Visualization Software for Improved Learning in Material/Energy Balance Classes

工程-化学（54）全国范围内化学工程项目的基础课程之一侧重于理解物质和能量平衡。在这门课程中，学生通常会努力在书面材料、工艺流程图和最后的数学公式之间进行转换。通过这个项目，正在开发一种软件工具，它可以将书面的能量平衡问题转换为视觉形式，并随后将视觉化学流程图转换为待解的书面方程集。虽然存在一些解决能量平衡问题的工具，但这些工具主要针对专业受众，并不总是适合纳入本科入门课程。商业工具通常具有陡峭的学习曲线，不适合增强学生的学习和理解。该软件正在根据提高学生学习和可用性因素进行严格评估。

Engineering - Chemical (54)One of the fundamental courses in chemical engineering programs across the nation focuses on understanding material and energy balances. In this course, students typically struggle to make the transition between written materials, process flow diagrams, and finally mathematical formulations. Through this project, a software tool is being developed that scaffolds the translation of written energy balance problems to visual form and the subsequent translation of visual chemical process diagrams to sets of written equations to be solved. While several tools for solving energy balance problems exist, these are primarily aimed at a professional audience and are not always suitable for inclusion in an introductory undergraduate course. Commercial tools typically have a steep learning curve and are not appropriate for enhancing student learning and understanding. The software is being rigorously evaluated in terms of improved student learning as well as usability factors.