This paper describes the combination of problem-based learning (PBL) and simulation tools in the chemical engineering unit operation laboratory course, focusing on heat transfer concepts using a shell-and-tube heat exchanger experiment. This approach has significantly enhanced student learning outcomes by bridging theory with practice, fostering a…

Background: In technical subjects, the "hands-on" aspect is important because the students cannot assimilate some concepts until they practice with real industrial systems. They need to have the demonstration that what they are performing is real and works in order to create a true mental image of the subject concepts, which translates…

This paper describes the collaboration of a Writing Center director and a professor of a Fisheries Biology course in support of a research paper entitled, "The World Without," which asks students to convince readers of the likely ecological consequences associated with the extinction of a finfish species or aquatic habitat. Opportunities…

The purpose of this study was to explore how teachers at a southwestern secondary private charter school utilize the on-campus fabrication lab to promote the implementation of problem-based learning (PBL). Guided by the theory of constructivism, I qualitatively explored the processes teachers engage in when implementing a PBL lesson using a…

Additive manufacturing (AM) is projected to require 60,000 jobs in the UK by 2025, but there are a series of barriers to the industrial application. One of the most problematic is non-comprehensive knowledge in design for AM (DfAM). This study aims to test the effect of two undergraduate DfAM teaching approaches. A visual and audial approach…

To enable interactive remote education on electrical safety in biomedical engineering, a real-life problem-based laboratory module is proposed, implemented and evaluated. The laboratory module was implemented in a freestanding distance course in hospital safety for three consecutive years and was based on electrical safety for medical devices,…

Architecture education may be able teach students more about real-life problem-solving than traditional subjects.

Best practices in Biomedical Engineering education seek to connect classroom knowledge to practical applications. MIT's Medical Device Design course is comprised of in-class didactics, individual laboratory assignments, and a semester-long, team- based design and prototyping challenge, based in real unmet biomedical need. Students in the course…

We present our experience with an open-ended lab activity that we designed for students with a Calculus 1 background. With the goal of learning how scientists study transport in streams, the students collected data on how a pulse of leaves travels down a nearby stream. Students who had little to no experience with data with two independent…

Contribution: A distinct instructional approach to laboratory activities for power system machines, based on hybrid project-based learning (h-PBL). Students develop their own laboratory procedures and explain their results. This approach creates a positive environment to improve students' problem-solving, and their control design and…

The use of applied labs has long been an established practice in the natural sciences as a means of stressing application of theoretical principles and fostering disciplinary excitement. The social sciences have seen an advent of similar problem-based approaches, but have not adopted a lab-based model. Labs offer an opportunity to use class time…

Recent education initiatives have created a spotlight for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs within schools with an eye to not only improve students' overall performance in mathematics and science, but also increase the pipeline of students pursuing STEM-focused careers. While current STEM initiatives focus on all…

Many medical schools offer pre-professional programs to undergraduate students. The main purpose of the university pre-professional program (UPPP) is to equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills required to successfully cope with the academic demands of further education provided by professional colleges. The aim of this commentary…

We implemented NSF-funded computerized Experimental Psychology Laboratories at Touro College and incorporated process-oriented guided-inquiry learning (POGIL). We designed POGIL modules for the labs and conducted workshops for faculty on the implementation of the guided-inquiry approach, including learning teams. Data were collected from students…

This is a research study of design and engineering classes that use a problem-based learning (PBL) approach in digital fabrication makerspaces in two middle schools. In these studies, teachers employ a PBL approach and provide an ill-structured problem scenario to facilitate design and engineering lessons in the FabLab (fabrication laboratory).…