Engineering Laboratory Course Research Articles

Synergizing computer‐aided design, commercial software, and cutting‐edge technologies in an innovative nozzle test apparatus for an engineering laboratory course

AbstractThis study explores compressible flow, a field reliant on mathematical models for effective teaching. Using laboratory experiments as pedagogical tools, we introduce a compact nozzle test apparatus that integrates cutting‐edge technologies—additive manufacturing (AM), pressure‐sensitive paint, the Schlieren system, image processing, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD)—in a compressible flow laboratory course. Commercial software, including MATLAB, SOLIDWORKS, ANSYS Fluent, and LabVIEW, facilitates the incorporation of these technologies. The research outlines the course structure, objectives, and details of student projects. Through a comparative analysis of experimental results, analytical calculations, and CFD simulations, we showcase the successful integration of AM in pedagogical practices for compressible flow, addressing critical concerns like nozzle strength and surface roughness. Statistical data from student projects offer practical insights, ensuring accuracy in experimental applications. The laboratory's design and detailed lists of components and costs provide a meaningful comparison with a supersonic wind tunnel, considering manufacturing expenses, operational costs, spatial requirements, and noise levels. The assessment of lab report grades underscores the approach's efficacy in conveying compressible flow concepts successfully, facilitated by modern computers. In summary, our study presents a comprehensive, efficient, and technologically advanced approach to teaching compressible flow within a concise framework.

การศึกษาปัญหาการบริหารจัดการด้านความปลอดภัยและการสอนวิชาปฏิบัติในโรงฝึกงานและห้องปฏิบัติการวิศวกรรมของสถาบันการอุดมศึกษาของรัฐ

The research aims and objectives are 1) to study the problems regarding safety management of students in respect of workshop and laboratory practices in public higher education institutions; 2) to explore the problems of laboratory-based and workshop-based practicum instruction; and 3)to apply the information obtained as development guidelines to improve workshop and laboratory efficiency. The Delphi technique was used to achieve consensus from 20 expert participants. Research instruments included interview forms and questionnaires while statistical measures for data analysis involved frequency distribution, percentage, median and interquartile range calculation. To categorize the issues, the problems related to managing safety and teaching engineering workshop and laboratory courses were found to consist of 7 main components and 31 subcomponents as follows: 1) Workshop and Engineering Laboratory Design, with 3 subcomponents; 2) Machine Shop Safety, Electrical Safety and Fire Safety, with 10 subcomponents; 3) Internal Environment for Workshop and Laboratory Practices, with 5 subcomponents; 4) Facilities and Equipment for Laboratory and Workshop Practices, comprising 2 subcomponents; 5) Operations Facility Management and Green Occupations, with 3 subcomponents; 6) Roles and Responsibilities for Operational Safety, containing 4 subcomponents; and 7) Curriculum Development and Learning Management, with its 6 subcomponents.

Merging Design Thinking into Translational Research in a Biomedical Engineering Laboratory (DT-TRBEL) Course

Laboratory classes offered in universities often fail to develop students’ ability to identify questions and encourage creativity to solve authentic problems. Lab exercises tend to provide clear step-by-step instructions, leaving little room for experimentation or creative thinking. Unfortunately, this approach can result in engineering students losing the skills they need to solve unprecedented challenges in their future professional careers. Biomedical engineering is particularly vulnerable to this training approach, given that students are taught to devise ideas to solve medical problems. To address this issue, the current study combined the curriculum designs of translational research and design thinking. This guided students in bringing biomaterials into the clinic and stimulated their interest in biomaterial development. The resulting course, called DT-TRBEL (Design-Thinking: Translational Research in Biomedical Engineering Laboratory Course), focuses on developing dental biomaterials, including material preparation, analysis, and cytotoxicity testing. The data was collected and evaluated through a survey of self-efficacy of creativity, student motivation, and learning scores of both the prerequisite course “Material Science” and DT-TRBEL. The study found that DT-TRBEL did not have a positive effect on overall motivation or the sense of self-efficacy regarding creativity. However, it did have a significant gender effect, benefiting female students more than male students. The discussion covers implementation and further directions for research.

