Teaching Heat Transfer Through Problematization and a Low-Cost Experiment: An Approach for Engineering Students

In the Transport Phenomena course, students learn, among other topics, the concept of heat transfer and its applications in everyday life. Some examples include glacier melting, global warming, and food preparation. In this work, we used a low-cost experiment to conduct a practical activity with engineering students. The experiment consisted of dissolving sodium hydroxide in water. The activity was organized according to the Problematization Methodology, known as the Maguerez’s Arch. The activity contributed to students’ learning of the concepts addressed in class, including heat transfer, the connection between concepts learned and real-world engineering problems, and the limitations of the experimental procedure when compared with theoretical calculations. The simulation of different scenarios enabled the students to understand the relationship between the mass of sodium hydroxide, the mass of the solution, and the temperature change. Conducting the experiment, solving the problems, and discussing the results fostered interaction and collaboration among the students. Finally, because of its low cost, the proposed activity is also particularly relevant in contexts with limited infrastructure and laboratory facilities.