Sustainability

Research

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25 pages, 7365 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Action Research on the Long-Term Implementation of an Engineering-Centered PjBL of Sustainable Energy in a Rural Middle School

by Chin-Sung Chen and Jing-Wen Lin

Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 10626; https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910626 - 24 Sep 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2158

Abstract

(1) Background: Due to the high proportion of disadvantaged students in a rural school in Taiwan and the gap between students’ concepts and practices of environmental protection and sustainable energy, four science and mathematics teachers in this school planned an engineering-centred PjBL of [...] Read more.

(1) Background: Due to the high proportion of disadvantaged students in a rural school in Taiwan and the gap between students’ concepts and practices of environmental protection and sustainable energy, four science and mathematics teachers in this school planned an engineering-centred PjBL of sustainable energy curriculum in a Makers Club to enhance students’ creativity, engineering technical skills, practices of environmental protection and sustainable energy, and learning attitudes; (2) Methods: This study is a four-year action research. Teachers and students initiated the idea from rebuilding an old fan in a classroom; (3) Results: The students in the Makers Club improved their engineering technical skills and created various green-power generation devices (evolved from a ventilation ball generator, hydropower, ocean current power generators to tiny, 3D-printing wind power generators). They turned environmental protection and sustainable energy concepts into actions during practices and won awards from science and engineering fairs every year. This creative and supportive atmosphere spread from the club to the whole school and improved the students’ practices of environmental protection and learning attitudes after long-term implementation; (4) Conclusions: The design principles of the engineering-centred PjBL of sustainable energy curriculum played a critical role and were outlined at the end of the study. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Education for a Sustainable Energy Future)

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18 pages, 1550 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research Insights and Challenges of Secondary School Energy Education: A Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Case Study

by Sen-I Chien, Chaochin Su, Chin-Cheng Chou and Hsiou-Hsuan Wang

Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 10581; https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910581 - 24 Sep 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3090

Abstract

The research achievements of a university chemistry lab regarding dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were transformed into a high school hands-on course by simplifying the experimental steps and equipment. Our research methodology was action research. We verified the DSSC course step by step. First, [...] Read more.

The research achievements of a university chemistry lab regarding dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were transformed into a high school hands-on course by simplifying the experimental steps and equipment. Our research methodology was action research. We verified the DSSC course step by step. First, 10 members of a high school science study club helped to revise the course over a school semester. A questionnaire survey revealed that all students agreed that the course increased their understanding of DSSCs and solar cells. Second, 35 students were enrolled in a 10th-grade elective energy course to study the revised DSSC topics for 3 weeks. A five-point Likert scale was used to collect students’ feedback, and students reported looking forward to making their own high-performance DSSC modules (4.60) and stated that being able to make their own solar cell was a great accomplishment (4.49). Third, the course was implemented at a junior high school science camp, and the 37 participating students were all able to complete the hands-on experiment. In the questionnaire survey, the students expressed that they enjoyed learning about scientific principles through a hands-on approach (4.59). Fourth, most of the 12 schoolteachers who voluntarily participated in the DSSC workshop agreed that integrating DSSC activity into school courses would be conducive to multidisciplinary learning. This course could facilitate participants’ self-evaluations in science knowledge, experimental skills, learning motivations, and positive attitudes toward sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Education for a Sustainable Energy Future)

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20 pages, 3407 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bridging Education and Engineering Students through a Wind Energy-Focused Community Engagement Project

by Maija A. Benitz and Li-Ling Yang

Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9334; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169334 - 19 Aug 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1747

Abstract

Regional growth in offshore wind energy development, changes to the state’s K-12 science standards, and a desire to deepen undergraduate student learning coalesced to inspire an interdisciplinary community engagement project bridging university courses in engineering and education. The project consists of three main [...] Read more.

Regional growth in offshore wind energy development, changes to the state’s K-12 science standards, and a desire to deepen undergraduate student learning coalesced to inspire an interdisciplinary community engagement project bridging university courses in engineering and education. The project consists of three main activities: a professional development event for local fourth grade teachers, five classroom lessons designed and taught by undergraduate engineering and education majors, and a final celebration event, all focused around the topics of wind energy and engineering design. This spring, the project was carried out for the third consecutive year, though each year’s implementation has been unique due to the timing of the onset of COVID-19. Analysis of responses from the Teaching Engineering Self-Efficacy Scale and an end-of-semester course survey demonstrate growth in student learning and transferrable skills from participating in the semester-long project. Additionally, exploration of students’ narrative work provides a richness to further understanding their growth and challenges they confronted. This interdisciplinary community engagement project will continue into future years, with improvements informed by the findings of this work, most notably with the hope of returning to a fully in-person delivery of lessons to fourth-graders. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Education for a Sustainable Energy Future)

