Environmental Engineering Courses Research Articles

REMOTE TECHNICAL VISITS: A POSSIBLE APPROACH TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL TOPIC IN TEACHING UNITS

The COVID-19 pandemic and the distancing measures required adaptations in the entire teaching structure. In this context, the objective of this article is to report remote visits carried out for students attending High School courses integrated to the Technical and Higher Education levels about environmental topics. The visits to five companies/organizations took place by means of a project prepared by undergraduate students attending the FMU Environmental and Sanitary Engineering course, aiming to provide them with a virtual presentation of their processes in the environmental area. The participants in the visits were 231 students from High School courses integrated to the Technical level from two public schools and 152 attending courses integrated to Higher Education at a private institution. Thus, in a dynamic way, it was possible to show socio environmental activities developed by the companies/organizations, regarding different theoretical-practical aspects inherent to sustainability, such as waste management, ecological sanitation, vegetable gardens in small spaces, aquaponics systems and the importance of stingless bees, among others. It is considered that the Remote Visits Project is within a scenario marked by the expansion of educational procedures, enriching both the academic experiences of the students directly involved in the Project and those of the other students participating in the visits, due to the reflections and learning processes provided by the immersion in applied sustainability models, thus promoting interdisciplinary knowledge, sensitization and diverse information pertinent to the environmental issues addressed in the visits.

Inclusive Science Writing about Socioscientific Issues for Diverse Audiences

In this paper, we present a science writing assignment in which students focus on targeting specific audiences when writing about a socioscientific issue as well as participate in a peer review process. This assignment helps students consider inclusive science communication in their writing, focusing on engaging unique audiences about the intersections of science and social justice. Students are introduced to evidence-based tools for formulating communication for unique audiences as well as for assessment of writing quality. This assignment is novel in that it helps students think about inclusion issues in STEM, science writing, and peer review, all of which are key disciplinary skills that are not always included in STEM courses. While this assignment was piloted in chemistry and environmental engineering courses, this assignment could easily be modified for other disciplines.

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BIODIGESTER AS A SOURCE OF ECONOMIC GAIN IN THE MORRO GRANDE FARM, SOUTH MINAS GERAIS BRAZIL

Were analyzed during a technical visit carried out in the environmental engineering course at the State University of Minas Gerais at the Morro Verde farm located in the municipality of São João Batista do Glória, in the southern region of Minas Gerais (Brazil). The technologies implemented in the business were observed which, for that reason, are recognized in the national territory as examples of the applicability of sustainability in the economy. The farm has the production of biogas which is the fermentation process that leads to anaerobic digestion by bacteria resulting in the production of biogas (basically methane - CH4), this gas is transported to the energy generator that is used in the productive processes of the farm. All the organic matter generated by the cows is somehow reused on the farm, including the by-product generated after passing through the hydraulic press that is used as a form of fertilizer for planting. After adopting sustainability, the farm had a reduction of more than 90 thousand reais in energy consumption resulting from the photovoltaic energy panels and biogas production, proving that being sustainable is economically viable

Clues of an environmental education for solid waste management: What do children draw in a municipal school in Cambé, PR?

One of the biggest challenges faced in Brazilian cities is proper solid waste management. The school can be an interlocutor in raising awareness by directing the teaching and learning process in order to change the individual and collective behavior of students. Thematic workshops are characterized as a pedagogical intervention in which environmental education is approached in a dynamic, interactive and creative way. The objective was to identify the perceptions that children from a municipal school in Cambé, PR, have about the solid waste theme, based on drawings made during a workshop called “Composting at school”. The workshop was conducted by 11 undergraduate students attending the Environmental Engineering course at the Federal Technological University of Paraná – accompanied by a professor coordinating the action. As teaching methods, dynamic exercises, games and conversations were used, all with the aim of integrating children and promoting a reflection on the role of each one in proper solid waste management. At the end of the activity, an evaluation questionnaire was proposed to the children, which contained the proposition of a drawing, so that they could portray what they learned and their perceptions about the solid waste theme. From a view guided by Content Analysis, the drawings were classified into three categories: a) workshop stages and dynamic exercises; b) techniques for solid waste management; and c) non-human life forms in solid waste management. The workshop was a promising environmental education strategy, as it was noted that the greater the interaction and the lighter and more pleasant the activity, the greater the learning.

