A teaching methodology based on Mathcad for improving the calculation of pumping power

Some of the most important engineering skills required nowadays are related with the management of computational tools. This study proposes the implementation of a novel teaching methodology for improving the calculation of pumping power by using the Mathcad software. This methodology includes: (1) training courses on initiation to Mathcad, (2) the delivery of a report with theoretical considerations about pumping power, the problem statement, the traditional procedure to solve it, as well as the main indications to do it with Mathcad, and (3) a virtual platform conceived as a meeting space. The assessment of this educational experience, which was carried out with the second-year chemical engineering students enrolled in the Fluid Flow course, revealed that Mathcad is a powerful computational tool for them. Thus, it eliminates the mathematical difficulties, facilitates the understanding of the phenomenon under consideration and the study that the input variables exert on the solution, and also increases the motivation of the students for solving other engineering problems. Therefore, these results support the hypothesis that computational tools like Mathcad direct chemical engineering students towards successful learning.