Abstract. This study investigated the relationship between learning approach, time spent studying and grades awarded. A class of mechanical engineering students (N=34; male) were asked to keep an hour-by-hour study diary for one week. The Biggs' Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ) provided measures of these students' approach to study tasks. Use of a surface approach to learning was found to be positively correlated with both high attendance in class and greater hours of independent study time. The former is explained by the surface learner's need for the lecturer to define the course; the latter by the inefficiency of a surface approach. Poor grades in spite of long study hours mirror an inefficient surface approach. This finding suggests the need for individual study counselling. Case studies show that the use of a deep approach does not result in good grades unless accompanied by sufficient work. The diary method in conjunction with the SPQ appears to be a promising method for researching workload, study times and other related variables.

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In traditional volute design methods, the flow at the volute inlet is assumed to be uniform according to one-dimensional theory. However, many experimental results have shown that under the design operating conditions, the actual distributions of the flow parameters at the volute inlet are different from those predicted by the ideal assumption. This is because of the influence of the nonaxisymmetrical volute geometry, especially due to the presence of the volute tongue. Based on this fact, a new method was considered whereby diflerent volute pro$les can be generated by varying the distributions offlow parameters at the volute inlet. The ultimate objective is to achieve the optimal volute profile design so that the performance of a centrifugal machine can be improved. In this paper, a two-dimensional inverse method has been used to redesign the original volute profiles of two centrifugal fans. The results show that the method presented provides effective improvement to the one-dimensional volute design method. The controlled distribution form of volute inlet flow angle a4 in the redesign is qualitatively discussed and can be used for reference in the volute design and further research.

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