Learning and engagement with an online laboratory for environmental monitoring education

ABSTRACT In this study, we investigated students’ learning outcomes and engagement with an online laboratory called Online Watershed Learning System (OWLS) employed within a classroom and explored the relationship between learning outcome and engagement. The OWLS is the web interface for a real-time environmental monitoring system and integrates a user-tracking system to track students’ interactions. We conducted a pre-experimental quantitative research study in a third-year Civil and Environmental Engineering course. We assessed students’ performance and perception of their learning, behavioural engagement, and their perception of engagement attributes in the context of environmental monitoring. Examples of key findings include: OWLS is effective in helping attain learning outcomes related to environmental monitoring, the order of assessment questions can impact students’ performance but not their engagement, and students’ performance is inversely related to the number of clicks they used to complete an OWLS-based task. The study informs the effective design of online laboratories and leverages online laboratories-based education.

Strategies for Online-education Model for Project and Laboratory-based Assessment in Environmental Monitoring and Analysis Course

The global COVID-19 epidemic compelled all educational institutions, including universities, to cease academic instruction. To assure the ongoing process of teaching, learning, and assessment, several universities have transitioned from traditional face-to-face techniques to online ones. The purpose of the study was to examine the online-education experience in an Environmental Engineering course using a virtual lab and simulation software, as well as to determine the student's perception of the implementation of virtual labs and simulation software and the benefits of these tools for enhancing learning activities. To familiarize students with various areas of environmental engineering analysis, two simulated experiments were developed: water quality monitoring and adsorption spectroscopy. The virtual labs were generally well-received, as indicated by the responses to the Likert-type questions. Virtual laboratories are more acceptable for senior students than for first-year students, according to the consensus. 88% of respondents agreed with the average of twenty claims, compared with 3% who disagreed and 9% who agreed but disagreed with the statement. This illustrates that, although students believe that substituting virtual laboratories for conventional laboratories is not a complete solution, they believe that virtual laboratories can be used in conjunction with conventional methods to facilitate improved study outside of laboratory hours. Virtual and online learning in engineering labs are still relatively new; additional research is necessary before instructors can effectively utilize this delivery medium and its accompanying technologies to enhance student learning.

Investigating the Development of Team Science Skills and an Improved Understanding of Multidisciplinary Research through Parallel Courses in Biology, Geology, and Environmental Engineering

Collaborative teamwork is fundamental to successful research and is a desirable skill set for employers. Yet students receive little training in how to effectively work in teams. This article presents the preliminary design and implementation of course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) in biology, geology, and environmental engineering in which student teams address questions related to their discipline while contributing to a shared research project. Team science training in communication, research planning, and conflict resolution was embedded into CURE classes at a regional R2 university. Although barriers to this approach were present, evidence in the form of writing prompt scores and team science products suggested student understanding of effective teams and the benefits of working with individuals within and across disciplines to solve complex problems increased.

APPLICATION OF THE SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING (SDL) LEARNING MODEL IN ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING COURSES FOR STUDENTS OF THE BUILDING ENGINEERING EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM, UNIVERSITY OF PALANGKA RAYA, ACADEMIC YEAR 2020/2021

Teachers must work on learning assignments from home (continuously and as a controlled routine) on an ongoing basis and have the potential to be unproductive to work in a completely new environment and without the supervision of a leader (intense). However, there are a number of ways to deal with this problem, especially preventing teachers from being confused in applying appropriate and effective learning models, as well as continuous professional development, they definitely want to be productive in utilizing their time during the Covid 19 pandemic. Time management must be carried out and controlled properly to improve quality. teacher professionalism as a professional educator. The solution, teaching staff is required to be able to design learning media as an innovation by utilizing online media (online). This research is motivated by the learning outcomes of Building Engineering Education students who program Environmental Engineering Courses are still relatively low below a score of 60 (C value). Self-Directed Learning (SDL) is learning in which the conceptualization, design, implementation and evaluation of learning projects are directed by students. The key point is whether students choose to concentrate on learning. This type of research is classroom action research which is carried out online, this is due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. Quantitative data in the form of numbers or scores obtained from student learning outcomes tests. The instrument used in this research is the final test of student learning outcomes. The parameters in this study are the learning outcomes and independence of Building Engineering Education students in the Environmental Engineering course. Plans or targets will be published in the Balanga Journal.

