The role of Renovation in Teaching Thermal
Science to meet societal challenges
Yildiz Bayazitoglu
Rice University

August 14, 20141

Students, faculty and administrators

should work together to fully exploit
new digital technologies for faster
information
flow,
interactivecommunication,
supporting
innovation and evolving diverse
curricula.
August 14, 20142

Exploit New Digital Technologies
New technologies using digital tools, and interactive environment to teachand allow for faster communication and information flow.
The students may adopt new technologies faster than the educators. In
order to secure the attention of the student and get them interested inthermal science, there should be a fast tract adoption of advance tools(such as smart phones, iPods and so), and more dynamic environment usingsocial media (twitter, Facebook, and so).
The faculty should be flexible, knowledgeable and should participate intechnological developments.
The administrative should keep in mind that their common interest withthe faculty is teaching and the student’s learning. The faculty also should
receive the necessary support in learning digital tools and social media.
August 14, 20143

Evolving Curricula:Continuous change of curricula to satisfy the future needs.

Online Learning: The students should be directed to engaged self-learning,rather than a traditional classroom lectures by the educators. Thermal
problem based engaged learning will teach them to search, and teachthem to self educate themselves.
Individualized Curriculum: There could be a need for “individualized”
curriculum based on ability, interest, strength and weaknesses of each
student rather than “one for all” type of curriculum.

Strategy and investments in digital technology for faculty and student
development are necessary. For a Sustainable University Education shoulda hybrid form of university be created which combines open online
teaching with traditional but problem based teaching?
August 14, 20144

From Michigan Engineer, The University of Michigan, Spring 2014
Materials and Manufacturing class taught by Steve Yalisove
August 14, 20145

More effort should be spent to make tools available(i)

to aid the professors to integrate science and mathknowledge such as chemistry, physics, statistics, materials
science, political science, economics, or management andleadership into the thermal engineering.

(i)to integrate technological developments in thermal scienceand engineering to the evolving curriculum (such as within
the capstone design projects)

in order to enhance learning and to stimulate the students’motivation to want to learn fast and therefore more.
August 14, 20146

University education must continue toincreaseawarenessofcomplex
environmental,economical,social,political and technical issues to further
societal development.

However can we reduce
The cost of higher education?

From The Economist, July 4th, 2014
August 14, 2014

7

To

create global knowledge
capital of thermal science, anenvironment
toteachthermalscienceandengineering to public, and toscientists and engineers ofother disciplines should beencouraged.

August 14, 20148

We should use the power of digital technology and continuously create
environment to teach thermal science and engineering to public, toother scientists and engineers.
This will lead to promote communication to contribute towards, and to
make everyone involved be innovative in thermal science and engineering.

The importance of teaching thermal science globally will be useful informing a “transdisciplinary” team of researchers or engineers acrossmultiple social perspectives and fields of knowledge to exchange ideas andwork together to solve new problems.

August 14, 20149