Effects of Using Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations on Student Learning During a Mechanical Engineering Course

In recent years, it has been recorded that university students quickly lose attention during theoretical classes. When asked to develop an activity using the concepts seen in class, they lost the explanations and asked if it was something new. The previous situation is not a short-term memory problem but a characteristic of new generations. They are different, more dynamic, and change their thoughts quickly. They were born immersed in technology, and today, they learn to use digital tools easily. This research shares the results obtained using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations as a didactic tool in a Mechanical Engineering course employing the Tec21 Educational Model. The case study consisted of teaching the same topics in four groups. CFD simulations were used in two of them, and in the other two, they were not. To evaluate the effects of using CFD simulations as a teaching tool, the grades obtained by students during the course, a survey of students¿ perceptions about the course, and voluntary comments from students at the end of the semester were considered. The results show an improvement in grades, the acceptance of using software applications to generate simulations, and the recognition of the professor¿s expertise when teaching the course. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2024.

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