Use Of Microsoft-Excel Environment For Effective Teaching Delivery Of A Course In Heat Transfer

In the education of engineers, much of time is spent in the development of theoretical concepts, of formulating concepts and problem solving. Often, the numerical problems are of an iterative nature. However, in industry it is expected that graduate engineers must be creative, capable enough to identify and solve the problems, present optimized solutions and undertake economic and environmental analyses, all in a short interval of time. Generally, all of the engineering problem solving exercises involve of course, a good knowledge of mathematics which is a priori for engineering modules. However, a great deal of engineering problems require exhaustive iterations and for such repetitive tasks it becomes necessary to involve computers and take advantage of time savings. The use of computers and software packages also generate student' interest. This paper describes a possible pedagogical approach for delivering a module in Heat Transfer by using Microsoft Excel as a tool to solve mathematically complex problems with ease and economy of time.