The Infusion of Gamification in Promoting Chemical Engineering Laboratory Classes

Active learning strategies are increasingly implemented in chemical engineering education, yet challenges persist in stimulating student participation and motivation. The rigorous demands placed on students in this field, from complex practical requirements to extensive programming and computational skills, underscore the need for innovative educational tools. Gamification emerges as a pivotal instrument in this context, fostering active student engagement, enhancing practical application of knowledge, increasing motivation, and providing a more precise assessment of student comprehension. These educational games serve as a powerful adjunct to traditional teaching strategies, equipping students with necessary skills for their future careers in the field. These games include laboratory course games, process simulators, games used in foundational courses, and those centered around reaction kinetics. This entry primarily investigates the various games employed to bolster student learning during chemical engineering laboratory courses. A thorough analysis is conducted on the survey of existing games used specifically in chemical engineering labs. The gamut of games discussed includes escape games, along with Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) games, all aiming to enhance laboratory experiences in areas such as fluid mechanics, organic reactions, and process control. This entry concludes by examining the prospective trajectory of gamification in chemical engineering labs, offering insights into future potential and advancements in this innovative educational approach.

Teaching Image Processing and Optical Engineering to University Biology Students

ABSTRACT Biophysics is an interdisciplinary pursuit requiring researchers with knowledge and skills in several areas. Optical instruments and computers are fundamental tools in biophysics research to collect and analyze data. We developed a 1-semester Optical Engineering Laboratory course to teach image processing, optical engineering, and research skills to undergraduate students majoring in biology and biochemistry. With the use of development systems on students' laptops and in the cloud, students learned image processing with Python and OpenCV. Each student constructed a microprocessor-based lensless holographic microscope, gaining hands-on experience with optical engineering. The class culminated in original, student-designed research projects. All lectures, hands-on labs, and student research projects were performed both in person and remotely, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Engineering Students’ Writing Perceptions Impact Their Conceptual Learning

<bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Background:</b> Technical writing is a critical professional skill for engineers, but engineering students often perceive writing as less important. <bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Literature review:</b> Research suggests feedback, revision, and reflective writing support conceptual learning. However, just as student beliefs about intelligence impact engagement and learning outcomes, beliefs about writing may likewise affect how valuable writing is to learning. <bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Research questions:</b> 1. Do student beliefs—expressed in reflections—depict writing as a learning process or as a deterministic artifact? 2. To what extent do these expressed beliefs explain variance in their conceptual learning in a chemical engineering laboratory course? <bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Research methodology:</b> A design-based research study was conducted in three semesters of an upper division chemical engineering laboratory course to jointly study the use of feedback, revision, and reflection, and to develop contextualized theory about the relationships between these and students’ conceptual learning. Students’ writing was analyzed qualitatively. Regression modelling explained variance in scores of students’ conceptual understanding. <bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Results:</b> We found that students who elaborated on errors and corrections scored significantly lower on conceptual understanding in their final submission, while students who described writing as an ongoing process scored significantly higher on conceptual understanding in their final reports. We found a similar trend for students who completed a second cycle, and especially that a focus on perfecting a written artifact corresponded to lesser gains. <bold xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Conclusions:</b> Our findings lend support for assisting engineering students to approach writing as a developmental and learning process and for engaging them in multiple rounds of feedback, revision, and reflection across their programs of study.

