Marek, K. (2025, March), Development of a software tool to improve educational outcomes in a time constant measurement experiment  Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Southeast Conference , Mississippi State University, Mississippi. 10.18260/1-2--54207

\bibitem{asee_peer_54207}
  Marek, K. (2025, March), \emph{Development of a software tool to improve educational outcomes in a time constant measurement experiment}
  Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Southeast Conference , Mississippi State University, Mississippi.
  10.18260/1-2--54207

Kenneth Marek.  "Development of a software tool to improve educational outcomes in a time constant measurement experiment".  2025 ASEE Southeast Conference , Mississippi State University, Mississippi, 2025, March.  ASEE Conferences, 2025.  https://peer.asee.org/54207 Internet.  07 Jul, 2025

\bibitem{asee_peer_54207}
  Kenneth Marek.
  "Development of a software tool to improve educational outcomes in a time constant measurement experiment".
  \emph{2025 ASEE Southeast Conference , Mississippi State University, Mississippi, 2025, March}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2025.
  https://peer.asee.org/54207 Internet.  07 Jul, 2025

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_54207
author = "Kenneth Marek"
title = "Development of a software tool to improve educational outcomes in a time constant measurement experiment"
booktitle = "2025 ASEE Southeast Conference "
year = "2025"
month = "March"
address = "Mississippi State University, Mississippi"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/54207}
number = {10.18260/1-2--54207}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - In a junior level mechanical engineering experimental measurements laboratory course, students perform an experiment in which they determine time constants of various electronic temperature sensors, based on a lumped capacitance heat transfer model. In the past, many students have struggled with the mechanics of calculating the time constant using Microsoft Excel, often spending excess time on it and/or generating erroneous results. While such deficiencies are correctable with additional feedback and instruction, the additional time would come with an opportunity cost of other potential lab activities. It is preferable instead to spend available lab time on other tasks, such as interpreting the meaning of the time constants, and hypothesizing and testing different aspects of the experiment that can affect the calculated time constants. Since these preferred activities necessarily rely on the correct calculation of time constants, a software tool was developed which can be used to more quickly and easily calculate time constants. It is a graphical program which runs on GNU Octave, and it has the capability to import raw data, select subsets of the data to analyze, and calculate the time constant based on the user’s selections. The new tool is designed for use during the laboratory period, so that students can receive feedback on their analysis and correct common mistakes before leaving the laboratory. The tool also calculates time constants several times faster than could be accomplished using Excel, thus reducing the amount of time students must spend calculating time constants and allowing students to collect and analyze many more data sets than they did previously. The new tool also incorporates more graphical interaction and feedback than students experienced with Excel. The ease of use, speed, and new feedback provided by the software tool allows additional improvements to be made to the experiment. These include obtaining a larger number of time constant values, on which to perform better statistical analyses, as well as facilitating additional inquiries into the experimental data on multiple cognitive levels. This paper discusses the purpose, function, and effectiveness of the tool, including estimates of time saved. It also discusses how the additional experimental analysis improvements, made possible by the new software tool, impact student understanding and course learning outcomes.
AU  - Kenneth Marek
CY  - Mississippi State University, Mississippi
DA  - 2025/03/09
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Development of a software tool to improve educational outcomes in a time constant measurement experiment
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/54207
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--54207
ER  -