

Hands-on, active learning in engineering courses fosters deeper understanding, collaboration, and social skills for students. This paper reports on the design, fabrication, and testing of a transparent miniaturized shell-and-tube heat exchanger module for engineering thermo-fluids classes. This module was also implemented for in-class heat exchanger instruction, where students (sample size, N = 75) conducted hands-on experiments following the instructions provided in the associated worksheet, participated in pre-tests and post-tests, analyzed the experimental data, and provided their feedback through motivational surveys. The performance test data obtained from the developed desktop heat exchanger module shows that the experimental heat transfer rates are in good agreement with theoretically predicted values calculated based on the standard correlations and assumptions. The pre-test and post-test assessments show that the use of this miniaturized shell-and-tube heat exchanger module in classroom instruction improves fundamental understanding of the heat exchange process and enhances student comprehension of complex phenomena of fluid flow patterns and heat transfer in the different parts of the heat exchanger. The motivational assessments demonstrate the module’s efficacy in elucidating the underlying heat transfer mechanisms and facilitating active engagement. The developed low-cost, handson heat exchanger can be used in undergraduate thermo-fluids engineering education for visualizing and better understanding of heat transfer principles, enhancing engagement of students, improving retention of fundamental concepts, and finally bridging the gap between theoretical abstractions and real-world applications. 

In this study we examined the first-time use of a miniaturized fluidized bed module in a chemical engineering classroom. Learning activities were developed to foster learning at the higher levels of Bloom's taxonomy and within the ICAP framework to provide interactive, constructive, and active engagement to promote a deeper understanding of concepts. A hands-on activity facilitated by a desktop-scale fluidized bed and reinforcing printed worksheet materials was deployed within a 50-minute class to encourage student engagement. Results from module performance tests compare well to predictions based on theoretical models suggesting this tool can effectively demonstrate fundamental concepts related to pressure loss in a packed bed, minimum fluidization velocity, constant pressure drop in a fluidized bed, bed expansion and repacking below a top screen. Pre- and Posttests 1 and 2 show student learning was significantly improved after pre-homework and the hands-on activity compared to the learning after the lecture alone. Student responses to two open-ended questions on Pre- and Posttests 1 and 2 allowed us to identify persisting student misconceptions about packed and fluidized beds. Suggestions for future work to repair these misconceptions are included in this study.