Measuring the Learning Effectiveness in the Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor (CAP) Domains in Electrical Engineering Laboratory Courses Using Online Delivery Mode: Universiti Teknologi MARA

Online laboratories have been conducted in Malaysian universities using video demonstrations, virtual or simulation tools, or/and remote laboratories. Recent studies on online engineering labs mainly focused on the student learning experience, facilities, and teaching quality. The literature review indicated that the effectiveness of online laboratory learning should be approached from the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor (CAP) domains. The perceived effectiveness of these learning domains will help practitioners identify learning gaps in current practices. This study aims to measure learning effectiveness in CAP using the perceived CAP tool in electrical engineering online laboratory courses in a Malaysian public university. Three electrical and electronics online laboratory courses were selected. A survey questionnaire based on perceived CAP was distributed to 273 students and received 139 responses, a 50.92% response rate. The measured data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and reliability analysis in SPSS. The survey results suggest that affective learning is enhanced. However, psychomotor learning efficiency is badly affected when the delivery mode of the laboratory course content is changed from physical face-to-face to total online delivery. The evaluation of the effectiveness of cognitive learning was inconclusive due to the limitation of sample size in this area to enable accurate measurement.

Improving the Physics Learning Outcomes of Engineering Students Through Just in Time Teaching (JiTT)

In this work, we estimate the impact over five semesters of a methodology based on Just in Time Teaching in Physics for Engineering laboratory courses. The research question explored here is as follows: what is the impact of Just in Time Teaching (JiTT) implementation on student academic achievements as measured by the grades obtained by engineering students in physics laboratories? We examined the research question by statistical analysis of the grades obtained by students before and after the implementation of the JiTT strategy. The statistical analysis showed an increase in the percentage of students with grades over 4.0/5.0 upon the implementation of this strategy. A significant difference between the grades obtained before and after implementation in the Physics I and Physics II laboratories was confirmed by ANOVA (p < 0.005); in contrast, in Physics III laboratories, we observed similar grades before and after the implementation. We conclude that the implementation of JiTT improves the grade distribution over higher values, suggesting that students have better learning outcomes; more efforts are needed in Physics III laboratories to achieve a similar (or greater) increase in grades than in Physics I and II.

Transformation of Delivery and Assessment for Laboratory Course During Covid-19 Pandemic: The Case Study of Soil Engineering Laboratory

Due to the spread of the COVID-19, many universities throughout the world are experiencing partial or complete disruptions to their academic programmes. As a result, more and more institutions are making the essential changes to their instruction in teaching and learning processes, including laboratory classes from face to face into a hybrid or online delivery format. Regardless of the actions done, lecturers must keep up their rigorous academic standards and offer a top-notch student as necessary for delivering the learning outcomes linked to courses especially laboratory courses that normally being conducted face to face in the laboratory or workshop to online or open distance learning (ODL). This transformation will present a challenge to academicians across the higher education sector, forcing them to switch from normal class delivery to online instruction and various laboratory delivery strategies. Students as a result will not receiving direct instruction from lecturers, and they have limited or no access at all to laboratory resources that necessary for delivering the learning outcomes linked to each programme courses. This paper reviews approaches taken by Faculty of Civil Engineering, UiTM and lecturers to deliver teaching and laboratory practices remotely, in consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic. This review is primarily focused on implementation on teaching delivery and laboratory assessments given to Civil Engineering Diploma Students in Soil Engineering Laboratory Course during COVID outbreaks. The findings of this study may be used to improve online engineering education during and after pandemics in other institutions or courses with a similar demographic.

LabMate: Development and Implementation of a Novel Livestreaming Platform for Hybrid or Remote Laboratory Course Delivery.

Online course delivery has increased in prevalence, particularly due to the onset in 2020 of the COVID-19 pandemic. Biomedical engineering laboratory courses pose unique challenges when transitioning to a remote or hybrid space. Here, we describe a novel approach to online lab delivery to improve student learning and engagement in a required introductory biomedical engineering laboratory class. The presented work focuses on the implementation and assessment of a novel approach to remote lab delivery named LabMate, which is a mobile, multi-view livestreaming platform that connects students to an in-person class remotely. Surveys of student and instructor participants assessed hardware quality and areas of improvement. Focus groups with students who had taken the course in an online format previously were conducted after a demonstration of the system. Survey responses were overall positive; however, some areas of improvement were identified, such as audio quality and video quality. Students and instructors appreciated the ability to deliver class synchronously online rather than perform make-up labs. Focus group participants found LabMate to be more engaging and enjoyable than prior online lab experiences. Students and instructors preferred LabMate over other online lab delivery methods. The students found the experience to be more dynamic and engaging, providing them with the opportunity to develop some of the core competencies of a biomedical engineering student.

