Implementation of design, build and test projects for heat exchanger and air conditioning in thermal engineering courses

Implementation of design, build and test projects for heat exchanger and air conditioning in thermal engineering courses Conference

Tao, Y, Cao, Y. (2007). Implementation of design, build and test projects for heat exchanger and air conditioning in thermal engineering courses .

This paper presents the progress of implementing the developed Design-Build-Test projects in the Mechanical Engineering curriculum at Florida International University. In particular, two DBT course modules were developed and offered: the heat exchanger and scaled building air-conditioning system. The project attempts to improve the relevance of the standalone ME lab course to the lecture courses through the execution of DBT activities. This adaptation enhances students' learning of thermal science subjects by providing students an enhanced, open-ended design problem experience in the mid-stage of the curriculum rather than near the end when the senior design project is required. It supports improved comprehension of the thermal-fluid contents through practical application and immediate, relevant implementation, rather than a fragmented learning process. Preliminary evaluation results obtained by conducting a survey among students, who did not take the DBT projects and those who did, were presented, and a trend of improvement in achieving the project outcomes is observed. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2007.