Abstract:

A lot has been written in the open literature about teaching and learning styles across all disciplines, particularly in the social sciences and humanities, rather than in the specialized area of Fluid-Thermal Sciences in Mechanical Engineering. Acquiring specific skills in engineering is a measure of assessment in the accreditation process for US engineering schools. As critical thinking is one of these essential elements, the teaching style of an instructor is paramount in fostering these skills. Critical thinking is especially important in engineering disciplines because students are required to understand and analyze systems on a fundamental level and to create innovative mechanical and thermal systems as well. The thermal and fluid science subjects, which are primarily Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, and Heat Transfer, are engineering science subjects that assist in the development of critical thinking skills, highlighting the fact that the teaching style of an instructor is a major factor in the enhancement of required skills.

In this paper, an attempt is made to present the results of a study on the effectiveness of three teaching styles in fluid-thermal sciences in an ABET accredited undergraduate mechanical engineering curriculum. One approach is a teaching style that encourages students to depend highly on formulas in solving problems (the rote approach). The second is an approach in which students are taken through the process of deriving key equations from the basic laws of physics supported by fundamental mathematical principles; and the third is a hybrid approach combining the methods of the two, to enhance the effectiveness of the overall teaching style.

The study is conducted with resources from various teaching strategies in different thermal fluid science courses. A survey is administered to students who have taken Fluid Mechanics, Thermodynamics, and Heat Transfer courses. It should be noted that the students have all received both the teaching styles in these various courses, and some have received them within the institution and outside of the institution Overwhelmingly, it is concluded that the rote approach is not a sufficient teaching approach in the fluid-thermal courses as it doesn’t cultivate the critical thinking aspect. The study also concludes that the process of laborious derivation of governing equations can be a turn-off for students, particularly for those who are not well-grounded in basic mathematical principles. A balance in which a hybrid approach is used effectively is suggested as the form of teaching which can better prepare students for the labor workforce and for those who desire to pursue advanced academic work in fluid thermal sciences.

Keywords:

Thermal, fluid, sciences, engineering, teaching styles.