Modification of Mechanical Engineering Laboratory Courses to imbibe Industry Skills

Abstract : Technology today is into challenging phase with teams built for management, design, research and development. Engineering has undergone change owing to computer tools that contribute exponential rise in productivity. Educators in India have responded on a positive note, with improved pedagogical practices reported. Governments have supported to percolate this change through New Education Policy that mandates institutes to adopt outcome based education. The initiative is part of OBE framework implemented in design and delivery of heat transfer and machine drawing laboratory courses at undergraduate level. The excitement through active delivery and assessment forms the bedrock of this change. The routine recipe lab is substituted by employer focused practice dimensions of obsolescence removal of and relevance factor. KLE Tech follows a dynamic curriculum design and delivery with inputs from all its stakeholders to make it truly responsive to contemporary change. This gave enriching experience by providing space to gather basic concepts and build on higher order skills. The high weight to continuous learning component (80%) eliminated student anxiety level due to panic in end semester assessment (20%). Overall improvement in student performance in lab courses was reported and scope to address higher learning levels was noticed. The average scores improved as 7- 8 grade pointer for both lab courses investigated with more than 30% score contributed by L3-L4 level task in heat transfer. The student scores were higher in lower level (L2) as compared to performance in demonstration and statistical analysis (L3-L4) due to the change being first experience in their lab conduction. The overall opinion stated the practice to be extended to all lab courses. Keywords: Engineering Education; Graduate Attributes; Heat transfer, Machine drawing.

Implementation of Electrical Engineering Laboratory Course for Diploma Studies in Electrical Engineering during COVID-19 Pandemic Phase

The rapid spread of a new coronavirus (COVID-19) has interrupted lectures and classes worldwide (COVID-19). Many academic institutions are moving toward online or blended course delivery, including laboratory course. This paper presents Electrical Engineering Laboratory course implementation during the COVID-19, highlighting the applied methodology and student’s practical skill performance. The Electrical Engineering Laboratory course for Part 3 students of two diploma studies at Universiti Teknologi MARA (Pasir Gudang Campus) was implemented using an extended methodology. The methodology includes analysing the structure of Electrical Engineering Laboratory Course, selecting a relevant teaching method and delivering for each experiment, and using OBE-ANAS to measure the Course Outcome (CO) and Programme Outcome (PO). In the CO-PO analysis, a few important elements of Electrical Engineering Laboratory course are measured, but the most important element, which indicates practical skills in using modern engineering tools, has moderately surpassed the performance level set for this particular CO-PO Mapping despite the blended mode of delivery. It is may be due to the wise selection of experiment delivery mechanism. However, future study may compare the complete face-to-face delivery of the electrical engineering laboratory course with blended mode delivery to examine the effect of delivery mode on the laboratory course’s execution.

Achieving Deep Learning through Integration of 360° Virtual Reality Tour, Hands-on Experience, and Simulation-Based Design in a Project-Based Laboratory

We present an integrated project-based learning (PBL) asset integrating 360° virtual reality tour, high-fidelity simulation, and simulation-based design for chemical engineering laboratory courses. The 360° virtual reality tour integrated with videos and learning lessons of distillation equipment components is based on a pilot-scale distillation column of the standard industrial design and an authentic separation system of renewable bioethanol. The dedicated simulation modules, tailored for process simulation and simulation-based design anchored on rigorous theoretical methods, provide students with accurate process performance scenarios and genuine process design practice. The unique combination of virtual reality and high-fidelity simulation enables students of all academic years to explore the connections among the process equipment and operation, underlying concepts, simplifying assumptions and sustainable design with high-level efficiency, depth, and flexibility. The integrated learning modules also contain content-appropriate learning activities and expected learning outcomes for all academic levels, and culminates in senior year as a project-based design laboratory focusing on sustainable design of equipment, systems, and processes, along with hands-on laboratory. Altogether, the integrated learning based on the exploration of the real-world process is structured to support efficient, student-oriented, and design-centric learning for students to acquire knowledge and engineering skills of integrated real-world systems and develop cognitive ability for problem solving. In particular, the integrated learning in the open-ended PBL with design component is expected to help students achieve higher-level learning outcomes and critical engineering skills.

