IUCEE International Engineering Educator Certification Program

Pilot II

Teaching Portfolio

Dr. Karthik Balasubramanian

Assistant Professor

Thermal Division

Department of Mechanical Engineering

National Institute of Technology Warangal (NITW)

Telangana, India

My Teaching Philosophy Statement

Being a faculty of Mechanical Engineering, I see that Engineering has almost become a basic degree

for most people currently. It is being increasingly viewed as an essential requirement to do anything

further, at least in India. With that being the scenario, we see that several students take up

engineering education after a lot of assiduous endeavour. It is a serious responsibility on the part of

engineering educators to cater to the needs of these students and give them something truly

beneficial and sustainable. More than the content, I also see the critical importance of how it is

delivered to the students for them to absorb.

I want the subject that I teach to have practical utility for my students. It should help them find a good

career and should induce in them strong character. I strive to induce critical thinking so that they

become aware of the subject’s impact on themselves and the country.

Students in general are very proactive today and they only need a good facilitator. They look up to the

faculty as a good friend who is accommodating and transparent. So, I make my classroom a place of

interaction rather than one way communication. I can see that my students enjoy a lighter

environment and learn better under such circumstances. I also strive to maintain certain personal

discipline and standards so that I can be a good example for the students.

Being the millennial learners they want to know the relevance of their subject and its practical utility

for their personal and professional life. Though hard working they need to be shown lot of care and

concern. They need individual attention in some form and they want rationale for everything. To meet

their individual attention needs I have started using online classroom techniques where they can

interact with me by posting their queries on the subject or any other general concern. It also helps me

to keep a comfortable pace as I can utilize the online classroom for addressing common queries and

minimize redundancy.

To meet the student’s needs further, I have identified the following areas that I have to work on. I

need to organize my course content such that it has a smooth flow for the students to understand the

topics in proper sequence of their relevance. My immediate implementations will be to put in a

considerable amount of time for sifting the course contents and planning my classes very thoroughly

for effective delivery.

I also need to have a clear evaluation rubrics. This gives clarity to me as well as to my students as to

what is expected of them. The sheer clarity helps me teach better and helps them learn better. I will

prepare evaluation rubrics in parallel with the question papers and also discuss with the students my

expectations from them. I would also take their inputs to improve the evaluation and make it fair.

I feel the need to keep myself updated about the learning styles of students, effective use of

technology for teaching and learning, and also the recent developments in my own field of expertise.

I plan to publish at least two papers in a year in my field of expertise to keep abreast with the recent

developments. I envision myself to become a teacher who is always willing to learn and induce the

same in my students.

Experimental Course Details

ME362 AUTOMOBILE ENGINEERING DEC 3 – 0 – 0 3 Credits

Pre-requisites: ME101: Basic Mechanical Engg., ME201: Thermodynamics,

ME301: Internal Combustion Engines

Course Outcomes: At the end of the course, the student will be able to:

CO1 Understand the basic lay-out of an automobile.

CO2 Understand the operation of engine cooling, lubrication, ignition, electrical and air

conditioning systems.

CO3 Understand the principles of transmission, suspension, steering and braking systems.

CO4 Understand automotive electronics.

CO5 Study latest developments in automobiles.

Mapping of course outcomes with program outcomes

Course

Outcomes PO1 PO2 PO3 PO4 PO5 PO6 PO7 PO8 PO9 PO10 PO11 PO12

CO1 2 2 3 3 3 1 1 2 2 1

CO2 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 1 2 1

CO3 3 2 3 2 3 1 3 1 1 1 2

CO4 2 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 1

CO5 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 1 1

Detailed Syllabus:

Introduction: Overview of the course, Examination and Evaluation patterns, History of Automobiles,

Classification of Automobiles.

Power Plant: Classification, Engine Terminology, Types of Cycles, working principle of an IC engine,

advanced classification of Engines- Multi cylinder engines, Engine balance, firing order.

Fuel System and Ignition System and Electrical system: spark Ignition engines- Fuel tank, fuel filter,

fuel pump, air cleaner/filter, carburettor, direct injection of petrol engines. Compression Ignition

engines, Fuel Injection System- air & solid injection system, Pressure charging of engines, super

charging and turbo charging, Components of Ignition systems, battery ignition system, magneto

ignition system, electronic ignition and ignition timing. Main electrical circuits, generating & stating

circuit, lighting system, indicating devices, warning lights, speedometer.

