Browsing by Author "Johnston, Kimberly"

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    A Large Scale Agile Teaching Framework for Software Engineering
    (2022-12-19) Bahrehvar, Majid; Moshirpour, Mohammad; Far, Behrouz; Johnston, Kimberly
    There has been a great deal of interest in software engineering as a rewarding career in recent years as industry demands for software professionals continues to rise. As such enrollments in tech-related majors such as software engineering and computer science continues to increase. There are several sources available for learning software engineering including Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs). Meanwhile, universities are the primary providers of high-quality instruction in this field. Universities have to accept many students, which has created many challenges, such as reducing the quality of education and difficulty managing classes by instructors and assistants. Universities also need to increase their faculty members and improve the educational infrastructure. The industry is changing rapidly and demands graduates to adapt to the needs of the industry as quickly as possible. In addition, they are expected to have some soft skills, such as critical thinking and teamwork, that make university training harder. Various methods have been developed for software engineering education to manage the challenges of large enrollments and providing hands-on learning. These methods are based on active learning, which focuses on the learner rather than the educator, and require more work from instructors. This thesis provides a framework for teaching software engineering (SE) that utilizes DevOps concepts in teaching to respond to the needs of universities, based on agile methodologies and project-based learning that have matured in the industry and educational field after many years. We used machine learning and ML4Code methods to address the challenges of providing scalable feedback in universities, which is an essential need for a practical discipline such as software engineering. During the winter of 2021, this framework was implemented in ENSF 607 - Advanced Software Development and Architecture at the University of Calgary. It was evaluated based on the students’ perceptions of its impact on their learning journey.
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    Measurement and Modeling of Pentane-Diluted Bitumen Phase Behaviour
    (2017) Johnston, Kimberly; Yarranton, Harvey; Taylor, Shawn; Jeje, Ayodeji; Moore, Robert Gordon; Lines, Laurence; Chapman, Walter
    The phase behavior of mixtures of bitumens and n-alkanes is a key factor in the design and optimization of solvent-assisted heavy oil recovery processes and solvent deasphalting processes. However, data and comprehensive models are lacking for these mixtures. Crude oil phase behavior is typically modeled using cubic equations of state (CEoS). While CEoS have successfully fit saturation pressures and asphaltene onset points for bitumen-solvent systems using simple quadratic mixing rules; they do not accurately predict asphaltene precipitation yields. This thesis focuses on data collection and CEoS modeling with asymmetric mixing rules for mixtures of bitumen and n-pentane. Phase behavior data were collected for n-pentane diluted bitumen up to 14 MPa and 280°C. Saturation pressures were measured using both a PVT cell and a blind cell apparatus. The composition at which asphaltenes precipitate was measured using a high pressure microscope apparatus and was extrapolated from asphaltene yield data. A new experimental procedure was developed to measure the phase compositions of both the light phase and the asphaltene rich heavy phase at high temperature where two liquid phases are observed. A blind cell apparatus was designed to measure asphaltene yields for multiple samples simultaneously. Binary and ternary phase diagrams were generated from the data. The Advanced Peng Robinson (APR) CEoS with several sets of asymmetric and compositionally dependent mixing rules was evaluated using the aforementioned dataset. The use of asymmetric mixing rules significantly improved the match to asphaltene yield data; however, the yields were still under-predicted at high solvent contents and the tuning parameters that gave the best match for asphaltene yield data were not predictive or easily correlated for other solvents. The use of compositionally dependent solvent/asphaltene binary interaction parameters allowed the model to fit asphaltene yield data over the entire composition range. A set of interaction parameters was recommended that fits both asphaltene yield and saturation pressure data. While successful at fitting the data, this approach is not practical for many simulation applications and the overall conclusion is that CEoS are not well suited for the full range of bitumen-solvent phase behavior.