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21 pages, 312 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Is It All about Efficiency? Exploring Students’ Conceptualizations of Sustainability in an Introductory Energy Course

by Laura A. Gelles, Joel Alejandro Mejia, Susan M. Lord, Gordon D. Hoople and Diana A. Chen

Sustainability 2021, 13(13), 7188; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137188 - 26 Jun 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2309

Abstract

Engineers are increasingly called on to develop sustainable solutions to complex problems. Within engineering, however, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability are often prioritized over social ones. This paper describes how efficiency and sustainability were conceptualized and interrelated by students in a newly [...] Read more.

Engineers are increasingly called on to develop sustainable solutions to complex problems. Within engineering, however, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability are often prioritized over social ones. This paper describes how efficiency and sustainability were conceptualized and interrelated by students in a newly developed second-year undergraduate engineering course, An Integrated Approach to Energy. This course took a sociotechnical approach and emphasized modern energy concepts (e.g., renewable energy), current issues (e.g., climate change), and local and personal contexts (e.g., connecting to students’ lived experiences). Analyses of student work and semi-structured interview data were used to explore how students conceptualized sustainability and efficiency. We found that in this cohort (n = 17) students often approached sustainability through a lens of efficiency, believing that if economic and environmental resources were prioritized and optimized, sustainability would be achieved. By exploring sustainability and efficiency together, we examined how dominant discourses that privilege technical over social aspects in engineering can be replicated within an energy context. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Education for a Sustainable Energy Future)

27 pages, 2510 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Wind Resource and Wind Power Generation Assessment for Education in Engineering

by Estefania Artigao, Antonio Vigueras-Rodríguez, Andrés Honrubia-Escribano, Sergio Martín-Martínez and Emilio Gómez-Lázaro

Sustainability 2021, 13(5), 2444; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052444 - 24 Feb 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3567

Abstract

This paper proposes a practical approach to assess wind energy resource and calculate annual energy production for use on university courses in engineering. To this end, two practical exercises were designed in the open-source software GNU Octave (compatible with MATLAB) using both synthetic [...] Read more.

This paper proposes a practical approach to assess wind energy resource and calculate annual energy production for use on university courses in engineering. To this end, two practical exercises were designed in the open-source software GNU Octave (compatible with MATLAB) using both synthetic and field data. The script used to generate the synthetic data as well as those created to develop the practical exercises are included for the benefit of other educational bodies. With the first exercise the students learn how to characterize the wind resource at the wind turbine hub height and adjust it to the Weibull distribution. Two examples are included in this exercise: one with an appropriate fit and another where the Weibull distribution does not fit properly to the generated data. Furthermore, in this exercise, field data (gathered with a LiDAR remote sensing device) is also used to calculate shear exponents for a proper characterisation of the wind profile. The second exercise consists of the calculation of the annual energy production of a wind power plant, where the students can assess the influence of different factors (wind speed, rotor diameter, rated power, etc.) in the project. The exercises proposed can easily be implemented through either in-class or online teaching modes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Education for a Sustainable Energy Future)

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15 pages, 4529 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improving Student Learning of Energy Systems through Computational Tool Development Process in Engineering Courses

by Jian Zhang, Heejin Cho and Pedro J. Mago

Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 884; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020884 - 17 Jan 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1667

Abstract

Advancements in computer and mobile technologies have driven transformations of classroom activities in engineering education. This evolution provides instructors more opportunities to introduce computational tools that can be effectively used and promoted in engineering education to advance students’ learning process when the tools [...] Read more.

Advancements in computer and mobile technologies have driven transformations of classroom activities in engineering education. This evolution provides instructors more opportunities to introduce computational tools that can be effectively used and promoted in engineering education to advance students’ learning process when the tools are appropriately utilized in the classroom activities. This paper presents a methodology to improve student learning of energy systems through a class assignment implementing a self-developed computational tool using Microsoft Excel and utilizing the tool to enhance their learning experience. The proposed method, a student-centered learning approach, was applied in a technical elective course called “Power Generation Systems” within a mechanical engineering curriculum. In the course, students were guided to develop a computational tool by themselves based on their learning of the fundamental principles and governing equations of a thermodynamics cycle. The self-developed computational tool allows the students to focus on more design-oriented problems, instead of the calculation process. Using the self-developed tool, students can have an enhanced understanding of the energy system performance in varying design and operational conditions and can perform the parametric analysis and visualization of essential parameters. Feedback from the students and class instructors proves that the self-development and use of the tool can significantly improve the students’ learning experience in the implemented course, make the course more dynamic, and motivate the students to learn the material more iteratively. In addition, students feel confident using computational tools to perform analysis, and are willing to develop more tools for other energy-related engineering applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Education for a Sustainable Energy Future)