Lubricating system and cooling systems: Functions & properties of lubricants, methods of lubrication-

splash type, pressure type, dry sump, and wet sump & mist lubrication. Oil filters, oil pumps, oil

coolers. Characteristics of an effective cooling system, types of cooling system, radiator, thermostat,

air cooling & water cooling.

Chassis: Systems in an automobile, body, chassis frame, parts of the automobile body, terminology,

automobile frames, functions, constructions, sub frames, materials and defects in frames.

Transmission, axles, clutches, propeller shafts and differential: Types of gear boxes, automatic

transmission, electronic transmission control, functions and types of front and rear axles, types and

functions of the clutches, design considerations of Hotchkiss drive torque tube drive, function and

parts of differential and traction control.

Steering System: functions of steering mechanism, steering gear box types, wheel geometry.

Breaking and suspension system: functions and types of brakes, operation and principle of brakes,

constructional and operational classification and parking brake. Types of springs shock observers,

objectives and types of suspension system, rear axles suspension, electronic control and proactive

suspension system.

Automotive air conditioning: ventilation, heating, air condition, refrigerant, compressor and

evaporator.

Wheels and tyres: Wheel quality, assembly, types of wheels, wheel rims. Construction of tyres and

tyre specifications.

Reading:

1. Crouse, W.H., and Anglin, D.L., Automotive Mechanics, Tata McGraw Hill, New Delhi, 2005.

2. Heitner, J., Automotive Mechanics, Affiliated South West Press, New Delhi, 2000.

3. Narang, G.B., Automobile Engineering, Khanna Publishers, New Delhi, 2001.

4. Kamaraju Ramakrishna, Automobile Engineering, PHI Learning pvt. Ltd., New delhi-2012.

Strategies adopted from IIEECP

I found that the above detailed syllabus which I followed last semester was book oriented. It lacks the

backward design, as taught in module 3 – course design, where we begin with the outcomes. As can

be seen above, all the outcomes are on the lower levels of the cognitive domain. Students felt the

need for an improved syllabus and deeper coverage of the subject matter. Suggestions for including

vehicle dynamics were also taken into consideration. I made the following list of outcomes which I felt

would address the current needs of the students.

CO1 Understand the basic lay-out of an automobile.

CO2 Demonstrate the operation of engine cooling, lubrication, ignition, electrical and air

conditioning systems.

CO3 Analyze the performance of transmission, suspension, steering and braking systems.

CO4 Design an automotive chassis considering the loads acting on it.

CO5 Identify latest developments in automobiles.

Personal reflection

With the above outcomes as the basis I am yet to design the course fully. This needs a complete

revamp of the topics covered and based on that the relevant reading material. This exercise gave me

a complete grip over course design and removed the top misconception of designing a course based

on books.

My immediate implementations were in sifting the course contents and planning my classes very

thoroughly for effective delivery. I had kept aside few chapter for the students to learn on their own

I also need to have a clear evaluation rubrics. This gives clarity to me as well as to my students as to

what is expected of them. The sheer clarity helps me teach better and helps them learn better.

Active Learning

I could conduct only two activities for active learning with the time that I had. Below I have shown

first the planned activities and then in the next table I have shown the modifications that I made

while conducting the activity. While in the planned activity I mentioned brainstorming and think-

pair-share, I conducted brainstorming and peer questioning.

Course: ME362- Automobile Engineering

Planned activities submitted during phase II theory

Active Learning

Class topic / subtopic

Activity (from list of 7)

Specific question you will ask

Details of implementation. Time allotted

1. Lubrication and suspension systems

2. Chassis

Think –Pair – Share - Critique a design

In-class teams

-brainstorming

Comment on the given design (the type of suspension and lubrication system) if it is suitable for a vehicle run in mountainous terrains.

List the forces that the automobile chassis has to support.

Allow time for students to think individually Pair them up with those sitting adjacent. Let them choose the recorder and discuss their ideas. Call upon few teams randomly to share one response with class

Team of three with students sitting in one bench forming the team.

Recorder chosen by the team.

Randomly picked teams share one response with the class

1 min 1 min discuss

0.5 min sharing per team.

2 min list

1 min share

Revised Plan

Active Learning : Activity 1 – Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcwv-YABZUg

Class topic / subtopic

Activity (from list of 7)

Specific question asked Details of implementation.

Time allotted

1. Chassis In-class teams

-brainstorming

1. List the functions of the chassis

2. List the design requirements of an automobile chassis.

Formed teams of three with students sitting in one bench forming the team. The middle person became the recorder.

