Virtual Simulations to Support an Applied Fluid Mechanics Course:  A Pilot Implementation Overview

Gonca Altuger-Genc

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Conference: 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Seattle, Washington
Publication Date: June 14, 2015
Start Date: June 14, 2015
End Date: June 17, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-692-50180-1
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Simulation
Tagged Division: Computers in Education
Page Count: 15
Page Numbers: 26.1705.1 - 26.1705.15
DOI: 10.18260/p.25041
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/25041
Download Count: 772

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Paper Authors

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Gonca Altuger-Genc State University of New York, Farmingdale

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Dr. Gonca Altuger-Genc is an Assistant Professor at State University of New York - Farmingdale State College in the Mechanical Engineering Technology Department. She is serving as the K-12 STEM Outreach Research and Training Coordinator at Renewable Energy and Sustainability Center at Farmingdale State College.
Her research interests are engineering education, self-directed lifelong learning, virtual laboratories, and decision-making framework development for design and manufacturing environments.

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Abstract

Interactive Simulations to Support Applied Fluid Mechanics Course: A Pilot Implementation AssessmentEngineering and engineering technology courses offer a setting that combines the theory and theapplication through the lecture and the laboratory components. Lecture-and-laboratory setting isan ideal set-up for engineering and engineering technology courses when they are offered inclassroom; however, offering lecture and laboratory components in an online classroom setting ismore challenging. Online settings also require additional means to share course materials withstudents. Educational platforms such as Angel and Blackboard provide a great environment foreducators to set-up their hybrid courses; however; sharing laboratory materials and providingstudents with the accessible laboratory experience out of the traditional laboratory setting stillremains a challenge.In an effort to overcome these aforementioned challenges, educators have adopted differentstyles of teaching to supplement their traditional classroom teaching such as: video-basedteaching, slide-based teaching, voice-recording, online office hours, discussion boards, andteleconference office hours, etc. However, for many engineering and engineering technologycourses hands-on experience with laboratory equipment is integral to the curriculum andproviding students with an environment, where students understand the application of the theoryand have full access to the course materials fall on the shoulders of the faculty. This led toadoption of technologies such as online laboratories, remote laboratories, and simulation-basedplatforms that are designed to improve students’ learning experience as well as to provide aplatform to engage students with different learning preferences and styles in online settings.This study explores the use simulations as a means to conduct experiments designed forlaboratory-based learning in online settings. A set of interactive online simulations have beendesigned and developed to support a sophomore level Applied Fluid Mechanics course in a 4-year accredited state college. The simulations are developed using MIT’s Scratch software withthe goal of supplementing in-class and online offerings of the Applied Fluid Mechanics course.Scratch is developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. Thesimulations have been implemented to the course in Fall 2014 semester on a module by modulebasis. This paper will provide an overview of the modules, and the assessment results of thepilot implementation. Students learning styles and their attitude towards simulation-basedlaboratories will be discussed.

Citation
Format

Altuger-Genc, G. (2015, June), Virtual Simulations to Support an Applied Fluid Mechanics Course: A Pilot Implementation Overview Paper presented at 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/p.25041

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -            Interactive Simulations to Support Applied Fluid Mechanics                   Course: A Pilot Implementation AssessmentEngineering and engineering technology courses offer a setting that combines the theory and theapplication through the lecture and the laboratory components. Lecture-and-laboratory setting isan ideal set-up for engineering and engineering technology courses when they are offered inclassroom; however, offering lecture and laboratory components in an online classroom setting ismore challenging. Online settings also require additional means to share course materials withstudents. Educational platforms such as Angel and Blackboard provide a great environment foreducators to set-up their hybrid courses; however; sharing laboratory materials and providingstudents with the accessible laboratory experience out of the traditional laboratory setting stillremains a challenge.In an effort to overcome these aforementioned challenges, educators have adopted differentstyles of teaching to supplement their traditional classroom teaching such as: video-basedteaching, slide-based teaching, voice-recording, online office hours, discussion boards, andteleconference office hours, etc. However, for many engineering and engineering technologycourses hands-on experience with laboratory equipment is integral to the curriculum andproviding students with an environment, where students understand the application of the theoryand have full access to the course materials fall on the shoulders of the faculty. This led toadoption of technologies such as online laboratories, remote laboratories, and simulation-basedplatforms that are designed to improve students’ learning experience as well as to provide aplatform to engage students with different learning preferences and styles in online settings.This study explores the use simulations as a means to conduct experiments designed forlaboratory-based learning in online settings. A set of interactive online simulations have beendesigned and developed to support a sophomore level Applied Fluid Mechanics course in a 4-year accredited state college. The simulations are developed using MIT’s Scratch software withthe goal of supplementing in-class and online offerings of the Applied Fluid Mechanics course.Scratch is developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. Thesimulations have been implemented to the course in Fall 2014 semester on a module by modulebasis. This paper will provide an overview of the modules, and the assessment results of thepilot implementation. Students learning styles and their attitude towards simulation-basedlaboratories will be discussed.
AU  - Gonca Altuger-Genc
CY  - Seattle, Washington
DA  - 2015/06/14
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Virtual Simulations to Support an Applied Fluid Mechanics Course:  A Pilot Implementation Overview
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/25041
DO  - 10.18260/p.25041
ER  -