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    Measurement of the Diffusivity and Solubility of Methane into Aqueous TBAB
    (2018-04-26) Ojo, Olajumoke Ifeoluwa; Clarke, Matthew A.; Johnston, Kimberly; Gates, Ian Donald
    Natural gas is a relatively clean burning fuel that can be used for cooking, heating and electricity generation. To adequately meet the developing world’s growing demand needs for natural gas it is necessary to have adequate infrastructure for gas transportation and storage. Historically, natural gas has been stored either in underground geological formations or above ground as either Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) or Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). All of the previously noted storage technologies are mature technologies, but also technologies that require large capital investments. As a lower cost alternative to CNG storage, a number of researchers [1] have proposed using gas hydrates and, more recently, semiclathrates as a medium for above-ground natural gas storage. Gas hydrates are ice-like compounds, formed in the presence of water and light gases that have the ability to entrap large volumes of gas at conditions that are much milder than those needed to store natural gas as either CNG or LNG. Semiclathrates are similar compounds to gas hydrates. However, the presence of a quaternary ammonium salt leads to semiclathrates being able to form at conditions that are even milder than those required for gas hydrate formation. Several experimental analyses have been carried out in order to determine the three-phase (solid-liquid-vapour) equilibrium conditions at which semiclathrates form. However, in order to more thoroughly evaluate the feasibility of using semiclathrates for gas storage purposes it will be necessary to know the solubility of the gas in the solution as well as the diffusivity of the gas in the solution. Originally, the aim of the study was to modify an existing experimental apparatus and to measure the solubility and diffusivity of methane gas in aqueous solutions of tetra-n-butyl-ammonium bromide (TBAB) at conditions close to semiclathrate formation conditions. However, as the experiments proceeded, it was found that maintaining a constant pressure in the reactor was not straight forward. Thus, the main focus of the thesis shifted to establishing an adequate control strategy. Three control strategies were tried; PID control, on-off control and on-off control plus an inline microflow metering valve. For each strategy, several runs were carried out in an attempt to measure the solubility and diffusivity. Each of the experimental runs took close to a month to complete, after which time it was concluded that only an on-off controller with an inline microflow metering valve was capable of providing the appropriate control needed to maintain a constant pressure in the reactor. Following the experiments, the diffusivity and solubility of methane in aqueous TBAB solutions were regressed from the experimental data using the finite acting model and the infinite acting model as utilized in the original work of Etminan [2]. From the analysis of the experimental data, the diffusivity and solubility were seen to follow the expected trend; the diffusivity increases and the solubility decreases with temperature, at a constant pressure.
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    Opportunities for and Barriers to Innovation in Engineering Education
    (2019-01-04) Meikleham, Alexandra; Hugo, Ronald J; Brennan, Robert; Johnston, Kimberly
    The 21st Century has brought both tremendous promise and challenge for engineers. The need for sustainable development and growing pressures from automation are some of the societal challenges facing tomorrow’s engineering graduates. Educational institutions must ensure students possess competencies in professional skills, such as adaptability, critical thinking and creativity to thrive in today’s rapidly evolving ecosystem. Continuous improvement in teaching techniques and content will be required to ensure students are prepared for life beyond graduation. Technology-mediated course delivery, blended learning, and project-based learning are promising approaches to work lateral thinking and professional skills into the curriculum; but no new solution comes without drawbacks. It is critical that ongoing research be conducted and documented into the effectiveness of interventions so that informed decisions on course and program design can be made. This work presents findings and experiences of implementing a technical project-based, blended fluid mechanics course; analyzes factors that affected professional skills development indicated by twelve Graduate Attributes. Project-based and blended learning were found to be effective in developing professional skills, however several institutional barriers were identified to the scalability of these approaches. Two self-efficacy surveys were assessed for their reliability, and opportunities were identified for future improvements to be made on several survey questions. Opportunities for the development of professional modules on ethics and equity, professionalism, and lifelong learning were identified. End of term student surveys revealed that as student-centred approaches to teaching and learning increased, student perception of teaching quality decreased and workload increased, indicating a potential barrier to achieving buy-in from tenure-track instructors who rely on student end of term survey results for promotion. Teaching assistant training, resource allocation, risk management, and institutional memory were identified as critical areas requiring interventions for project-based learning to be sustained within the system. This work can be utilized to inform discussions on local program design within the University of Calgary, but the insights and ideas presented are relevant for instructors, institutions, and international initiatives looking to facilitate sustainable educational change across the post-secondary system as well.