Posed a question on the topic being discussed and allowed time for the teams to discuss

Randomly picked teams to share one response with the class

1 min list

1 min share

Active Learning : Activity 2 – Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX9xfZ5NP-8

Class topic / subtopic

Activity (from list of 7)

Specific question asked Details of implementation.

Time allotted

Wheels and Tires

Peer Questioning

After the presentation, make a list of questions based on the topic, discuss with your team members and put forth to the neighbouring group

Allowed time for students to think individually and make questions on the topic. Grouped them up (3 in this case) with those sitting adjacent. Let them discuss the answers to their question. Called upon few teams randomly to share their question with the neighbouring team to respond.

1 min 2 min discuss

1 min sharing per team.

1. Did the implementation go as planned? Discuss any differences between your plan and the actual implementation. The activity went on as closely as planned except for the timing, where some flexibility is always expected. 2. Describe the positive aspects of doing this activity in class. What went well? Students were thoroughly involved as can be seen from the videos. Every student paid attention to everything discussed in the class. I didn’t have to do something special to grab the attention of students. 3. What challenges were encountered during the implementation of the activity, and how were these addressed? The discussions had to be controlled as sometimes they were going off the topic and defocussed. To address this I went around the class and kept involving myself with the teams to make sure that their discussions were focussed. 4. Was the activity successful and effective? How do you know– what observations support this? The activity was indeed successful. I have received written feedback from students how they felt very much involved and how they learnt from each other in the course of the discussions. Since my submission now is late and the exams are over, I also see that students have performed well on these topics.

5. What changes would you make/suggest in order to improve the activity next time?

I personally feel that I need to prepare more before implementing these activities so that it adheres

well with the course. One time conduct of this, though effective, is not fully beneficial. I would plan

my course in the next semester with many such activities so that the implementation is right from

the beginning.

Few Student Feedback

1. I liked active participation in discussing the topics. It makes us think more and increased our

curiosity.

2. I extremely liked the way of teaching by posing different questions to us and by giving us time to

think about the topic, in groups.

3. I liked the way in which you have made the class more interactive. It is motivating us to pay

attention. It is also entertaining to discuss points with friends.

4. Sometimes I feel that the discussions are too involved that we lose track of the main topic.

These feedbacks and more, helped me to reflect on how to implement these active learning

techniques better. It is sure that students like it and have a better learning experience. I need to

maintain focus and keep the discussions to the point so that the learning is effective.

Collaborative Learning

I conducted Student-Team-Achievement-Divisions (STAD) as it addresses effectively students with different

capacity and encourages tutoring of each other as a team. It was very effective in assessing individuals and the

team as a whole.

I conducted the activity as follows,

a. I sorted the students based on their previous grades (Cumulative grade). Then divided them into four levels.

Take one student from each level to become member of a team of four or three (only one group had three

members). I tried to ensure diverse groups even in terms of states and regions from within the country.

b. I gave in class presentation of – 2 X 45 min lecture each for Transmission, Suspension and Steering system

respectively.

c. At the end of each lecture I asked the teams to review and discuss among themselves for 10 minutes on the

material presented in the class. I monitored the discussion to ensure student participation and clarified their

doubts if any.

d. For the next class, I announced a 5 minutes individual and group test on the topic, also explaining to them

about the activity and the rubric based on which they will be evaluated.

e. I evaluated individual scores and team scores after the tests.

g. I gave appropriate feedbacks to the teams.

While collaborative work was going on what specific steps did I take to:

1. Keep the discussion going amongst the team members

Go around and intervene in the discussion by asking some questions to inspire further discussion and

induce curiosity on the topic.

2. Motivate non participating members

Non participating members, as far as I have seen are generally insecure and feel inferior. So, I ask

them some specific individual questions personally and encourage them for their answers so that they

feel important and worth contributing to the team.

3. Open a deadlock

Give a new perspective to the topic or ask them to discuss on another question.

I had a class where I had almost all top students from within the department as this is an elective subject

(Automobile Engineering) and most of the toppers chose it because of it being very popular. Since the subject is

of descriptive type and not very complex to understand, I found that the teams were able to perform very well,

though individual scores were not high.

Once students come into their teams and start discussing, they supplement each other’s short comings and learn

better. The table below shows how almost all the teams had performed for the full capacity (The total mark is

30 and median is also 30). It was very encouraging to have this kind of learning activity within the class which

shows every student can learn to their fullest capacity when in a team.

Some teams secured lower marks because of very silly mistakes which they could correct immediately when I

gave them the feedback. So, I have not written individual reasons considering the special nature of the group.

