Pan, Sana, Schmitt, and Bjork (2020) Pretesting reduces mind wandering during online lectures

Although online lectures have become increasingly popular, their effectiveness at promoting learning can be attenuated by mind wandering (shifts in attention away from the task at-hand towards unrelated thoughts). We investigated whether taking tests on to-be-studied information, also known as pretesting, could mitigate this problem and promote learning. In two experiments, participants viewed a 26-min video-recorded online lecture that was paired with a pretest activity (answering questions about the lecture) or a control activity (solving algebra problems), and with multiple probes to measure attention. Taking pretests reduced mind wandering and improved performance on a subsequent final test compared to the control condition. This result occurred regardless of whether pretests were interspersed throughout the lecture (Experiment 1) or were administered at the very beginning of the lecture (Experiment 2). These findings demonstrate that online lectures can be proactively structured to reduce mind wandering and improve learning via the incorporation of pretests

Demonstrating the “unit hydrograph” and flow routing processes involving active student participation – a university lecture experiment

The unit hydrograph (UH) has been one of the most widely employed hydrological modelling techniques to predict rainfall–runoff behaviour of hydrological catchments, and is still used to this day. Its concept is based on the idea that a unit of effective precipitation per time unit (e.g. mm h−1) will always lead to a specific catchment response in runoff. Given its relevance, the UH is an important topic that is addressed in most (engineering) hydrology courses at all academic levels. While the principles of the UH seem to be simple and easy to understand, teaching experiences in the past suggest strong difficulties in students' perception of the UH theory and application. In order to facilitate a deeper understanding of the theory and application of the UH for students, we developed a simple and cheap lecture theatre experiment which involved active student participation. The seating of the students in the lecture theatre represented the “hydrological catchment” in its size and form. A set of plastic balls, prepared with a piece of magnetic strip to be tacked to any white/black board, each represented a unit amount of effective precipitation. The balls are evenly distributed over the lecture theatre and routed by some given rules down the catchment to the “catchment outlet”, where the resulting hydrograph is monitored and illustrated at the black/white board. The experiment allowed an illustration of the underlying principles of the UH, including stationarity, linearity, and superposition of the generated runoff and subsequent routing. In addition, some variations of the experimental setup extended the UH concept to demonstrate the impact of elevation, different runoff regimes, and non-uniform precipitation events on the resulting hydrograph. In summary, our own experience in the classroom, a first set of student exams, as well as student feedback and formal evaluation suggest that the integration of such an experiment deepened the learning experience by active participation. The experiment also initialized a more experienced based discussion of the theory and assumptions behind the UH. Finally, the experiment was a welcome break within a 3 h lecture setting, and great fun to prepare and run.

Demonstrating the "Unit Hydrograph" and flow routing processes involving active student participation – A university lecture experiment

The unit-hydrograph (UH) has been one of the most widely employed hydrological modelling techniques to predict rainfall-runoff behavior of hydrological catchments, and is still used up-to-date. Its concept is based on the idea that a unit of effective precipitation per time unit (e.g. mm h-1) will always lead to a specific catchment response in runoff. Given its relevance, the UH is an important topic addressed in most of the (engineering) hydrology courses at all academic levels. While the principles of the UH seem to be simple and easy to understand, teaching experiences in the past suggest strong difficulties in students' perception of the UH theory and application. In order to facilitate a deeper students' understanding of the theory and application of the UH, we developed a simple and cheap lecture theatre experiment involving an active student participation. The seating of the students in the lecture theatre represented the "hydrological catchment" in its size and form. A set of plastic balls, prepared with a piece of magnetic strip to be tacked to any white/black board, each represented a unit amount of effective precipitation. The balls are evenly distributed over the lecture theatre and routed by some given rules down the catchment to the "catchment outlet", where the resulting hydrograph is monitored and illustrated at the black/white board. The experiment allowed an illustration of the underlying principles of the UH, including stationarity, linearity and superposition of the generated runoff and subsequent routing. In addition, some variations of the experimental setup extended the UH-concept to demonstrate the impact of elevation, different runoff regimes and non-uniform precipitation events on the resulting hydrograph. In summary, our own experience in the classroom, a first set of student exams, as well as student feedback and formal evaluation suggest that the integration of such an experiment deepened the learning experience by active participation. The experiment also initialized a more experienced based discussion of the theory and assumptions behind the UH. Finally, the experiment was a welcome break within a 3-hour lecture setting, and great fun to prepare and run.

Course Module on Precision Control of Piezoelectric Actuators

Conventional mechanical actuation mechanisms, which have been used to drive nanoscale devices, have the drawback of requiring high power for operation. However, the piezoelectric actuation mechanism offers the advantages of extremely low power consumption. As piezoelectric materials change the practice of engineering and technology, providing undergraduate students with experiences with these materials has become necessary. This paper presents the design of a course module on precision control of piezoelectric actuators for undergraduate students. The course module incorporates lecture, experiment, and problem-based learning as pedagogical tools. Students are given opportunities to work directly with piezoelectric actuators to gain hands-on experience. Students can learn about actuation advantages of the piezoelectric materials along with their control problems. This course module can improve the knowledge of the students on how to design and analyze piezoelectric devices.

Learning nanotechnology through experimentation: carbon nanotube manufacturing using an electric discharge machine

A novel nanotechnology laboratory experiment for a required junior/senior undergraduate engineering course, Engineering of Manufacturing Processes, is described and implemented. The experiment demonstrates a process of manufacturing carbon nanotubes using a method representing a variation on arc discharge. Carbon nanotubes are synthesized in oil by electric discharge machining using two graphite electrodes. The results are compared to a known empirical formula for material removal rate in electric discharge machining. A cost analysis of the process, determining the cost of as produced carbon nanotubes is performed. This 2-h experiment is complemented with a single 2-h lecture on nanotechnology creating a lecture-experiment nanotechnology module. Student learning outcomes for the module are developed, assessed, and analyzed. The results show a significant improvement in students’ knowledge. Student perceptions about nanotechnology, carbon nanotube manufacturing, and the need for life-long learning are assessed. Pedagogical justifications and sustainability of the nanotechnology lecture-experiment module within an undergraduate engineering curriculum are addressed.