Work in progress - connecting laboratory experiments to theory through simulation

We are using COMSOL Multiphysicstrade, a commercial finite element modeling software package, to develop simulations of equipment in our unit operations laboratory including a heat exchanger, a gas permeation membrane, and a fluid flow experiment. Our hypothesis is that computer simulations showing the solutions to the differential equations that govern the fluid flow, heat transfer, and mass transfer within the equipment will solidify the link between experiment and theory and provide improved learning. Students in one lab section who used the simulations were compared to those in a control section who did not. A diagnostic quiz given before and after each lab provided a quantitative measure of improvement in learning via the lab experience for both groups. Content analysis of written and oral reports was used to measure any difference in higher level thinking demonstrated by the two groups. Student attitudes towards the simulations were assessed by surveys and end-of-course evaluations. Results so far, in the second year of a three-year project, indicate improvements in student satisfaction and learning but little change in critical thinking that can be attributed to the simulations.