Team

Number

Number of

students

Team Score

(Median Score

= 30 )

Team Performed less than

median score (yes/no)

One most important

reason for team’s

performance

1 4 29 Yes

2 4 30 No

3 4 30 No

4 4 28 Yes

5 4 30 No

6 4 30 No

7 4 30 No

8 4 30 No

9 4 30 No

10 4 29 Yes

11 4 30 No

12 4 27 Yes

13 4 30 No

14 4 30 No

15 3 26 Yes

Formation of proper teams is very crucial for the success of this activity. Also I found that even after forming

the teams, students need some guidance to have proper discussion. Else it becomes a monologue of one

student talking to others. I found it useful to divide the tasks among students so that each one has something

to learn about and talk about.

Students also need lot of encouragement to bring them out of their shell. It has to be very meticulously done

and it needs lot of individual attention.

Technology Incorporated

This is an area that I need to improve a lot. And there is lot of scope and need for it in my present situation. Still I am reporting here whatever little I could do during the course of this training.

Technology resource used

• EDMODO – www.edmodo.com

Edmodo is an online classroom type website which offers the instructor to create student groups, share material, answer questions, make announcements, conduct tests and assess them as well.

I used Edmodo to share material with the students, interact with them to clarify their doubts on any of the topics and also to give them feedbacks. Below is the screen shot of my online classroom.

• Topics shared - Transmission, Suspension and Steering systems.

• This course is all descriptive.

• I shared the course material for these topics after giving a brief overview of them to facilitate student self-learning.

• I had a set of questions for students to answer in the class for the topic that I had uploaded for them in Edmodo. I also created student groups to enable discussion and participation.

• I sorted the students based on their previous grades (Cumulative grade). Then divided them into four levels. I took one student from each level to become member of a team of four or three

• I gave in class discussion activity each for Transmission, Suspension and Steering system respectively.

• I monitored the discussion to ensure student participation in teams and clarified their doubts if any.

• Then students had to answer a set of multiple choice questions in the class.

Summary of My Experience

• I could instill self-learning responsibility in students.

• Student participation was much better compared to regular classes.

• Students showed greater eagerness to learn.

• There were some students who didn’t participate voluntarily but I am sure they would soon, in the near future, with proper encouragement and motivation.

Student Feedback

I couldn’t collect specific feedback from students for this. But I found that students were very active

in using the online classroom and it was very easy for me to share stuff with them. Also I found that

many students wrote to me for clarifications which did not happen in the regular classroom. It

provides greater flexibility and allows students of different nature to get involved.

My Reflection on use of Technology

Being the millennial learners Students want to know the relevance of their subject and its practical

utility for their personal and professional life. Though hard working they need to be shown lot of care

and concern. They need individual attention in some form and they want rationale for everything. To

meet their individual attention needs I have started using online classroom technique where they can

interact with me by posting their queries on the subject or any other general concern. It also helps me

to keep a comfortable pace as I can utilize the online classroom for addressing common queries and

minimize redundancy.

I have also learnt a number of online tools that are very useful and I have planned to use them

effectively in the upcoming semester. I have started maintaining a Personal Learning Network to keep

track of the changes happening in the field of education.

Effective Assessment

A report on assessment of EPICS projects

The assessment item considered for this practicum is EPICS project. Just to give a brief overview. EPICS

(Engineering Projects In Community Service) was started in our institute in 2014 as NITW became a

consortium member of EPICS @ Purdue. EPICS @ NITW is offered as on open elective with 2 credits

for students, over a period of two semesters. EPICS projects are funded by the institute and the

registered students are required to work on a community based project, in teams, wherein they are

expected to come out with a product or process that adds value to the community. EPICS demands

inter-disciplinary skills from students. It demands them to be in touch with the community to develop

something really useful and sustainable.

Execution of this project involves identifying the problem, framing the specification for the possible

solution, making prototype of the solution, analysis of the solution and deployment of solution in the

society.

As part of the EPICS evaluation team, I was given the task of creating the rubrics for assessment of

these projects. The report below is all about evaluation of this assessment item.

The project was evaluated in two-stages (Mid-Semester and End-Semester) for every semester and

the evaluation was through a project presentation that lasted for 45 minutes per team. Each team

was given a time of 15 minutes to present their progress, current status (Technical and Financial) and

demo of prototype. The remaining 30 minutes was used for individual team members’ presentation

and Q&A session.

Construction of Rubrics

Considering the nature of the projects and the objectives of EPICS, the students were evaluated on

five different aspects – Accomplishments, Process Followed, Communication, Team Work and Critical

Thinking. Each of these aspects were evaluated on four levels – Excellent, Good, Satisfactory and

Inadequate. A clear description for each of these levels for all the aspects were also developed to give

clarity and transparency to the evaluators as well as the students. The rubric is as shown below.

