title: Virtual parameter-estimation experiments in Bioprocess-Engineering education.
abstract: Cell growth kinetics and reactor concepts constitute essential knowledge for Bioprocess-Engineering students. Traditional learning of these concepts is supported by lectures, tutorials, and practicals: ICT offers opportunities for improvement. A virtual-experiment environment was developed that supports both model-related and experimenting-related learning objectives. Students have to design experiments to estimate model parameters: they choose initial conditions and 'measure' output variables. The results contain experimental error, which is an important constraint for experimental design. Students learn from these results and use the new knowledge to re-design their experiment. Within a couple of hours, students design and run many experiments that would take weeks in reality. Usage was evaluated in two courses with questionnaires and in the final exam. The faculties involved in the two courses are convinced that the experiment environment supports essential learning objectives well.
authors.affiliation: Food and Bioprocess Engineering Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 8129 6700 EV, Wageningen, The Netherlands. Olivier.Sessink@wur.nl
authors.forename: Olivier D T
authors.initials: OD
authors.lastname: Sessink
authors.forename: Hendrik H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Beeftink
authors.forename: Rob J M
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Hartog
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tramper
mesh_terms: D001698:Biomedical Engineering / Q000193:education*; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000193:education*; D002468:Cell Physiological Phenomena; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000379:methods*; D003479:Curriculum; D004517:Education, Professional / Q000379:methods*; D007218:Industrial Microbiology / Q000193:education; D008954:Models, Biological; D009426:Netherlands; D014584:User-Computer Interface