Six hands-on activities designed to improve student achievement in and attitude towards learning fluid mechanics

Abstract

Six hands-on activities were designed to supplement an existing mechanical engineering curriculum for fluid mechanics with the goal of creating a new instructional method centered around activity based learning. Replacing lecture time with activity based learning positively affects university students by reinforcing concepts learned during lecture, visually teaching new concepts and providing an outlet where the students are free to interact more casually with the instructor and their peers. Results of this are higher student achievement, a more thorough understanding of the material and a more positive attitude towards learning The four activities titled Rainbow Layer Cake ©, Marshmallow Madness (Control Volume Analysis) ©, Twist and Turn (Fluid Flow) ©, and Construction Function (Pipe Flow) © were original ideas developed for the class by the author. The activity, Foil Boat, Float Float was an original idea created through North Carolina State University's GK-12 Outreach Program and modified for use in the junior level class. Sink or Swim (Bowling Balls and Soda Cans in Water) was a demonstration borrowed from the physics department and augmented with a worksheet. To assess whether the activities resulted in higher student achievement, a control group and experimental group were created. Students in the experimental group performed the activities while students in the control group did not. Both groups received the same assessments and a comparison of exam scores was performed to assess the impact on student achievement. The experimental results and effectiveness of the activity, Rainbow Layer Cake © are presented to show that hands-on activities do result in higher student achievement. © 2012 American Society for Engineering Education.