Thermal Science Course Development Using Industry Input

This paper discusses the use of an industry survey as a tool for course development in thermal sciences. The thermal science portion of the Mechanical Engineering Technology curriculum at Purdue University includes two core courses, both of which have traditionally included topics in applied thermodynamics only. In recent years, a minimal amount of heat transfer content has been added to the introductory course to help offset the removal of a heat transfer elective from the program. A survey was completed to assess the need for even more heat transfer coverage in the thermal science curriculum, by investigating how frequently various thermal science topics and applications are encountered in industry. This paper outlines the survey process and describes how the input from industry is being used to guide the development of new lecture and laboratory materials in both heat transfer and combined thermal systems topics. An initial assessment of the effectiveness of the new course materials is also presented. Introduction Continuous evaluation and revision of courses is a standard part of engineering and engineering technology education. Specific to engineering technology curricula, the accreditation criteria include technical currency and continuous improvement as two of the requirements for accreditation1. Therefore, updates to the thermal science portion of the Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) curriculum at Purdue University are normal and expected. The current program includes two core thermal science courses, an introductory course at the sophomore level and a second course at the junior level. Both courses have traditionally covered topics in applied thermodynamics only, but in recent years, heat transfer content has been added to the introductory course to offset the removal of a heat transfer elective from the curriculum. Within the context of continuous improvement, it was desired to further increase the amount of heat transfer content in the program. Several MET faculty teaching thermal science courses at various Purdue locations expressed the perception that increased heat transfer background would help maintain the technical currency of the courses. The logical placement of the additional coverage would be within the introductory course, so that graduates of the associate’s degree program would have heat transfer knowledge to carry into their industrial experiences, regardless of whether they continued on for the bachelor’s degree. Since changes to the introductory course content could ultimately affect the later applied thermodynamics course, a survey was developed to assess the need for additional heat transfer material in the program. The primary goal of the survey was to ensure that course updates would reflect current needs in industry and minimize impact to the junior-level course. The following discussion presents the development and results of the survey, issues encountered in the survey process, and the effectiveness of the survey process in guiding the enhancement of course materials. P ge 8.194.1 Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2003, American Society for Engineering Education Survey Development Initial survey design tips were obtained from web-based resources2-3. The survey used in this project was developed with typical industry engineers, technologists, and managers in mind. To maximize the number of returns, two key features considered in the design were accessibility of the survey and time required to complete the survey. Since most industry practitioners use e-mail as a standard form of communication, the survey was designed as a web page that could be sent to participants as a link within an e-mail announcement. The length of the survey was minimized such that it would take most respondents less than five minutes to complete: eleven multiplechoice questions, a section for comments, and a place to provide contact information if desired. In addition, it was necessary to provide some means of ensuring only people with an appropriate background would complete the survey. A header paragraph was developed to help define the scope of the survey and clarify the target audience to make sure only those persons involved in thermal systems work responded. The survey header, shown in Figure 1 below, identifies the purpose, target audience, and required completion time for the survey. Figure 1. Header information from the web-based thermal systems survey. Survey content was limited to general inquiries, to ensure that respondents could complete the survey quickly and to provide a broad overview of the topics typically encountered in industry. Survey questions were divided into three categories: (1) thermal systems, (2) thermodynamics, and (3) heat transfer. “Thermal systems” was defined as the disciplines and applications of thermodynamics and heat transfer, and was used to encompass the entire realm of thermal science applications. Thermodynamics and heat transfer were then considered to be individual disciplines within the broader scope of thermal systems. The first set of survey questions simply asked how frequently each discipline or topic is encountered in the work of the participant, as shown in Figure 2 below. P ge 8.194.2 Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2003, American Society for Engineering Education Figure 2. Survey questions to determine frequency of participant’s work in specific topics. The hierarchy described previously can be seen clearly in Figure 2, with a question about thermal systems overall first, followed by one question about thermodynamics as a complete discipline, and then several questions on specific topics that are typically taught within thermodynamics. Heat transfer is next, following the same structure as the thermodynamics questions. It was hoped that this part of the survey would indicate if additional heat transfer content was necessary in the introductory course for course coverage to be proportional to industry usage. The next part of the survey addressed specific industrial applications of thermal systems. It was hoped that the responses from this part could guide course development by focusing new course materials on applications that are most frequently seen in industry. Figure 3 below shows the second part of the survey, in the form of one question in a “select all that apply” format. P ge 8.194.3 Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2003, American Society for Engineering Education Figure 3. Survey question to determine thermal systems applications seen in industry. Survey Results Two main resources were used for distribution of the survey. The first resource was internal departmental industry contacts in engineering and management positions. This included the MET Industrial Advisory Committee as well as other employers of the program graduates. This pool included approximately 45 contacts, all of which were made via e-mail, and resulted in eight returns. The second resource was professional societies. Two societies, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) were targeted for the survey. The central Indiana chapters of each society were contacted. The ASHRAE distribution was made via e-mail sent to members, while ASME distributed the survey information in a paper newsletter. Of the remaining 34 returns (total returns = 42), it is estimated that 90 percent were from ASHRAE. It was not possible to determine exactly how many returns came from each society since not all respondents provided contact information. Of the 42 survey returns, 50 percent indicated that they “almost always” encounter projects in thermal systems, while 93 percent indicated they encounter projects in thermal systems at least “occasionally”. This alone confirms that the response to the survey was limited to participants with the appropriate background in thermal systems as was desired. For thermodynamics as an overall discipline, 17 percent “almost always” and 76 percent at least “occasionally” encounter thermodynamics. For heat transfer as an overall discipline, 45 percent said they encounter heat transfer “almost always” and 76 percent said at least “occasionally”. Figure 4 below depicts these results graphically. The larger percentage using heat transfer “almost always” indicates a potential for increasing the amount of heat transfer content in thermal science courses, but the equal number of responses showing at least occasional usage of both thermodynamics and heat transfer means that emphasis on thermodynamics should not be lost in the process. P ge 8.194.4 Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2003, American Society for Engineering Education F requency of Enco untering T hermal Systems P ro jects /P ro blems