Resources: Discovery Classroom
Wind tunnel experiment during engineering lecture in Discovery Classroom!
In the Discovery Classroom, the traditional lecture hall has been redefined to combine
- a multi-media classroom;
- an adjoining experimental laboratory;
- laptop computers loaned to students.
This creates an environment where non-traditional learning takes place. We have designated the approach using this facility as the DIANE philosophy: Daily Integration of Analytical, Numerical, and Experimental methods into engineering classes. In a typical application, experimental apparatus are demonstrated directly in class during an engineering lecture. These apparatus range from the simple (draining tank for mass conservation concepts) to the complex (portable wind tunnel experiments for aerodynamic principles). Real-time quantitative data are acquired from the apparatus, and the data are immediately analyzed and compared to concurrently developed theory by the students in class using computational software.
The objectives of the innovations are to:
- Bring the excitement of discovery into the engineering classroom by stressing real-time acquisition of data and student "discovery" of fundamental concepts.
- Allow students to better understand relationships between physical phenomena and concurrently developed theory through interactive exercises.
- Develop student awareness of the various modes of engineering analysis through integrated experimental-analytical-computational exercises.
Take a Virtual Tour of the Discovery Classroom! (630KB MPG file)
Sample EXCITE Module - Draining Tank
Sample EXCITE Video - Draining Tank
Sample Excite Module - Airfoil Lift Curves
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Last modified: May 22, 2007 12:01:35