Solar Energy Related Course and Instructional Design: Integrating Experiential and Collaborative Learning

Abstract

The conventional teaching method is mostly as a one-way communication be-tween instructor and students, where students go through rote learning and then appear for written exam. Based on their performance in written exam they are graded and judged. This type of system inculcates exam oriented learning approach than to actual knowledge gain. This is a major issue in the present era where students are fed up with exam oriented approach. So there is immense need to bring innovation in teaching methods. Also, along with education, among the students, there is need of growing social awareness specially towards weaker section of society. In order to impart effective learning experiential and collaborative learning has been incorporated in solar energy related courses by the authors at BITS Pilani. During these courses, the students fabricated do-it-yourself type solar cookers and tested the performance of these cookers in normal conditions. In order to have feel of the usage of the fabricated cookers the students were asked to cook some food items using those cookers. After successful completion of these activities, with the help of a NGO students helped the authors to conduct cheap solar cooker workshop for villagewomen at a village near the institute. During theworkshop the students helped the village women to fabricate cheap solar cookers. All the activities fabrication, testing and involvement in the workshop was the part of evaluative components for the courses. It was overall a very successful experiential and collaborative learning experiment with social angle involved in it.