Connected epistemic practices in laboratory‐based engineering design projects for large‐course instruction

AbstractIn both K‐12 and university settings, instructors and curriculum developers need to create learning experiences that provide students opportunities to engage in the disciplinary practices of science and engineering. However, instructional contexts pose challenges in developing such tasks. Using a framework focusing on conceptual and material epistemic practices and tools, we used a within‐subjects comparison to explore two different types of task designs, given realistic constraints posed by a large‐enrollment university engineering laboratory course. We investigated students’ modeling and experimental activity at scale using an innovative data analysis tool, Model Maps, looking for evidence of epistemic practices in student laboratory notebooks and in their post‐project presentations. We compared inscriptions of 29 teams across three laboratory projects and found a greater number and diversity of model components in a virtual laboratory project than in two physical laboratory projects. While fitting into the same instructional “space,” the virtual laboratory task, compared to the physical tasks, better afforded iteration. The iterative development engaged students in two important features of engineering epistemic practice. First, teams had the opportunity to engage in interlocking conceptual and material practices. Second the need to reconcile experimental data with their process models elicited the authorship of free moves together with the accountability of forced moves. Implications for designing instruction to incorporate epistemic practices in engineering and science education are described.

Teaching, Learning and Assessments (TLA) in Civil Engineering Laboratory Courses in Open Distance Learning (ODL) during Covid-19 Pandemic

: The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about a true challenge to students and educators in the teaching, learning and assessment (TLA) of the psychomotor domain integral in laboratory experiment and design work. The pandemic has opened venues for open distance learning (ODL) with a completely new outlook for educators. The objective of this paper is to examine the suitability of the alternative TLA methods adopted in laboratory courses in ODL during the pandemic. Document review was carried out on various laboratory courses for a civil engineering programme in Universiti Teknologi MARA. The findings show that the assessment methods commonly used during ODL are individual and group reports, lab demonstration, video presentation, laboratory projects, online tests, individual online interviews, home-based mini projects, peer evaluation, and simulation using various software. Each alternative assessment was evaluated based on three (3) criteria which are the relevancy of knowledge, TLA activities, and suitability of the TLA activities to address the respective learning domain of the courses. Overall, the alternative assessment methods used during ODL were found to be relevant in imparting knowledge in laboratory courses, except for the development of specialist knowledge (WK4) as students are not able to utilize the equipment in the laboratory. Meanwhile, alternative activities are found less suitable to address the psychomotor domain imparted in the learning outcomes that involve specified equipment or machinery. Finally, the alternative assessments are found to effectively capture the cognitive skills and the programme outcomes related to knowledge application (PO1) and analysis (PO2) but are less effective in capturing investigation skills (PO4) addressing the psychomotor domain.

A SCOPE REVIEW ON MOBILE LEARNING ADOPTION IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION IN MALAYSIA DURING THE PANDEMIC COVID-19

This article aims to survey the scope of mobile learning in educational institutions in Malaysia during the Covid-19 pandemic. M-learning is a suitable alternative method used during the Covid-19 pandemic for students to learn at home. The review focuses on implementing remote teaching for engineering laboratory courses during pandemic Covid-19—article journal selected from the Science Direct and Web of Science (WoS) database. The articles were evaluated, reviewed, and analysed through eligibility process. Technology elements can make students more fun in learning, motivated and skilled through mobile learning. This study can prepare students to apply the device in a broader learning process to acquire new knowledge and skills regardless of time and place. This paper recommends that further studies look at how learning material quality factors can influence students' decision to accept m-learning in the Covid-19 pandemic crisis.