Task Excellent (20) Good (15-19) Satisfactory (10-14) Inadequate (<10)

Accomplishments (20) [Responsibilities, Level of work, Understanding of the subject, Documentation]

Individual contributions to and/or ideas about the project are excellent and has a significant impact on design and/or deliverables. Excellent understanding of relevant discipline-specific issues related to the project. All work is documented, and significant contributions related to the project are completely incorporated into design documentation.

Individual contributions to and/or ideas about the project are adequate and has a significant impact on design and/or deliverables. Understanding of relevant discipline-specific issues related to the project are encouraging and is ready to learn. Most part of the work is documented, and significant contributions related to the project are mostly incorporated into design documentation.

Individual contributions to and/or ideas about the project are satisfactory and does not have a significant impact on design and/or deliverables. Understanding of relevant discipline-specific issues related to the project are inadequate. Small part of the work is documented, and significant contributions related to the project are not properly incorporated into design documentation.

Individual contributions to and/or ideas about the project are dissatisfactory and does not have a significant impact on design and/or deliverables. Understanding of relevant discipline-specific issues related to the project are poor. No part of the work is documented, and significant contributions related to the project are not incorporated into design documentation

Process Followed (20)

Demonstrates and documents an excellent understanding of the

Demonstrates and documents a near complete understanding

Inadequate understanding of the processes inherent in

Inadequate understanding of the processes inherent in

[Understanding of the process involved from concept to commissioning and documentation]

processes inherent in design and an independent ability to employ these processes in the development of the project.

of the processes inherent in design and an ability to employ these processes with some external support in the development of the project.

design and an ability to employ these processes only with strong external support in the development of the project.

design and an inability to employ these processes even with strong external support in the development of the project.

Team work/Leadership (20) [Team work involved in accomplishing project objectives, Learning from team members, Specific help extended to team members in line with the project]

Demonstrates initiative and excellent participation in class and group work. Shows a willingness to work with other team members, within and/or outside of formal team roles, to accomplish team goals and leads when appropriate. Promotes team unity. Excellent attendance. Assists others to learn new skills.

Demonstrates initiative and excellent participation in class and group work. Shows a willingness to work with other team members, within and/or outside of formal team roles, to accomplish team goals. Excellent attendance.

Lack of initiative in class and group work. Shows a willingness to work with other team members, within and/or outside of formal team roles, to accomplish team goals. Satisfactory attendance.

Lack of initiative in class and group work. Reluctant to work with other team members, within and/or outside of formal team roles, to accomplish team goals. Poor attendance.

Communication (20) [Written and Oral Individual documentation, Final report and Presentation skills]

Communicates very effectively both written and orally, formally and informally, to all audiences: people familiar with project, and those who are not; people with both similar and different backgrounds; to teammates and to external people; to those who will be asked to continue your project in the future

Communicates adequately both written and orally, formally and informally, to all audiences: people familiar with project, and those who are not; people with both similar and different backgrounds; to teammates and to external people; to those who will be asked to continue the project in the future

Communicates satisfactorily written and orally, formally and informally, to only people familiar with project. Inability to effectively communicate with those who are not involved; people with different backgrounds; to external people; to those who will be asked to continue the project in the future

Lack of clarity in communicating the ideas, either written or orally to any audience.

Critical Thinking (20) [Thinking beyond the curriculum about the project’s impact on the society and its sustainability]

Demonstrates and documents an excellent ability to think critically about many of the disciplinary, social, ethical, personal, and interpersonal aspects of the project, project partner, and their relationships.

Demonstrates and documents an adequate ability to think critically about few of the disciplinary, social, ethical, personal, and interpersonal aspects of the project, project partner, and their relationships.

Ability to think critically with some inputs and support about few of the disciplinary, social, ethical, personal, and interpersonal aspects of the project, project partner, and their relationships.

Inability to think critically even with some inputs and support about the disciplinary, social, ethical, personal, and interpersonal aspects of the project, project partner, and their relationships.

As seen in the rubric, each aspect was given equal weightage and each level was given a range. This

rubric was shared with students for them to know what is expected of them and how they will be

evaluated.

Grading

For the first batch of students, assessment was done real time in two stages (Mid-Semester and End-

Semester) as the students gave a presentation of their project and demonstrated their prototypes.

