Abstract:

Students of most tertiary engineering department's are required to conduct a final year project during which they are introduced to near-professional engineering practice, by tackling a practical issue. The Machine Design Laboratory (MADLAB) of the School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (ASPETE), in order to support the students in their final year projects, applied the learning-by-doing method in an attempt to deviate from the classic stereotype which considers final year projects as theoretical essays, involving mainly mathematical calculations and resulting in an extensive report followed by a presentation. Two small groups of students were given the opportunity to prepare their final projects in MADLAB, during which they designed and built an experimental pneumatic conveying setup, which can be used in lab exercises as well as in research. ASPETE students, being at the same time mechanical engineers but also competent educators, had to apply technological as well as pedagogical criteria and specifications in order to adequately equip the setup with tuning and measurement capabilities, through which the effect of critical factors on the effectiveness of pneumatic conveying can be experimentally studied. Students had to apply knowledge from different areas and use methods, tools and techniques, which they have already learned during their studies. Moreover, they had to cultivate and apply soft skills required in a contemporary competitive professional environment while simultaneously demonstrated substantial technical and pedagogical proficiency throughout the project.

Keywords:

Learning-by-doing, Final Year Project, Pneumatic Conveying, Mechanical Engineering.