WIP: Mobile Experiments for an Enhanced Engineering Learning Experience

This work-in-progress research-to-practice paper describes the development and fabrication of pilot-scale mobile experiments and their use in classroom demonstrations to enhance the practical learning experience of chemical engineering students. We recently renovated the undergraduate teaching laboratories in the chemical engineering department at the University of Texas at Austin., our main objective with these renovations was to update and improve the content., teaching effectiveness., and general learning experience offered by our laboratory sequence. As we progressed in our renovation efforts., we noticed that our students had limited opportunities to experiment hands-on with real applications of concepts discussed in their courses before the junior year. Thus., we recognized it was a priority to provide these opportunities earlier in our program to improve learning and enhance engagement. To this end., we have developed four pilot-scale flexible experimental stations that are custom build., modular., and on wheels for easy transport to classrooms (i.e.., mobile experiments). The experiments are created to be used in demonstrations and they cover a wide area of engineering concepts and applications. In this work., we propose that the use of mobile experiments in engineering classes offers advantages over traditional engineering instruction: they can deliver a more tailored learning experience., they can be easily modified and updated to explain concepts., and they can promote an enhanced student-centered educational experience that invites discussion. By this work-in-progress., we take the initial steps to answer the following research question: Does the development and utilization of hands-on flexible experiments that can be transported to classes to demonstrate engineering concepts result in improved classroom learning and an enhanced engagement with the major? In this paper., we describe the development of one experiment and we highlight how mobile experiments can contribute to an enhance learning. We detail their proposed applications in core courses., their use in laboratories., and their advantages in demonstrations. We present preliminary data on student perception; this feedback suggests that the use of these experiments can enhance engagement and contribute to the learning and understanding of engineering concepts. We conclude by summarizing our future work to study the benefits of the use of pilot-scale mobile experiment demonstrations in lecture-based engineering courses.