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Enhancing participation, engagement, and retention in undergraduate and graduate curriculum through applied energy conversion course

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Conference

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Baltimore , Maryland

Publication Date

June 25, 2023

Start Date

June 25, 2023

End Date

June 28, 2023

Conference Session

Energy Conversion, Conservation and Nuclear Engineering Division (ECCNE) Technical Session 3

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation and Nuclear Engineering Division (ECCNE)

Page Count

12

DOI

10.18260/1-2--43360

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/43360

Download Count

159

Paper Authors

biography

Anveeksh Koneru University of Texas of the Permian Basin Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-1422-0069

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Dr. Anveeksh Koneru is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas Permian Basin. He is the Engineering Summer Camp coordinator and the graduate program head at the College of Engineering. His primary research includes thermoelectrics, photocatalysis, and carbon capture.

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Abstract

To increase student interest in the graduate program, and to increase retention in the undergraduate program of mechanical engineering, energy conversion course was incorporated to provide an avenue to apply fundamental concepts to practical scenarios and provide design solutions for mini steam power plants. This strategy improved the fundamental grasp, confidence, ethics, and responsibility of engineering students. Towards the middle of this course, local engineers from the industry were invited to give a guest talk related to energy conversion applications incorporated in their respective industries. This course covered topics related to the application of regeneration, reheating in boilers to solve a complex project related to setting up a steam power plant, analysis of jet engines and gas turbines, and application of sunlight for chemical energy conversion and storage through Hydrogen production. This course also contained an ethics component to meet one of the ABET requirements. Through individual exams, group projects, presentations, group design/analysis, and attending presentations from industry personnel, the student's performance was evaluated. Additionally, an outgoing survey was taken from the students. The overall rating of this course was 4.53/5 and the students' survey indicated excellent application-based learning. 6 graduate and 7 undergraduate students took this course and 4 out of those 7 undergraduate students who took this course as an elective signed up for the accelerated masters’ program track, thereby suggesting an increase in retention, participation, and improvement in the curriculum through such applied courses.

Koneru, A. (2023, June), Enhancing participation, engagement, and retention in undergraduate and graduate curriculum through applied energy conversion course Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43360

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