Thermodynamics

Prof. Bellur teaches MECH 2010: Thermodynamics every fall semester. It is a required, second-year undergraduate course in Mechanical Engineering. In this course, students:

• learn mass and energy balances for closed and open systems;
• develop an understanding of entropy, the second law of thermodynamics, and isentropic efficiencies of engineering devices;
• use these concepts to analyze power and refrigeration cycles; and
• apply the principles of thermodynamics to formulate and solve engineering problems.

An active-learning redesign

In 2022, Prof. Bellur redesigned the course around group problem-solving:

• Learning in teams. Students work in groups of 4–5 on live, in-class problem-solving activities.
• Open-ended design projects. Each group picks an open-ended design problem, then researches, analyzes, and presents it to the class. Topics have ranged from a geothermal HVAC system for a city hall to energy production and battery disposal. With 9–12 groups each year, there is one group presentation every week.
• Method over answers. Homework is graded for approach and method, not just the final number.
• Measuring confidence. Students rate their confidence on each homework problem and re-rate it at the end of the course, and confidence clearly increases. Short quizzes throughout the semester also collect feedback so that delivery can be adjusted as the course runs.
• Seeing it for real. The course includes a tour of the UC power plant.

A gamified, partially online format with zyBooks

When the department restructured its curriculum in 2024, the 2025 cohort still needed the original 4-credit course, but in a 3-hour lecture format. Prof. Bellur responded by making the course partially online, using a zyBooks platform with customized interactive material that he has spent several years helping zyBooks build and test.

• Two 1.5-hour lectures per week, each followed by short at-home participation activities (animations, simulations, multiple choice, matching) that are due at midnight the same day. They reinforce each topic while it is fresh.
• Weekend challenge activities that test the week’s material at a higher level.
• Unlimited attempts with immediate feedback. Numerical values are randomized on every attempt, so students can correct their approach and try again right away.
• Levels to unlock. Some activities progress in difficulty: solving level 1 unlocks level 2, and so on, and students are challenged to clear every level.

Students responded well to this gamified approach, and it is being used again in 2026.

Real-time feedback and an AI study companion

Two web-based tools that Prof. Bellur developed make the lecture more responsive:

LecturePulse. Using a link or QR code, students anonymously tap green (I’m following), yellow (I’m getting there), or red (I need help) at any point in lecture. Prof. Bellur watches the live results during class and adjusts the pace, revisits a concept, or pauses for questions, instead of discovering gaps weeks later.

SAM (Student Assistant Model), piloted in this course. SAM is an AI study companion built on Prof. Bellur’s own lecture content. It learns the material at the same pace as the students, because lectures are added as they are delivered. Students can ask it to explain a concept or to find when a topic was covered. SAM answers only from material presented in class, and it says honestly when something hasn’t been covered yet instead of guessing.

Both tools are freely available. See the Teaching page for more.

A PDF of an earlier syllabus is available here.