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21 pages, 1321 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Integrated Approach to Energy Education in Engineering

by Gordon D. Hoople, Diana A. Chen, Susan M. Lord, Laura A. Gelles, Felicity Bilow and Joel Alejandro Mejia

Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 9145; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219145 - 3 Nov 2020

Cited by 32 | Viewed by 3262

Abstract

What do engineering students in 2020 need to know about energy to be successful in the workplace and contribute to addressing society’s issues related to energy? Beginning with this question, we have designed a new course for second-year engineering students. Drawing on the [...] Read more.

What do engineering students in 2020 need to know about energy to be successful in the workplace and contribute to addressing society’s issues related to energy? Beginning with this question, we have designed a new course for second-year engineering students. Drawing on the interdisciplinary backgrounds of our diverse team of engineering instructors, we aimed to provide an introduction to energy for all engineering students that challenged the dominant discourse in engineering by valuing students’ lived experiences and bringing in examples situated in different cultural contexts. An Integrated Approach to Energy was offered for the first time in Spring 2020 for 18 students. In this paper, we describe the design of the course including learning objectives, content, and pedagogical approach. We assessed students’ learning using exams and the impact of the overall course using interviews. Students demonstrated achievement of the learning objectives in technical areas. In addition, interviews revealed that they learned about environmental, economic, and social aspects of engineering practice. We intend for this course to serve as a model of engineering as a sociotechnical endeavor by challenging students with scenarios that are technically demanding and require critical thinking about contextual implications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Education for a Sustainable Energy Future)

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6 pages, 207 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

A Liberal Undergraduate Education for Engineers

by C. Judson King

Sustainability 2020, 12(16), 6506; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12166506 - 12 Aug 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1909

Abstract

The complex dimensions of many issues faced by engineers require that they understand social and humanistic matters along with the technical, and communicate effectively and synergistically with persons having all sorts of backgrounds. This is especially true for matters of sustainability and energy [...] Read more.

The complex dimensions of many issues faced by engineers require that they understand social and humanistic matters along with the technical, and communicate effectively and synergistically with persons having all sorts of backgrounds. This is especially true for matters of sustainability and energy supply. Engineering should therefore be built upon the foundation of a broad and liberal undergraduate education, with the professional degree being moved to the graduate level, as is the case for the other major professions. Another benefit of moving the degree level can be to delay the point of commitment to an engineering major from before college to the latter part of the undergraduate program, a move which can bring in new enrollees and increase diversity. The move of the professional engineering degree to the graduate level has already happened for a number of European countries as an outgrowth of the Bologna Process. There are incremental changes that can be made so that this transition can be undertaken by evolution as opposed to revolution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Education for a Sustainable Energy Future)

Other

Jump to: Research

22 pages, 1917 KiB

Open AccessCase Report

An Introductory Energy Course to Promote Broad Energy Education for Undergraduate Engineering Students

by Jan DeWaters, Susan Powers and Felicity Bilow

Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9693; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179693 - 29 Aug 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2023

Abstract

Engineering graduates must be prepared to support our world’s need for a clean and sustainable energy future. Complex problems related to energy and sustainability require engineers to consider the broad spectrum of interrelated consequences including human and environmental health, sociopolitical, and economic factors. [...] Read more.

Engineering graduates must be prepared to support our world’s need for a clean and sustainable energy future. Complex problems related to energy and sustainability require engineers to consider the broad spectrum of interrelated consequences including human and environmental health, sociopolitical, and economic factors. Teaching engineering students about energy within a societal context, simultaneous with developing technical knowledge and skills, will better prepare them to solve real-world problems. Yet few energy courses that approach energy topics from a human-centered perspective exist within engineering programs. Engineering students enrolled in energy programs often take such courses as supplemental to their course of study. This paper presents an engineering course that approaches energy education from a socio-technical perspective, emphasizing the complex interactions of energy technologies with sustainability dimensions. Course content and learning activities are structured around learning outcomes that require students to gain technical knowledge as well as an understanding of broader energy-related impacts. The course attracts students from a variety of majors and grade levels. A mixed quantitative/qualitative assessment conducted from 2019–2021 indicates successful achievement of course learning outcomes. Students demonstrated significant gains in technical content knowledge as well as the ability to critically address complex sociotechnical issues related to current and future energy systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Education for a Sustainable Energy Future)

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