Researching Global Climate Change Challenges to Solve Local Issues with Undergraduate Research and Physical Models

From 2012 through 2020, students in an introductory environmental engineering course have used a service-learning project to research climate resilience challenges and solutions. Issues of local significance exacerbated by climate change are connected to global concerns in three to four sessions of the three-hour laboratory portion of the course. The research is reported in briefs, reports, or conversational blogs.

Integration of food waste composting and vegetable gardens in a university campus

Local composting (household, community and small scale applications) is considered a sustainable option for bio-waste recovery and is receiving increasing demand from society. Higher education institutions are no exception, but detailed and comprehensive long-term studies on composting programs on university campuses are lacking. The local composting program of the University of A Coruña (UDC) offers a decentralized service for the treatment of food waste from 11 university canteens using static and dynamic composters located in 9 different composting areas. Considering the three pillars of sustainability, this work describes the characteristics of the different composting technologies used and their investment and operational costs, the routine monitoring process and product quality, the integration of the composting systems as living labs for biotechnology and environmental engineering courses, and the use of compost in the university vegetable gardens. The agents involved in the project are the canteen staff, the university gardening company, external composting operators, university researchers and teachers, sustainability scholarship students and volunteer people. Organic waste is usually delivered directly by canteen staff to composters. The gardening service provides green waste from UDC campus (crushed pruning) that is used as bulking material. The monitoring and maintenance of the composting areas is currently in charge of external staff provided by a local NGO dedicated to cooperation and job reintegration of the unemployed. The service also allows the incorporation of volunteers and scholarship students as operators and process monitoring supervisors. The main result of this project was the prevention of a large amount of waste that did not require collection and transportation, or disposal or incineration. This is being done in an economically sustainable way, as decentralized composting costs have been lower than the average costs of municipal solid waste treatment in the region. The lower investment costs of static composters largely offset the higher labour costs and result in lower overall costs than those of the dynamic composter. The dissemination of composting practice to society was another important outcome of the project.

Creating environmentally conscious engineering professionals through attitudinal instruction: A mixed methods study

Environmental responsibilities have evolved beyond controlling the emissions and wastes of industrial production to now incorporating logistics, products and processes. Corporations have become environmentally conscious to satisfy corporate responsibilities and to ensure sustainable development, increasing the demand for environmental engineering professionals. Engineering education should not be restricted to satisfying the demands of employers, industry and the marketplace or be isolated within disciplines. This study examined the instructional strategies implemented by a professor in his environmental sustainability engineering course to make his students critical thinkers, who can create sustainable products, programs and solutions. This mixed methods single case study adopted a positive deviance approach to identify this best practices case where the professor applied attitudinal learning principles in a non-intrusive way, that is without trying to change attitudes directly and forcefully. This allowed students to critically examine presented content, connect emotionally to issues they valued, take ownership of their learning, and make decisions and take responsibility for their actions, according to this study. Since sustainability projects are multi-disciplinary in the real world, ill-structured problem solving incorporated in semester-long team projects showed that students learned to work in diverse teams and understood team dynamics. These skills are expected to be transferred into students’ future engineering professional careers where they could demonstrate broader management, multidisciplinary, and communication skills, in addition to social, economic and environmental responsibilities. • Course objective: Creating critical thinkers, problems solvers and team players. • Non-intrusive instruction (without trying to change attitudes directly and forcefully). • Attitudinal instruction focused on cognitive, affective, behavioral, and social learning.

Identificação e análise de estilos de aprendizagem para aprimorar o ensino em uma disciplina da engenharia

O conhecimento dos estilos de aprendizagem pode ser um fator crucial para auxiliar no aprimoramento do ensino nos cursos de engenharia. Entender os instrumentos que são utilizados nas práticas de ensino é vital para incorporá-los de maneira eficiente em sala, trabalhando seus pontos fortes e distribuindo as semelhanças e diferenças entre eles. O trabalho proposto investigou os Estilos de Aprendizagem predominantes dos alunos de uma disciplina do curso de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental usando o método de Felder-Silverman e aplicou técnicas de ensino para atingir todos os estilos dos estudantes. Os resultados indicam alunos preferencialmente ativos, sensoriais, visuais e sequenciais, porém com diversas variações, sendo importante conduzir modificações e aperfeiçoamentos no método de ensino para atingir ao máximo todos os estilos observados. A disciplina foi acrescentada aulas práticas em campo e laboratório de informática, visitas técnicas, relatórios de atividades e muitas práticas motivacionais. Adicionalmente foram realizadas modificações no processo avaliativo do curso que proporcionaram um maior nível de aprendizado refletindo na elevação do número de aprovados em relação aos semestres anteriores, chegando a 90% de aprovação da turma.

