A CASE STUDY IN PROJECT BASED LEARNING USING FLOW VISUALISATION

Engineering Design modules, usually introduced in the first and second year’s undergraduate Mechanical Engineering courses, present a unique platform to practice the Project Based Learning (PBL). PBL is a widely accepted technique that can be used to achieve two major educational goals; affirming the theoretical principles studied in other modules and developing the professional skill essential for graduates such as team working and effective communication skills. In this paper we describe the use of PBL to enhance the understanding of turbulence, a classical problem in fluid mechanics. The project is carried out in the “Mechanical Engineering Design & Professional Skills” Module, which requires the students to construct the Prandtl recirculating water channel. The skills and knowledge involved not only fluid mechanics, but design, material selections and engineering mechanics, making it a truly multi-disciplinary project.