Integrated Thermal‐Fluid Experiments in WPI's Discovery Classroom

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AbstractAn integrated experimental‐analytical‐numerical approach to engineering education has been developed in introductory thermal‐fluid courses at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Central to these innovations is a facility at WPI known as the Discovery Classroom. In this facility the traditional lecture hall has been redefined to combine a multi‐media classroom, an adjoining experimental laboratory, and computational facilities. This approach was designated as the DIANE philosophy:Daily Integration of Analytical, Numerical, and Experimental methods into engineering classes. In this approach, experimental apparatus are demonstrated directly in class during an engineering lecture. Real‐time quantitative data are acquired from the apparatus, and the data are immediately analyzed and compared to concurrently developed theory by the students in class. One objective of this approach is to help students better understand relationships between the physical experiments and theory.Three undergraduate engineering classes were re‐designed: fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and aerodynamics. Student surveys indicate that nearly 90% of 390 students preferred the re‐designed courses to traditional lecture‐oriented courses, while also believing that they gained a better understanding of engineering fundamentals.