Feedback was given immediately for them, after their presentation, to incorporate the changes and

make necessary improvements. Feedback was given orally to every individual, on every aspect.

Grading was done based on the rubric and was shown to the students.

While few teams and students managed very good grades, many of the students secured fairly low

grades and fell short of expectations.

Student Response/Feedback

Students felt that though they had put in a lot of effort, there was no reward for their work. This lead

to a general demotivation among students. Based on a student feedback session that we organized,

the following points were identified.

1. There was no provision in the rubric for hands-on work done by students, including collecting data,

collecting surveys, moving around places etc… which requires considerable time and effort from

students’ side. That needs to be rewarded appropriately.

2. Every aspect having equal weightage was unreasonable as technical competency is the main

objective and those aspects need to be given greater weightage.

3. Each aspect also needs further sub-divisions to improve clarity for the students.

Changes made in the rubric based on student response

The rubric was modified considering the above points. The modified rubric table is given below.

Task Excellent Good Satisfactory Inadequate Accomplishments (Total-20) Responsibilities (3) Fulfilment of set responsibilities (7) Knowledge gain (5) Documentation (5)

Individual responsibilities are well defined with clarity on the specific tasks assigned. (3) Individual contributions to and/or ideas about the project are excellent and has a significant impact on design and/or deliverables. (7) Excellent understanding of relevant discipline-specific and inter-disciplinary issues related to the project. (5) All work is documented, and significant contributions related to the project are completely incorporated into design documentation. (5)

Individual responsibilities are well defined but the student lacks clarity on the specific tasks assigned. (2-3) Individual contributions to and/or ideas about the project are adequate and has a significant impact on design and/or deliverables. (6-7) Understanding of relevant discipline-specific and inter-disciplinary issues related to the project are encouraging and the student is ready to learn. (4-5) Most part of the work is documented, and significant contributions related to the project are mostly incorporated into design documentation. (4-5)

Individual responsibilities are vaguely defined and the student lacks clarity on the specific tasks assigned.(1-2) Individual contributions to and/or ideas about the project are satisfactory and does not have a significant impact on design and/or deliverables. (4-5) Understanding of relevant discipline-specific and inter-disciplinary issues related to the project are inadequate. (3-4) Small part of the work is documented, and significant contributions related to the project are not properly incorporated into design documentation.(2-3)

Individual responsibilities are not well defined (0-1) Individual contributions to and/or ideas about the project are dissatisfactory and does not have a significant impact on design and/or deliverables. (0-3) Understanding of relevant discipline-specific issues related to the project are poor. (0-3) No part of the work is documented, and significant contributions related to the project are not incorporated into design documentation (0-3)

Process Followed (Total - 25)

Specification of components and purchases (10) Collection of data and simulation work (5) Prototyping (5) Testing (5)

Demonstrates excellent ability to evaluate the component specifications necessary for the project with strong foundational understanding of the subject. Specifications are fixed and all purchases done in time. (10) Data collection is exhaustive and relevant and/or Simulation of the processes involved is complete with detailed analysis of the results leading to useful conclusions. (5) Prototype is built, is fully functional and complies to the specs arrived through analysis. (5) Testing of the prototype is done. Limitations and further necessary modifications are clearly identified through testing. Outcome is well documented. (5)

Demonstrates good ability to evaluate the component specifications necessary for the project but needs some external support for understanding of the subject. Specifications are fixed and all purchases done in time. (8-9) Data collection is adequate and relevant and/or Simulation of the processes involved is complete with adequate analysis of the results leading to useful conclusions. (3-4) Prototype is built, is fully functional but slightly varies from the specs arrived through analysis (3-4) Testing of the prototype is done. Limitations and further necessary modifications are vaguely identified through testing. Outcome is well documented. (3-4)

Inadequate ability to evaluate the component specifications necessary for the project and needs strong external support for foundational understanding of the subject. Specifications are fixed and all purchases done in time. (6-7) Data collection is inadequate but relevant and/or Simulation of the processes involved is incomplete. But there is adequate analysis of the results obtained which may not lead to useful conclusions because of incomplete work. (2-3) Prototype is built but is not fully functional. (2-3) Testing of the prototype is incomplete. Outcome is partially documented. (2-3)

Inadequate ability to evaluate the component specifications necessary for the project and struggles even with strong external support for foundational understanding of the subject. Specifications are incomplete and purchases are pending. (0-4) Data collection is inadequate and irrelevant and/or Simulation of the processes involved is incomplete with inadequate analysis of the results not leading to any useful conclusions. (0-1) Prototype is not built. (0-1) Testing of the prototype is incomplete or not done. Outcome is partially documented. (0-1)

