A Protocol-Based Blended Model for Fluid Mechanics Instruction

A personalized and media-rich learning framework called “Knowledge and Curriculum Integration Ecosystem” (KACIE) has been developed and implemented in a junior level fluid mechanics course in Fall 2016 and Spring 2017. This model shares characteristics of blended instruction as well as a flipped classroom, with an overall structure that includes the application of established principles emerging from the learning sciences and from cognitive neuroscience. These principles have taken form in the KACIE model as classroom protocols or written instructions to scaffold and guide teaching and learning by faculty and students respectively. In KACIE, the course has been presented as a sequence of 55 concepts that each connect to its prerequisites. Scripted and animated short video lectures of 2-6 minutes duration and mandatory inclass activity sheets were developed and used for teaching each of the 55 concepts. This paper presents the details of the KACIE model and its impact on fluid mechanics instruction by comparing relevant data from the Fall 2015 control semester when the same course was offered in a traditional teaching environment. The results show that the media-rich KACIE intervention in an HBCU has significantly improved students’ academic engagement and success, substantially reduced failure rate, and enhanced their critical thinking ability.