[论文解读] Teaching Fluid Mechanics for Undergraduate Students in Applied Industrial Biology: from Theory to Atypical Experiments

Rafik Absi, Caroline Nalpace+4 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Jun 3, 2011

Innovations in Educational Methods参考文献 7被引用 10

一句话总结

本文提出一种基于游戏的教学方法，用于向应用工业生物学理学硕士课程的学生讲授流体力学，通过非典型的、源于日常生活的实验激发学习兴趣。该方法显著提升了学生的参与度和课程评价，使流体力学从一门被认为困难的学科转变为引人入胜、实用且愉悦的学习体验。

ABSTRACT

EBI is a further education establishment which provides education in applied industrial biology at level of MSc engineering degree. Fluid mechanics at EBI was considered by students as difficult who seemed somewhat unmotivated. In order to motivate them, we applied a new play-based pedagogy. Students were asked to draw inspiration from everyday life situations to find applications of fluid mechanics and to do experiments to verify and validate some theoretical results obtained in course. In this paper, we present an innovative teaching/learning pedagogy which includes the concept of learning through play and its implications in fluid mechanics for engineering. Examples of atypical experiments in fluid mechanics made by students are presented. Based on teaching evaluation by students, it is possible to know how students feel the course. The effectiveness of this approach to motivate students is presented through an analysis of students' teaching assessment. Learning through play proved a great success in fluid mechanics where course evaluations increased substantially. Fluid mechanics has been progressively perceived as interesting, useful, pleasant and easy to assimilate. It is shown that this pedagogy which includes educational gaming presents benefits for students. These experiments seem therefore to be a very effective tool for improving teaching/learning activities in higher education.

研究动机与目标

• 解决应用工业生物学理学硕士课程中学生对流体力学学习的疏离感和 perceived 困难问题。
• 开发一种将理论流体力学与实际、日常生活应用相连接的教学模型。
• 通过体验式、游戏化的实验，提升学生的动机和学习成效。
• 利用学生反馈和课程评估数据，评估该方法的有效性。

提出的方法

• 学生被要求在日常生活中识别流体力学现象，并设计简单、非典型的实验来检验理论原理。
• 教学法强调通过游戏学习，鼓励创造力和动手探索，而非死记硬背。
• 通过学生自主设计的实验，利用低成本、易获取的材料，验证讲座中的理论概念。
• 学生实验在导师指导下进行，但具有明确的开放性，以促进探究与问题解决能力。
• 通过学生课程评价以及对理论难度、实用性与趣味性的反馈，评估教学效果。
• 该方法在EBI的硕士级别流体力学课程中完整实施了一个学期。

实验结果

研究问题

• RQ1 如何使应用生物学学生对流体力学教育更感兴趣，从而克服其抽象性和难度？
• RQ2 非典型、源于生活的实验在多大程度上能提升学生对流体力学的学习动机和概念理解？
• RQ3 在高等教育工程教育背景下，游戏化教学模式的感知益处和学习成效是什么？
• RQ4 当理论与动手操作、日常生活实验相结合时，学生的参与度和课程评价如何变化？

主要发现

• 实施游戏化教学法后，学生对流体力学课程的评价显著提高。
• 学生表示流体力学变得更具趣味性、实用性、愉悦感，且更易于理解。
• 该方法成功改变了学生的观念，使该学科不再令人畏惧或无关紧要。
• 源于日常生活的非典型实验在验证理论流体力学概念方面被证明非常有效。
• 该方法在高等教育中具有显著潜力，尤其适用于跨学科工程课程的教学与学习改进。