Design of Experiments: An Integral Part of a Thermal/Fluids Laboratory Course

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Leylegian ◽  
Mohammad H. Naraghi
Keyword(s):  
Design Of Experiments ◽  
Statistical Analyses ◽  
Laboratory Course ◽  
Laboratory Courses ◽  
Thermal Fluids ◽  
Lecture Courses ◽  
Matrix Construction ◽  
Physical Phenomena ◽  
Course Syllabus

Laboratory courses can be, and are often used to provide practical demonstrations of physical phenomena studied in various lecture courses. At Manhattan College, a senior-level Thermal-Fluids Laboratory incorporates a Design of Experiments (DoE) component into the syllabus, in which students learn about development of a text matrix, construction of an experiment to fulfill that matrix, and statistical analyses to confirm hypotheses. This paper describes the entire course syllabus, the portions of the course relevant to DoE, and some of the experiments conducted in recent years.

scholarly journals Teaching a biology laboratory course using Dictyostelium

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (8-9-10) ◽  
pp. 551-561
Author(s):  
David A. Knecht ◽  
Kate M. Cooper ◽  
Jonathan E. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Dictyostelium Discoideum ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Model System ◽  
Educational Settings ◽  
Biology Teaching ◽  
Laboratory Course ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Laboratory Courses ◽  
Biology Laboratory

The Dictyostelium discoideum model system is a powerful tool for undergraduate cell biology teaching laboratories. The cells are biologically safe, grow at room temperature and it is easy to experimentally induce, observe, and perturb a breadth of cellular processes making the system amenable to many teaching lab situations and goals. Here we outline the advantages of Dictyostelium, discuss laboratory courses we teach in three very different educational settings, and provide tips for both the novice and experienced Dictyostelium researcher. With this article and the extensive sets of protocols and tools referenced here, implementing these labs, or parts of them, will be relatively straightforward for any instructor.

scholarly journals In-depth learning and development of experimental and team work skills in laboratory courses

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clémence Fauteux-Lefebvre ◽  
Denis Gravelle ◽  
Nicolas Abatzoglou
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
Team Work ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Work Skills ◽  
Design Data ◽  
Laboratory Course ◽  
Laboratory Courses ◽  
Chemical Engineering Education

Laboratory courses help students understand the application of theoretical principles and develop their synthesis abilities and critical thinking. Although the above target is well understood in our profession and has long been integrated to the Chemical Engineering curriculum, there are various ways to reach these objectives and it is still a matter of intense discussion. This work presents a laboratory course at the Department of Chemical & Biotechnological Engineering of the Université de Sherbrooke. This course basically seeks to provide the students with elements allowing them to link fundamental knowledge in thermodynamics, transport phenomena and physical chemistry/kinetics to experimental results. However, for engineers, this must be positioned within a context which is the closest possible to their everyday professional reality which requires crosscurricular competencies and attributes. The latter includes team work, project management, and of course fast and efficient analytical, synthesis and interpretation skills. The laboratory course presented here is given in the middle of the program leading to the engineering bachelor’s degree. All experimental design, data collection, laboratory manipulations and analyses are performed by teams of students. There are 11 labs and every team goes through all of them. To develop their project management skills, our Department has adopted the formula of the “Master Team”. The class is divided in a number of teams equal to the number of experiments. Each team is named responsible (Master team) of one of the experiments for the entire semester. In this role, it supervises the reporting of all other teams and proceeds to the final (global) report and its oral presentation. The success of this organization depends on the competence of the teaching team as well as the >efficient internal management of each Master team. Thus, the teams develop skills which lead them to the final and most difficult part of their Chemical Engineering education, the Capstone Design course.

scholarly journals Implementation of a Project-Based Molecular Biology Laboratory Emphasizing Protein Structure–Function Relationships in a Large Introductory Biology Laboratory Course

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Treacy ◽  
Saumya M. Sankaran ◽  
Susannah Gordon-Messer ◽  
Danielle Saly ◽  
Rebecca Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Biology ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Lens Protein ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Laboratory Course ◽  
Laboratory Courses ◽  
Eye Lens Protein ◽  
Biology Laboratory

In introductory laboratory courses, many universities are turning from traditional laboratories with predictable outcomes to inquiry-inspired, project-based laboratory curricula. In these labs, students are allowed to design at least some portion of their own experiment and interpret new, undiscovered data. We have redesigned the introductory biology laboratory course at Brandeis University into a semester-long project-based laboratory that emphasizes concepts and contains an element of scientific inquiry. In this laboratory, students perform a site-directed mutagenesis experiment on the gene encoding human γD crystallin, a human eye lens protein implicated in cataracts, and assess the stability of their newly created protein with respect to wild-type crystallin. This laboratory utilizes basic techniques in molecular biology to emphasize the importance of connections between DNA and protein. This project lab has helped engage students in their own learning, has improved students’ skills in critical thinking and analysis, and has promoted interest in basic research in biology.

scholarly journals Comparison of a Traditional Practical-Based Identification for Microscopic Image Examination with a Microsoft PowerPoint Examination in the Influence of Dental and Medical Students’ Learning Outcome and Motivation in a Histology Laboratory Course at NDMC in Taiwan

