Using MATLAB live scripts to develop students’ understanding of mathematical models and analysis

By Dr Emily Chandler and Dr Chaoxu Zheng with Dr Firoozeh Babayekhorasani and Professor Jie Bao.

In teaching CEIC3006 Process Dynamics and Control, Dr Firoozeh Babayekhorasani and Professor Jie Bao from the School of Chemical Engineering had a clear goal. Understanding the transient behaviour of chemical processes is important as it will affect the process safety, the product quality and the efficiency. In this course, mathematical modelling of processes has been utilised to understand the transient behaviour of the system and to be able to design a proper control system to achieve these goals. But learning these models involves lots of abstraction, and abstract ideas are harder to conceptualise and visualise. What students needed was a new and different approach to visualising mathematical models. To achieve this, Firoozeh and Jie collaborated with Dr Chaoxu Zheng from EDDS, PVC(E) and Bradley Horton from MathWorks to implement new ways for students to learn models.

Using MATLAB, a numerical computing environment, the team created interactive documents called live scripts which combined codes, formatted text, equations and images. Instead of merely presenting the students with code to interpret, these live scripts presented the mathematical models in a much more dynamic yet easily digestible way. The MATLAB live scripts also included interactive elements, where students could use sliders to change variables and see how the data on a graph shifted in response. With instructions and exercises in a single environment, the experience was smooth for students. From a development perspective, the MATLAB codes were easily converted to live scripts which gave teaching staff the option to develop future teaching materials efficiently.

Using MATLAB live scripts gave an online experience which was truly enriched, with the option to explain material in ways which aren’t achievable in a physical classroom with static teaching materials. It also enabled the students to check their understanding by playing with the supplementary resources, discussing them with friends or even using the live scripts as a basis for asking the lecturer a question. For help using MATLAB in your course to help students visualise data-based and statistical concepts better, reach out to EDDS, PVC(E) using the Educational Solutions consultation form.

 

Dr Firoozeh Babayekhorasani

Dr Firoozeh Babayekhorasani is an Associate Lecturer in the School of Chemical Engineering. She has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from University of Houston, Texas, USA.


 

Professor Jie Bao

Professor Jie Bao is a Process Control expert, particularly in dissipativity/passivity based process control. He leads the Process Control Research Group, School of Chemical Engineering, and has awarded more than 5.5 million competitive research grants. In addition to research, he is also highly recognized by delivering high quality teaching of process control related courses to chemical engineering degrees.
 

Dr Chaoxu Zheng

Dr Chaoxu Zheng is an Educational Developer in Educational Design and Delivery Services, PVCE. He has received a PhD degree in Chemical Engineering from UNSW in 2017. His interests include Engineering Education and Educational Technologies for STEM education.

 

Dr Emily Chandler

Dr Emily Chandler is an Educational Developer in Educational Design and Delivery Services, PVC(E). She has a PhD in Media, Film and Theatre and is an Associate Fellow of Advance Higher Education. She is passionate about authentic learning, accessibility and equity.

 

Enjoyed this article? Share it with your network!

 

Comments