Web-Operable Remote Experimentation in Lecture Courses

Engineering - Chemical (53)

The major focus of our work is to explore and evaluate means of incorporating web-operable remote experiments as an educational tool in lecture courses. As a test vehicle for our ideas, we have created a remote experiment that provides an introduction to combustion, and the concepts of conservation of mass and energy. The experiment is used in an introductory chemical engineering course as a means of teaching adiabatic flame temperature. We have also introduced extensive report writing and more advanced engineering topics in conjunction with this experiment. Remote experiments have become more technologically straightforward and economically viable with the worldwide web. However, their educational value depends not only on a well-designed technology but more importantly on the content of the experiment. We are disseminating our results at the annual meetings of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the American Society for Engineering Education. A paper is being presented to Chemical Engineering Education journal.