Team work/Leadership (Total- 10) Learning from team members (5) Help extended to team members (5)

Shows a willingness to work with other team members, within and/or outside of formal team roles, to accomplish team goals and leads when appropriate. (5) Demonstrates initiative and excellent participation in class and group work. Promotes team unity. Excellent attendance. Assists others to learn new skills. (5)

Shows a willingness to work with other team members, within formal team roles, to accomplish team goals. (3-4) Demonstrates initiative and excellent participation in class and group work. Adequate attendance. (3-4)

Not fully open to work with other team members, to accomplish team goals. (2-3) Lack of initiative in class and group work. Satisfactory attendance. Reluctant to assist others. (2-3)

Reluctant to work with other team members, within and/or outside of formal team roles, to accomplish team goals. (0-1) Lack of initiative in class and group work. Poor attendance. Inability to assist others. (0-1)

Communication (Total- 15) Presentation skills (5)

Communicates very effectively both written and orally, formally

Communicates adequately both written and orally, formally and

Communicates satisfactorily written and orally, formally and

Lack of clarity in communicating the ideas, either written or orally to any audience.

Interaction with Mentor (10)

and informally, to all audiences. (5) Frequent interaction with mentor, as and when necessary (even more than once a week). (10)

informally, to all audiences. (3-4) Regular interaction with mentor (at least once a week). (8-9)

informally, to only people familiar with project. (2-3) Regular interaction with mentor (at least once in two weeks). (6-7)

(0-1) Irregular interaction with mentor (random and inadequate). (0-4)

Critical Thinking (Total- 15) Innovation and learning beyond the curriculum (10) Understanding of the project’s impact on the society and plan for its sustainability (5)

Exhibits excellent learning and understanding of all the inter-disciplinary aspects. Excellent ability to transform innovative ideas to reality (10) Demonstrates and documents an excellent ability to think critically about many of the disciplinary, social, ethical, personal, and interpersonal aspects of the project, project partner, and their relationships. (5)

Exhibits adequate learning and understanding of all the inter-disciplinary aspects. (8-9) Demonstrates and documents an adequate ability to think critically about few of the disciplinary, social, ethical, personal, and interpersonal aspects of the project, project partner, and their relationships. (3-4)

Exhibits satisfactory learning and understanding of all the inter-disciplinary aspects. (6-7) Ability to think critically with some inputs and support about few of the inter-disciplinary, social, ethical, personal, and interpersonal aspects of the project, project partner, and their relationships. (2-3)

Exhibits inadequate learning and understanding of all the inter-disciplinary aspects. (0-4) Inability to think critically even with some inputs and support about the disciplinary, social, ethical, personal, and interpersonal aspects of the project, project partner, and their relationships. (0-1)

The above rubric has been shared with the current batch of students and we find a better

satisfaction and clarity among the students as well as the evaluation panel. The above rubric has

removed ambiguities and made assessment much easier. This rubric also gives a reference to the

mentors to keep track of the students’ progress continually.

The above rubric may also have flaws that need to be addressed. The rubric will certainly evolve only

for the better, based on the observation of student performance and student satisfaction.

Communication Paper

Stabilization of Flow Boiling and Enhancement of Heat Transfer Using Expanding and Stepped fin

Microchannels

Introduction

Flow boiling in microchannels has been proven to have large potential for high heat flux dissipation

from small areas. One of the major problems that affect its practical implementation is the flow boiling

instability. During flow boiling in conventional parallel/straight microchannels, bubbles tend to grow

quickly to the channel dimension before detaching themselves from the surface. Since they are

restricted to grow spanwise by the narrow channels, the bubbles expand streamwise, both upstream

and downstream, causing flow reversals, pressure drop fluctuations, wall temperature fluctuations

and partial dry out of the surface, which can trigger an early Critical Heat Flux (CHF).

Channels with increasing cross-sectional area are being explored to promote unidirectional growth of

the vapor plugs and prevent reversed flow. The present study explores the flow boiling heat transfer

performance and pressure drop characteristic of two such geometries, the expanding and the stepped

fin microchannels.

Literature Survey

Several measures had been undertaken to mitigate or minimize these instabilities [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].

Mukherjee et al. [6] based on their numerical study, proposed that channels with increasing cross-

sectional area could be adopted to promote unidirectional growth of the vapor plugs and prevent

reversed flow.