Evaluation of Coffee Sludge as an Adsorbent of Cations and Chlorides from Mangrove Sediments

Larissa Montalvão Vieira1, Josimar Gurgel Fernandes2, Patrícia Ribeiro Santos2, Sergio Carvalho de Paiva3, Galba Maria de Campos Takaki3 and Arminda Saconi Messias3* Author Affiliations 1Undergraduate student of the Environmental Engineering Course at the Catholic University of Pernambuco - UNICAP, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil 2Agronomic Institute of Pernambuco - IPA, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil 3Teacher at the Catholic University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil Received: August 04, 2020 | Published: September 10, 2020 Corresponding author: Arminda Saconi Messias, Teacher at the Catholic University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2020.30.004927

Promoting equitable achievement in STEM: lab report writing and online peer review

Although effective technical communication is an important outcome of undergraduate education in STEM fields, limited process-based writing instruction occurs in these disciplines. This study employed an experimental design to examine the use of Calibrated Peer Review (CPR), an online peer review platform, to improve lab report writing in an environmental engineering course. Students who completed methods and discussion modules using CPR earned higher grades on the final lab report than students who completed abstract and introduction modules (which are generally less difficult to write) using CPR. CPR also had indirect effects on lab report grade that occurred via greater accuracy in assessing lab report quality. Moreover, CPR performance and lab report grades were almost entirely unrelated to student demographics, whereas exam grade was frequently much higher among students from dominant populations.

Combining the project‐based learning methodology and computer simulation to enhance the engagement in the context of Environmental Engineering courses

AbstractThis paper analyses the good results obtained in an Environmental Engineering course at the master level after a complete revision of the lecturing system. The traditional methodology (lectures and seminars) was substituted by a project‐based learning strategy, in which students work in groups proposing and developing technical solutions to an actual environmental problem, with the aim of identifying the optimum one, combining technical and economic points of view. This new teaching methodology has been identified as a good approach to increase the students' engagement, with significant improvements in grades (from average values close to 5/10 to >7/10) and better impressions expressed by the students, which can identify the relevance of environmental problems in the development of their own professional curriculum. The core of this methodology is the use of GPS‐X software to study and analyse the different approaches proposed by the students as solutions for their project, to optimise the designs, to study the sensitivity to different process conditions and to evaluate the energy and maintenance costs of each proposal. GPS‐X software is an inductive and comprehensive tool to reinforce previous theoretical concepts and allows a fast analysis of the responses of industrial plants after each disruption, increasing the dynamism of the learning process. The final assessment, based on the continuous evaluation and a final written report, allows the evaluation of transversal skills, such as teamwork, self‐management, communication and problem‐solving, difficult to assess by a traditional methodology.

Construção de maquetes de processos industriais: inovação no processo ensino-aprendizagem

Este artigo tem como objetivo apresentar a possibilidade de uma estratégia criativa de aprendizagem para as aulas da disciplina Processos Industriais do Curso de Engenharia Ambiental da Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais (UEMG). Essa disciplina é vista por muitos discentes como de difícil entendimento, visto que aborda o ensino de processos e o conhecimento de equipamentos, além de cálculos envolvendo dimensionamento, ainda que simples, mas que não são rotineiros no Ensino Superior. Assim, uma alternativa para melhor compreensão dos conteúdos dessa disciplina foi a realização de uma “Mostra de maquetes para ilustrar Processos Industriais” e teve como objetivo proporcionar uma aproximação dos conteúdos ministrados em classe, de modo mais dinâmico, facilitando o processo de ensino-aprendizagem. Nesse evento, os discentes, utilizando a criatividade, deveriam confeccionar maquetes para ilustrar um processo industrial escolhido pelo grupo. Esse trabalho possibilitou aos graduandos conhecer o desenvolvimento de processos industriais, além de permitir a familiarização e a identificação das diversas operações unitárias envolvidas em processos tecnológicos de caráter fabril. Ainda, as atividades proporcionaram a compreensão de questões tecnológicas, despertando a curiosidade de docentes, discentes e visitantes de diversas áreas.