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsin-Chieh Lan ◽  
Chia-Pi Cheng ◽  
Jang-Yi Chen ◽  
Fon-Yi Yin ◽  
Ming-Hsien Chiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Dental Students ◽  
The Body ◽  
Learning Motivation ◽  
Average Score ◽  
Microscopic Image ◽  
Laboratory Course ◽  
Laboratory Courses

Abstract Background: Histology laboratory courses are morphologic study in the structure of the cells, tissues, and organs of the body that are mainly examined with a microscope. There are two types of examinations to assess learning outcomes in Taiwan. The first is a traditional practical-based identification for microscopic image (PBIMI) examination, and the second is Microsoft PowerPoint (MS PPT) examination. Whether these two types of examinations exhibit different influences on students’ learning motivation has not been evaluated. Methods: In this study, we compared the grades of dental students and medical students in the National Defense Medical Center who completed PBIMI or MS PPT examinations and investigated the influence of the type of examination on the students’ learning outcomes and motivation. We also conducted a survey among the medical students to confirm the hypothesis concluded from the grade analysis. Results: There was a significant decrease in the percentage of students scoring 61 to 80 in the MS PPT group compared to that in the PBIMI group in the midterm examination of dental students. The average score on the MS PPT examination was significantly higher than that on the PBIMI examination among medical students who completing both examinations. The average failing scores on the midterm examination among the students tested with the PBIMI examination were significantly lower than the scores among the students tested with the MS PPT examination. The results of the survey also showed that the MS PPT examination is easier for students and that they will spend less time learning the material when the MS PPT examination is utilized for assessment. Conclusion: This study suggests that the type of examination affects learning motivation in less self-demanding students. The MS PPT test is easier for the students and leads to less time spent studying for the histology laboratory course, especially among the students with fewer self-demands or less interest in the course.

Guided inquiry in a biochemistry laboratory course improves experimental design ability

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1127-1144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina M. Goodey ◽  
Cigdem P. Talgar
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Design ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Ability Test ◽  
Laboratory Course ◽  
Laboratory Courses ◽  
Inquiry Approach ◽  
Directed Learning ◽  
The Impact

Many biochemistry laboratory courses expose students to laboratory techniques through pre-determined experiments in which students follow stepwise protocols provided by the instructor. This approach fails to provide students with sufficient opportunities to practice experimental design and critical thinking. Ten inquiry modules were created for a one-semester undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course; these are freely available on the project website. A slightly modified version of the Experimental Design Ability Test (EDAT) was used to assess the impact of inquiry-based learning on student experimental design ability in four experimental (inquiry) and four control (cookbook) sections. EDAT is a published tool that has been validated for use in undergraduate populations. The results, measured by pre- and post-tests, showed a significant positive impact on the experimental design ability of students in sections that employed the inquiry approach, when compared to those in control sections that employed the cookbook approach. A follow-up conversation with students in a sequel course suggested that the inquiry-based approach also benefited students by promoting self-directed learning.

Making students do the thinking: team-based learning in a laboratory course

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn R. Simonson
Keyword(s):  
Skill Development ◽  
Exercise Physiology ◽  
Laboratory Course ◽  
Teaching Pedagogy ◽  
Content Learning ◽  
Laboratory Courses ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
Learning Skill ◽  
Team Based Learning ◽  
Physiology Laboratory

Team-based learning (TBL) is a teaching pedagogy for flipping the classroom that moves the focus of the classroom from the instructor conveying course concepts via lecture to the application of concepts by student teams. It has been used extensively in lecture courses; however, there is little evidence of its use in laboratory courses. The purpose of this report is to describe the implementation of TBL in a graduate exercise physiology laboratory course. Using TBL in a graduate laboratory course was very successful and well received by both the students and instructor. Students reported increased content learning, skill development, and retention. They took on the responsibility for learning and were more accountable. The learners drove the process and were guided by the instructor rather than through instructor-centered delivery.

A new approach for laboratory exercise of pathophysiology in China based on student-centered learning

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Chen ◽  
Junhai Zhou ◽  
Li Sun ◽  
Qiuhui Wu ◽  
Huiling Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Student Centered Learning ◽  
Laboratory Course ◽  
Laboratory Exercise ◽  
Laboratory Courses ◽  
Learning Skill ◽  
Undergraduate Laboratory

Student-centered learning is generally defined as any instructional method that purportedly engages students in active learning and critical thinking. The student-centered method of teaching moves the focus from teaching to learning, from the teachers' conveying course concepts via lecture to the understanding of concepts by students. The student-centered method has been used extensively in lecture courses in China; however, there is little evidence of its use in laboratory courses. The purpose of the present study was to describe the implementation of a student-centered method in a pathophysiology laboratory course. The use of student-centered learning strategies in an undergraduate laboratory course was well received by both students and teachers. Here, students had to take on responsibility for their own learning and, thus, became more accountable. Moreover, they reported increased active learning, skill development, information collection, and retention. In addition, mean scores for the quiz were significantly higher in the student-centered method compared with the traditional teaching method. The shift from teacher-centered delivery to a student-centered model led to a positive change, in which the learners drove the process and were guided, not directed, by the teacher.

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