Lee et al. [7] conducted experiments and identified that if the channel expands at the downstream,

the flow instability was also reduced effectively. They concluded that this is due to the utilization of

the surface tension force, which is inversely proportional to the radius of curvature of a bubble

meniscus. Since the expanded channel has a larger cross- sectional area at its downstream, the local

bubble meniscus will have a large radius of curvature and result in the smaller surface tension force.

The surface tension force difference of an elongated bubble between the upstream end of

microchannel and the downstream end of expanded channel pushes this bubble toward the

downstream exit. As a result, the flow becomes more stable. As discussed in the earlier chapter, they

established an instability parameter R for the general application for evaporative microchannels and

validated it with experiments.They also observed that, the increased width of the microchannel at the

downstream end reduces the local velocity of two-phase flow, so the pressure drop in expanding

microchannels is also reduced. However, no results on their heat transfer performance were

presented.

Lee and Pan [8] compared the boiling heat transfer and two-phase flow of water in single shallow

uniform-cross-section microchannel and a diverging one with a diverging angle of 0.183°. They

concluded that the diverging microchannel presented a better heat transfer than that of the uniform-

cross-section one, primarily due to more stable two-phase flow in the diverging microchannel. They

also observed that the for the same mass flow rate, the diverging microchannel presented a higher

single-phase flow pressure drop, while the two-phase flow in both cases showed approximately the

same pressure drop for boiling at the same heat flux. However they did not investigate this effect on

multiple channels having a common inlet and outlet plenums.

Proposed Solution

In the present study, flow boiling heat transfer performance and pressure drop characteristic of

expanding microchannels is experimentally investigated and discussed. A detailed flow boiling regime

based discussion on the heat transfer mechanism, the nature of instabilities present in the expanding

microchannels and the effect of heat flux and mass flux on them is also presented. Part of the present

work is published [9] and available in the literature.

In another attempt to minimize the flow boiling instabilities, as in case of the expanding

microchannels, a novel stepped fin microchannel heat sink was fabricated and experimentally

investigated for the first time. In the present study, flow boiling heat transfer performance and

pressure drop characteristic of stepped fin microchannels is also experimentally investigated and

discussed. A detailed flow boiling regime based discussion on the heat transfer mechanism, the nature

of instabilities present in the stepped fin microchannels and the effect of heat flux and mass flux on

them is also presented. Part of this work is published and available in literature [10].

Methodology

Careful, flow boiling experimental investigations were conducted with high speed visualizations. The

heat transfer characteristics, two-phase pressure drop and instabilities in individual geometries were

studied in detail and the mechanism of heat transfer was identified and explained based on the

existent flow boiling regimes. The Taitel and Dukler flow regime map was used to identify the regimes

which are validated using high speed visualization. Results revealed an ‘M’ shaped heat transfer

coefficient curve common for all geometries used in this study, under flow boiling conditions. The ‘M’

shaped curve was explained based on flow boiling regimes that exist within the channels, under the

specific operating conditions.

A systematic study was conducted on the expanding and the stepped fin geometries with varying fin

lengths to identify the optimum design and the operating conditions under which they would be

effective in minimizing the instabilities and enhancing heat transfer. Unlike the straight microchannels

the expanding and the stepped fin microchannel geometries provide room for the growing bubble,

and the subsequent vapors generated, to expand spanwise and flow downstream with minimum or

no flow reversals. Their individual heat transfer performance, two-phase pressure drop and

instabilities were compared with the straight microchannel geometry. Pressure fluctuations were

reduced and in some conditions the heat transfer performance was enhanced in the case of the

expanding and the stepped fin microchannels. They also have much lower two-phase pressure drop

as compared to the straight microchannels.

Conclusion

1. For a given mass flux, particularly in low mass fluxes, SMC1 and SMC2 showed large amplitude

pressure drop fluctuations in the intermittent flow regime as compared to their counterparts in EMCs

and SFMCs. With increase in mass flux, the amplitude of pressure drop fluctuations in SMCs become

almost equal to those in EMCs and SFMCs.

2. At low mass fluxes, when the amplitude of pressure drop fluctuation is very high in SMCs, the local

flow boiling heat transfer coefficient drops down significantly while a stable flow boiling in EMCs and

SFMCs resulted in improved heat transfer coefficient in the intermittent flow regime of operation.

3. With increase in mass flux, the amplitude of pressure drop fluctuation was low and similar for SMCs,

EMCs and SFMCs. Hence the heat transfer performance was also similar. But within the annular flow

regime, the SMCs showed better performance. Hence the EMC and SFMC are useful for mid-range

heat fluxes and mass fluxes, where intermittent flow regime might exist.