In this paper we report on the development of strategies used in an introductory fluid mechanics course that transitioned from a fully in-person mode of delivery to a hybrid setting. We describe two sets of instructional changes we used to support students’ learning in the hybrid context: first, Matlab Livescript documents and second, “scavenger hunt” missions of finding, demonstrating, or building fluid mechanical systems in everyday life. We employ two different instruments to track students’ experiences in this course. First, we compare students' performance in a fluid mechanics concept inventory assessment that they take at the end of each semester. In addition, we also adopt a set of items from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) to measure the impacts of these changes on students' motivations and attitudes. We reflect on the implications of this transition process and provide an outline of the future developments of this work.
Soheil Fatehiboroujeni received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Merced in 2018 focused on the nonlinear dynamics of biological filaments. As an engineering educator and postdoctoral researcher at Cornell University, Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Soheil worked in the Active Learning Initiative (ALI) to promote student-centered learning and the use of computational tools such as MATLAB and ANSYS in engineering classrooms. In Spring 2022, Soheil joined Colorado State University as an assistant professor of practice in the department of Mechanical Engineering. His research is currently focused on the long-term retention of knowledge and skills in engineering education, design theory and philosophy, and computational mechanics.
Matthew J. Ford (he/him) received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and went on to complete his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University. After completing a postdoc with the Cornell Active Learning Initiative, he joined the School of Engineering and Technology at UW Tacoma to help establish its new mechanical engineering program. His teaching and research interests include solid mechanics, engineering design, and inquiry-guided learning. He has supervised undergraduate and master's student research projects and capstone design teams.
Hadas Ritz is a senior lecturer in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and a Faculty Teaching Fellow at the James McCormick Family Teaching Excellence Institute (MTEI) at Cornell University, where she received her PhD in Mechanical Engineering. Among other teaching awards, she received the 2021 ASEE National Outstanding Teaching Award.
Elizabeth M. Fisher is an Associate Professor in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell. She received her PhD from U.C. Berkeley.
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