Problem-Based Collaborative Learning in Upper-Level

Engineering Courses

Robert J. Ribando

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

Inauguration Academic Symposium

April 14, 2011

Teaching + Technology Initiative Fellowship in 1995-96

• Original proposal – Create interfaces for Fortran programs developed in research and in various graduate courses over the years.

• Use product as “virtual” laboratories in 3rd-year Heat and Mass Transfer course.– Switch from three “chalk-and-talk” lectures weekly. – Have weekly “studio” sessions in computer class

room.– Use new ITC “hands-on” classrooms which were

built in MEC building at that time.

Mission Accomplished!

2002 2012

A Typical Interface – Transient Conduction

The Alternative – Heisler Charts (1947)

Pick centerline temperature off this chart, go to another chart to get other temperatures as function of centerline temperature, repeat and repeat and repeat!

Fully-Interactive Virtual Laboratories

Studies Show That 5-10 Years Later, Engineers Are NOT Using

the Topical Content of Most Courses They Took!

• They are using the problem-solving skills they learned, but applying them to other things we can’t even imagine.

• So why spend a whole course teaching them methods developed specifically because there were no computers at the time??

Unintended Consequences

1. Software maintenance.

2. Grading of studio assignments.

3. Learning Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).

4. Switching from routine problem solving to concepts.

5. Assessment.

6. Effects on other courses.

7. World wide outreach.

1. Software Maintenance

• The “guts” of the Transient Conduction module has been implemented in seven languages over 25 years. Most recently:– Visual Basic 3 with Fortran DLL– Visual Basic 6 (compiled)– Visual Basic.Net

• Because students tend not to read the book, software has to be self-contained, completely intuitive and have no learning curve.

• Continual need to correct, update and improve the modules that we use regularly.

2. Grading of Studio Assignments

• This year for the first time all assignments are given in Excel spreadsheets – “User Form” on new worksheet for each problem.– Links to pdf files for more extensive write-ups.

• Each team of two students submits one spreadsheet through Collab (100 students on-Grounds and 10 off-Grounds in the “Produced in VA” program this semester).

• GTA grades using tablet PC, scribbles remarks right on spreadsheet and returns via Collab. No paper!

3. Visual Basic for Applications

• Introduced to me by my T+TI advisor.

• Use to create projects for those weeks when we didn’t have one of the “heavy-duty” modules.

• VBA is a very powerful programming package within Excel (and other MS products).

• Have used in all courses, g and u/g, and research since.

• Immensely marketable skill for engineers!

Typical PBL Exercise Using Excel

NOTE: All the properties of air and water that are needed here are provided as VBA functions. Students program additional functions themselves.

NOTE: All the properties of air and water that are needed here are provided as VBA functions. Students program additional functions themselves.

4. From Routine Problem Solving to Concepts

• When you can test parameters so easily as in both the heavy duty modules and in the student-written spreadsheets, you MUST test parameters, investigate trends, draw conclusions, synthesize, design, etc.

• These are the types of skills employers want in the 21st century, not mundane skills that can be outsourced to a computer.

• But by third year many engineering students are attuned to “single right answer” problems.

5. Assessment of Concepts

• Most students don’t study concepts on their own – you must force them to look more deeply and think about things.

• First attempts were a disaster – “You didn’t tell me I was supposed to notice that!”

• Added learning objectives, self-tests, etc. to modules and projects.

Assessment of Concepts (cont.)

• Toolkit Quizmaker first, now Collab.

• Weekly Collab quizzes when we wrap up each major topic.

• Detailed feedback on most questions.

• Forces two more interactions with the course each week – taking the quiz and then coming back and studying the feedback when it is released.

• Graphically rich – snip out of modules.

• Lots of work upfront – but no grading!!!

Typical Quiz Problem

Assessment (cont.)

• “Flex” exams through Collab used for other exams and the final, too.

• If your exam has lots of concepts questions (instead of the typical 3-problem exam), you can force the really good students to think, too.

• No grading!!!

7. Use of VBA in Other Courses• MAE 6720 – Computation Fluid

Dynamics• MAE 4120 – Propulsion (Gas Turbines)

– Much smaller course.– Scheduled completely in ITC computer

classroom.– Very little lecturing, almost totally PBL.– VBA macros provided for lots of tasks.

• Many AE’s take Heat Transfer as tech. elective, and ME’s take Propulsion as tech. elective – not because of topic, but because of the computer orientation.

7. World Wide Outreach

Hits from 146 of the 191 Member States of the UN – to a website that looks much like it did 15 years ago!

Some materials based on TTI project are given away at this website. More interest in VBA materials than heat transfer.

Some materials based on TTI project are given away at this website. More interest in VBA materials than heat transfer.

UN Members from Which I Have NOT Had Hits – If you visit one, please log In!

• Angola • Bahamas• Barbados• Benin• Burkina Faso• Cameroon• Cape Verde• Central African Republic• Chad• Comoros• Congo, Republic of the...• Democratic People's

Republic of Korea• Democratic Republic of the

Congo• Djibouti• Equatorial Guinea• Ethiopia

• Ethiopia• Gabon• Grenada• Guinea• Guinea-Bissau• Haiti• Iraq• Kiribati• Liberia• Mali• Marshall Islands• Mauritania• Nauru• Palau• Saint Kitts and Nevis• Saint Lucia• Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines

•San Marino•Sao Tome & Principe•Senegal•Serbia•Seychelles•Sierra Leone•Somalia•Sudan•Suriname•Timor-Leste•Togo•Tunisia•Vanuatu