反应工程介绍了隆德大学的第三年化学工程学生，以反应堆分析，尺寸和设计原则。与其他类似的课程一样，传统上传统上强调理论和数学方程的推导。学生完成了许多练习，但很少对工业反应堆发生的物理过程和化学反应的综合影响直观了解。
认识到这种缺点，我们将重点从理论视为数字实验。我创建了一套matlab®的应用,使学生交互修改key reaction parameters and see how their changes affect outcomes (Figure 1). I’ve also begun using MATLAB Grader™ in the course. My teaching assistants (TAs) now spend considerably less time on simple code correction and more time helping students understand the model structure, a particular advantage when the course moved online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both the apps and MATLAB Grader are integrated into the university's learning management system (LMS).
图1. Matlab Web应用程序使用反应工程。
Creating and Hosting MATLAB Apps
这反应工程apps are designed to get students thinking critically about the effects on reaction performance of processes that take place in batch reactors and continuous stirred-tank reactors (CSTRs). During one class, I ask the students to imagine what would happen if a CSTR cooling system were to malfunction. The students recognize that if no action is taken, the temperature and pressure will rise until the reactor explodes. I then ask, if they could control the reactor’s volumetric flow rate, would they increase or decrease the flow rate to save the reactor?
这个问题的答案并不直观;大多数学生推荐不正确reducing流动。向他们展示如何越来越多the flow would reduce the overall energy in the system, I have them experiment with a MATLAB app that lets them control the flow rate and track the temperature within the reactor over time (Figure 2). The app gives them a much better understanding of the reactor’s energy balance than they could get by completing rote numeric calculations.
图2. MATLAB应用用于可视化CSTR的温度，具有故障的冷却系统。
由于隆德大学拥有校园范围的许可证，学生可以下载我在自己的计算机上开发并运行它们的应用程序。但是，我决定通过Matlab Web App Server™制作作为交互式Web应用程序的应用程序。然后，我能够在应用程序旁边提供分配的指令。MATLAB Web App Server还可以将应用与Canvas，我们的LMS集成，使其更容易访问（图3）。
图3.在画布中作为Web应用程序运行的CSTR冷却应用程序。
纳入Matlab Grader.
When the pandemic forced us to begin teaching online, my colleagues and I had to figure out how to both manage and engage the approximately 100 students in the course. About two weeks before classes were set to begin, I decided to use MATLAB Grader for virtual lab assignments. Starting with the templates for solving differential and nonlinear equations in MATLAB that I previously created for the course, it took me no more than a few days to create and test interactive lab exercises with MATLAB Grader (Figure 4).
Figure 4. Virtual lab assignment created with MATLAB Grader.
Matlab Grader被证明是一个重要的补充，因为它为学生提供了直接反馈的工作。例如，在第二个实验室中，学生模拟化学反应，该化学反应需要它们在Matlab中解决八个微分方程。在正常情况下，25至30名学生将在一个有两个TA的实验室工作。即使是那个学生的数量，TA也需要很多时间来回答问题，主要关注简单的编码错误，并检查每个学生的工作。使用Matlab Grader，我们可以自动检查所有100名学生的工作，并提供实时反馈。然后，TAS可以关注需要与其代码额外帮助的学生。
Student Feedback and Plans for Next Year
虽然我们没有对使用Matlab Grader和Apps进行正式课程调查，但学生非正式地评论了应用程序帮助他们学习新概念。他们还表示，他们喜欢Matlab Grader提供的直接反馈。
我们所做的更改反应工程在隆德大学外面引起了注意力：我一直在瑞典的另一所大学联系，该大学有兴趣使用Matlab Grader和Matlab Web App Server对自己的课程实施类似的增强功能。
Lund University is among the more than 1500 universities worldwide that provide campus-wide access to MATLAB and Simulink. With a Campus-Wide License, researchers, faculty, and students have access to a common configuration of products, at the latest release level, for use anywhere—in the classroom, at home, in the lab, or in the field.