Fostering Engineering Laboratory Course Teaching by Embedding an Inquiry-Guided Learning Approach Using Computer-Aided Learning Packages: Evaluation of Learning Outcomes in a Cooling Tower Experiment in the Unit Operations Lab

A Computer-Aided Learning Package as Inquiry-Guided Learning (CALP/IGL) was implemented in a cooling tower experiment for 43 students enrolled in four sections of the Unit Operations Laboratory course in the chemical engineering program at Qatar University. The impact of this approach on the attainment of learning outcomes was evaluated. Results show that CALP/IGL helped improve the attainment level of course learning outcomes by ~35%. The skills improved were mainly those aiming for the students' ability to interpret and discuss the experimental data. The criteria for improvement were mainly the students' ability to explain the chart trends according to the relevant theoretical principles, leading to addressing misconceptual mistakes. It also helped mitigate educational logical fallacies and reduce the academic gap among students of different learning styles and capabilities.

A SCOPE REVIEW ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF REMOTE TEACHING FOR ENGINEERING LABORATORY COURSES DURING THE PANDEMIC COVID-19

This article aims to carry out a scoping review of the implementation of remote teaching for engineering laboratory courses in higher learning institutions during the pandemic COVID-19. Outcome-Based Education (OBE) implementation has required the graduate to attain a minimum of twelve skills and attributes upon graduating from the engineering program; it includes the psychomotor skill involved in laboratory courses. The finding shows that it has various implementations in conducting laboratory courses during the pandemic. The implementation includes recording a video, conducting an online simulation to replace the experimental work, and transforming face-to-face activity into a virtual lecture, modelling, and simulation. The approach for the laboratory that uses software also has recorded videos, using open-source software similar to the software listed in the syllabus, and some institutions allow students to access the computers lab remotely. There are no physical experimental works carried out in the laboratory during the pandemic due to non-access to the lab. Students then are expected to learn from the video to grasp the knowledge and concept. This 'scope review' also found that they have not discussed the suitable assessment in evaluating the psychomotor skill during the pandemic. Therefore, this paper recommends conducting a study to determine the implementation of a laboratory course and investigate the effectiveness of the assessment conduct during the pandemic COVID-19 to obtain the course learning outcome and evaluate its psychomotor skill.

EXPERIENCES WITH REMOTE TEACHING OF MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING LABORATORY AND PROJECT COURSES

COVID-19 has profoundly affected many, if not all, Canadian engineering courses during the2020/2021 academic year, many of which transitioned to online teaching. Delivering hands-on, highly interactive laboratory and design project courses is particularly challenging to do remotely. We present and reflect on experiences with remote teaching of three hands-on laboratory courses in a new Manufacturing Engineering program at the University ofBritish Columbia (UBC). These courses include MANU 230: Manufacturing Laboratory, MANU 330: Manufacturing Engineering Project I, and MANU 386: Industrial Automation. All three courses are taught in the same laboratory/classroom by one of the authors. In general, it appears that the students appreciated the remote lab experiences provided. However, it wasapparent from both survey data and informal feedback that students preferred in-person laboratory sessions. While, perhaps not an ideal method of delivering these types of courses there appears to be some place for remote laboratory classes in the future.

LIVE-STREAMING IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING: AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO REMOTE LAB DELIVERY

In-person laboratories in undergraduate engineering provide students with tactile opportunities to build career-related skills, which are reflected in the graduate attributes of program accreditation criteria. TwoMechanical Engineering laboratory courses at the University of Alberta implemented live-streaming amidstthe abrupt and indefinite move to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic over the Fall 2020 term. A highly motivated and technically competent lab instructional team derived the necessary set-up of hardware, software, and personnel to implement pedagogical strategies that replicated the in-person experience with mechanical equipment as much as possible. This innovative approach enabled students to be involved in the demonstration of experiments in real time, interacting with teaching assistants and peers to ask questions and receive feedback. Students preferred live-streaming of labs as compared to pre-recorded videos.