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Extracurricular Project Enhances Student Learning: A Case Study

Abstract

Recently at Western Kentucky University’s mechanical engineering thermal-fluids laboratory, a student worker, the author of this paper, was given the opportunity to design, build, and test (DBT) a dust collector performance test bed. The development of this test bed was inspired by an article in Wood Magazine, which described a method for testing the performance of various portable dust collectors.

The test bed developed is being used for instructional purposes in one laboratory course in the Mechanical Engineering (ME) Program. Currently, the test bed is used in the program’s Engineering Experimentation and Instrumentation course as a dust collector performance experiment. In this experiment students gain experience in method of measurement, selection of instrumentation, errors in and the proper use of pressure and air flow velocity measurements, and fan selection. Moreover, the test bed is capable of being used in a variety of other applications making it possible to be used in other laboratory courses in the future.

The test bed incorporates a common portable wood shop dust collector with a duct system consisting of round metal duct, plastic flexible hose, and various duct transitions. In the current experiment, air flow rates and static pressures are measured in the duct for several different duct configurations, or operating conditions. These operating conditions are then used to plot the dust collector’s fan curve and compare it to the manufacturer’s listed performance characteristics.

This paper focuses on the DBT process of the test bed and the development of the experiment. Moreover, an assessment of the project is provided through an analysis of the following project outcomes: 1) The student worker’s learning experiences during the execution of this extracurricular project inclusive of both technical and project management aspects and 2) The impact of the implementation of this extracurricular project as a course experiment in the Experimentation and Instrumentation course as part of the ME Program’s curriculum sequence.

Introduction

The Mechanical Engineering (ME) Program at Western Kentucky University focuses on creating professional learning experiences in order to “provide students with the opportunity to acquire tools and skills, as well as technical competency.”1,2 These learning experiences are provided through various projects both in the classroom as well as in extracurricular environments. One way the ME Program creates these extracurricular environments is by employing undergraduate engineering students to work with faculty on various projects. This provides students the opportunity to gain practical engineering experience to supplement their undergraduate educations.

An opportunity for such a project arose when one of the mechanical engineering faculty found an article in Wood Magazine entitled, “Dust Collectors Under $400”3. This article presented a

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Harlow, N., & Choate, R., & Lenoir, H. J. (2010, June), Extracurricular Project Enhances Student Learning: A Case Study Paper presented at 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition, Louisville, Kentucky. 10.18260/1-2--15728