Evaluation of Academic Satisfaction of Graduates From the Ji-Paraná Campus of the Federal University of Rondônia

This paper aimed to know the degree of academic satisfaction of the students of the Federal University of Rondônia, Campus of Ji-Paraná, with the institution, the course and the opportunity of development. Such a finding is of paramount importance to assist managers in making decisions, as it reveals in which areas they are serving in a more precarious way, as well as which ones have been observed as quality by students, which can increase or decrease the rate of participation of the students, for example, or, to produce more or less qualified professionals, according to the quality applied in the course. The development of the research had an exploratory character, of a quantitative nature, with a strategy of data collection through a questionnaire, based on the Scale of Satisfaction and Academic Experience (SSAE), and to measure the intensity of satisfaction, a five points Likert-type scale was used. As a unit of analysis, the Ji-Paraná Campus of the Federal University of Rondônia was defined. The research subjects were 65 students graduating from Environmental Engineering, Statistics, Physics, Mathematics and Pedagogy courses. The sample consisted of 66,2% women and 38,2% men and their average age was 27 years. As a result, it was found that students are satisfied in the three dimensions surveyed, with the greatest satisfaction recorded being with the course that obtained 3,86 points, followed by satisfaction with the institution that reached 3,47 points and satisfaction with the development opportunity with 3,45 points. Knowing satisfaction with the quality of services provided to students of the higher education can contribute to increase the demand for students at Federal Institution for Superior Education, as well as increase the permanence rate, and also the quality of the services delivered to society regarding to the formation of professionals.

Educação Ambiental nos cursos de graduação em Engenharia Ambiental: ocorrência e formas de abordagem

A Educação Ambiental é fundamental para lidar com os atuais problemas socioambientais da sociedade. De acordo com a legislação brasileira, a educação ambiental deve ser inserida em todos os níveis de ensino da educação formal. As universidades possuem o papel de produzir conhecimentos em acordo com as necessidades da sociedade, através da articulação entre ensino, pesquisa e extensão. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar a ocorrência e as formas de abordagem da Educação Ambiental nos cursos de Engenharia Ambiental do Brasil. Para tanto, optamos por desenvolver uma pesquisa documental, analisando os Projetos Pedagógicos dos Cursos de uma amostra de cursos construída a partir de rankings tradicionais de avaliação no Brasil, incluindo o governamental. A Educação Ambiental está presente em 66,67% da amostra que consideramos. Apenas quatro cursos possuem disciplinas obrigatórias, o que nos preocupa, visto ser essa a única forma de garantir o acesso dos alunos ao conteúdo da Educação Ambiental. Projetos de pesquisa e de extensão deveriam estar mais presentes nos projetos dos cursos. A forma predominante de ocorrência foi a disciplina optativa, o que nos deixa esperançosos de que o Núcleo Docente Estruturante dos cursos, se for o caso, possa recomendar sua obrigatoriedade por ocasião da reformulação curricular.

Teaching Approaches to Select Economical Pipe Diameters in Pumping Systems

AbstractPumping systems are a topic of great relevance in the teaching of civil and environmental engineering courses related to urban water infrastructure. One key component of this teaching is th...

Sustainability coursework: student perspectives and reflections on design thinking

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to assess particular student outcomes when design thinking was integrated into an environmental engineering course. The literature is increasingly promoting design thinking for addressing societal and environmental sustainability engineering challenges. Design thinking is a human-centered approach that identifies needs upfront.Design/methodology/approachIn an undergraduate engineering course, Design for the Environment, students have begun to obtain hands-on experience in applying design thinking to sustainability challenges. This case study investigates the association between the use of design thinking and student creativity with sustainability design solutions. Student perspectives on their own creativity and future sustainable design practices as a result of the course were also investigated.FindingsThe findings were favorable for design thinking, being associated with a significant difference and medium-to-large effect with regards to solution novelty. A qualitative analysis showed a positive association between design thinking and students’ perceptions of their creativity and future anticipated sustainability practices. Using a content analysis of reflective writings, students’ application of design thinking was assessed for comprehensiveness and correctness. A two-week introductory design-thinking module and significant use of in-class active learning were the course elements that most notably impacted students’ use of design thinking.Practical implicationsThis case study preliminarily demonstrates that application of design thinking within an environmental engineering course may be associated with beneficial outcomes related to creativity and sustainability.Originality/valueA review of the literature did not uncover studies of the use of design thinking for undergraduate socio-environmental challenges to promote creativity and sustainable-practices outcomes, although the literature has been calling for the marrying of these two areas.