Challenges in teaching thermodynamics for biotechnology engineering students
Praphulla Rao1,*, Prathibha N2
1,2 B M S College of Engineering, Bangalore, Karnataka
* Corresponding author. Tel: +91 9036471963, E-mail: praphulla.rao@gmail.com
Abstract—The disciplines of physics, biology, and chemistry have adopted highly diverse approaches and strategies on thermodynamics education. Many studies have addressed the problems in making the students understand the fundamentals in thermodynamics. Students tend to memorize the equations without the knowledge of their applications and therefore forget them soon after their exams. This paper talks about the challenges of teaching thermodynamics course to biotechnology students. It also highlights some of the teaching learning methods adopted in some universities in order to make the students develop interest and understand the role of thermodynamics in biotechnology. The course outcomes attainment for the thermodynamics in department of biotechnology, BMS college of Engineering, has also been compared for the last two academic years. A social learning platform called “Wiksate” has been introduced at the institution level, where thermodynamics has been chosen as the course from department of biotechnology, to see if it helps the students easily learn the basics of thermodynamics.
Keywords—thermodynamics; biotechnology engineering; challenges; teaching learning methods
I. INTRODUCTION
The science of thermodynamics deals with
The subject of Chemistry is one that deals heavily with a comprehension of the natural world and the individual details that make up an entire system. I was introduced to this course my sophomore year as I took on Honors Chemistry. As a student who grasps material best with hands on projects, this class fueled my excitement to be able to understand a complex subject using planned out lab procedures. From titrations to calculating the amount of copper in a solution, Chemistry gave me an opportunity to bring my own speculations into a class rather than being told directly what is occurring in a scientific process. The fascination of this class is what directed me to take AP Chemistry my senior year of high school. Even with the difficulty of
There are new concepts that relate to this lab, such as exothermic and endothermic reactions.
To learn about the laws of thermodynamics and use thermodynamics formulas to calculate heat transfer
Accelerated Chemistry I is a demanding course that involves critical thinking and problem solving. Throughout the course you will be asked to analyze data, draw conclusions, process new information, and build your own understanding of chemistry concepts. Only after you have investigated new ideas will you discuss them formally. The model we will be using in class is - engage, explore, explain, evaluate. You will be asked to analyze common occurrences such as melting ice cubes and burning candles in order to understand the chemical processes that allow them to occur. You will analyze the relationship between macroscopic properties and microscopic structures, which in turn will help you to gain a better understanding of the world around you,
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Then have students list a few. Then play the video on how chemical changes are different that physical changes, which students will be studying today.
This is the engines of our ingenuity made possible by the friends of KUHF, Houston. Today, lets look at thermometry. The University of Houston's Honors College presents this series about the machines that make our civilization run, and the people whose ingenuity created them.
This way I can be a source of knowledge rather than a teacher who fills the students head with knowledge. This technique should also be able to direct students’ enquiries as well as allow them to ask their own questions and follow what directions their enquiries about Science might take them. My next key learning element would be the value of group work and the peer collaboration between students to enable better understanding about the topic being investigated or the experiment being conducted. My other key learning experience that was gained from this lesson was the determination of what prior learning had the students done on a particular subject so that their constructs can be added to or modified to achieve better scientific results. My thoughts are that, even more careful planning has to go into a design and make (discovery learning) lesson than into a mere investigation through books and the internet. These tasks increase student motivation and the willingness to accept Science as practical, necessary and important in today’s modern
The most challenging concept that I’ve learned in Chemistry is thermochemistry. This is a branch of thermodynamics
Objectives: Students will be introduced to chemical reactions, reactants, and products and will build upon their knowledge of chemical versus physical changes.
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