Title: Development of interactive learning activities in heat transfer

Authors: F.L. Tan, S.C. Fok

Addresses: School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abstract: This paper presents ongoing work at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) on the development of electronic resources for thermal-fluid courses, with a focus on the development of interactive learning activities for students to explore and discover heat transfer concepts and mechanisms. Three basic types of Java applets based on the three main types of interactive knowledge discovery activities are presented. Using these three basic applets, different interactive learning activities to assist the students in the learning of heat transfer principles are developed and discussed. The activities can aid the students in the visualisation of certain heat transfer concepts; the user interface is user friendly; and the proposed activities can enable the student to acquire thermal knowledge through interactive exploration.

Keywords: interactive learning; heat transfer; interactive visualisation; Java; applets; engineering education; Singapore; e-learning; online learning.

DOI: 10.1504/WRSTSD.2008.020288

World Review of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development, 2008 Vol.5 No.3/4, pp.354 - 372

Published online: 14 Sep 2008 *

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