Oct. 23, 2020
Robabeh Jazaei, a Slippery Rock University assistant professor of physics and engineering, recently wrote a book titled “Fluid Mechanics Experiments” that was published by Morgan Claypool Publishers.
Jazaei’s book is a graphical lab manual for a fluid mechanics laboratory. In it, she introduces a hands-on learning environment to stimulate a deeper interest in fluid mechanics.
The book is available for purchase on the Morgan Claypool Publishers website.
Abstract
Many topics in STEM domains are considerably difficult for students at the university level. Innovative pedagogy fosters an inclusive learning environment that invites all students from any background and culture to contribute and be engaged in the classroom. Creating a visual explanation works as a powerful tool for students in the learning process of a complex and abstract concept. We compared students’ outcomes from two groups of students in junior-level class and lab; fluid mechanics. One group of students was given a two-page lab manual with verbal explanation and the second group was given three to four pages of the graphical lab manual. The lab observation during seven fluid mechanics experiments revealed that the students with graphical manual tend to print out the lab manual prior to the lab and follow the given instructions through apparatus pictures whereas the first group had experienced hardship to identify the objective of the lab and performed the experiment with more confusion. Students are often more engaged and interested in transparent teaching that provides them the opportunity to connect concepts that they learn in the class with real-world applications. Another experiment was how students understand the overall objective of the course by following the course syllabus. We compared two groups of students to investigate the impact of visual learning by giving them a graphical syllabus and conventional syllabus. The first group had a greater understanding of the course concepts, real-world applications, applying meaningful equations, and expected outcomes. Other supplementary visualization methods were also applied in this capstone engineering course to increase teaching effectiveness and practicing active learning. Consequently, they were more engaged during the semester and a good number of students participated in active learning during the lecture and lab time
Register today for the 1st annual Transformative Education Conference to be held at UW-Platteville on January 21, 2020. This day-long academic conference will feature workshops where faculty and instructional staff share experiences and best practices of engaged learning and scholarship.
For additional information, contact Dr. Carolyn Keller (kellerca@uwplatt.edu or 608.342.1981)
Sponsored by Provost Joanne Wilson and the Teaching and Technology Center
TEC Schedule 1-21-20 (docx)
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