Received: 2 July 2019 | Accepted: 10 November 2019

DOI: 10.1002/cae.22185

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Introducing Excel spreadsheet calculations and numerical

simulations with professional software into an
undergraduate hydraulic engineering course

María Bermúdez1,2 | Jerónimo Puertas2 | Luis Cea2

1
Environmental Fluid Dynamics Group,
Andalusian Institute for Earth System Abstract
Research, University of Granada, This paper presents a comprehensive set of computer tools for implementing
Granada, Spain
an active teaching–learning strategy on an undergraduate hydraulic engineer-
2
Department of Civil Engineering,
ing course, within the subject blocks of pressure flow and free surface flow.
Environmental and Water Engineering
Group, University of A Coruña, A The tools comprise a number of simple Excel‐based applications, to enhance
Coruña, Spain students’ understanding of basic concepts, plus a series of practical exercises
Correspondence
using the free professional models EPANET and IBER, aimed at familiarizing
María Bermúdez, Andalusian Institute for students with the tools used in real practice. The application of the new
Earth System Research, Av. Del methodology to a hydraulics course at the Civil Engineering School of the
Mediterráneo s/n, 18006 Granada, Spain.
Email: mariabermudez@ugr.es; University of A Coruña (Spain) resulted in increased student satisfaction and
mbermudez@udc.es engagement, as well as greater interaction with instructors and classmates.
The applications and practical exercises are easily adaptable and freely
Funding information
H2020 Marie Sklodowska‐Curie Actions, available to the community to facilitate their application to other courses and/
Grant/Award Number: 754446 or degrees.

KEYWORDS
engineering education, EPANET model, hydraulic engineering, IBER model, Microsoft‐Excel
spreadsheet

1 | INTRODUCTION above approaches to teaching, traditional lectures, in

which the focus is on the lowest cognitive levels of
The emergence of the European Higher Education Bloom’s taxonomy (remembering and understanding),
Area has led to a change in the educational paradigm, are less central. In class time, subject content is
placing the student at the center of the learning developed and deepened through activities that work
process. This has inevitably led to a reassessment of on higher‐order cognitive levels (application, analysis,
methodologies in university teaching, one which favors evaluation, and creation), and which therefore imply
the incorporation of active approaches. In methodolo- the construction of new knowledge [22]. The aim is to
gies of this type, the student takes an active role in his/ provide a better preparation for future professional
her learning, which is conceived of as a constructive activity, which requires the development of skills that
process where both specific and generic abilities are go beyond the mere acquisition of knowledge.
developed [28]. These methodological changes have been applied to
Student learning in engineering higher education is an introductory hydraulics course at the Civil Engineer-
commonly addressed through the prism of the cogni- ing School of the University of A Coruña (UDC). This is
tive system of Bloom’s taxonomy [2,7], a hierarchy of a compulsory degree subject in which students have
cognitive learning skills according to complexity. In the their first contact with hydraulic engineering. It covers
Comput Appl Eng Educ. 2020;28:193–206. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cae © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. | 193
194 | BERMÚDEZ ET AL.

the standard content of an introduction to fluid 2 | T EA C H I N G M E T H O D O L OG Y

mechanics in engineering, organized in the following
thematic blocks: As part of the movement toward student‐centered
education, new active pedagogical practices have been
1. Properties of fluids and hydrostatics implemented in higher education, such as problem‐based
2. Fundamental equations of hydraulics learning, team‐based learning or flipped classroom. In
3. Dimensional analysis and hydraulic similarity this case, the teaching–learning strategy that has been
4. Pressure flow applied to the subject is based on the flipped classroom
5. Free surface flow. pedagogical model, which has seen a widespread adop-
tion in engineering education [21]. In this model, the
The first two blocks of the subject are covered exposition of course content and other forms of direct
adequately by means of the theoretical materials and instruction are moved out of the classroom, with students
the usual laboratory practices [32], which in this case are working independently on the digital materials provided
carried out in the hydraulic teaching laboratory of the by instructors. This frees up class time, which is used for
School of Civil Engineering of the UDC. These include participatory tasks and activities of a practical nature,
simple experiences linked to hydrostatics and flotation, such as problem solving and case studies [5]. The
experiences to illustrate the law of conservation of eminently practical nature of a hydraulic engineering
momentum and the Reynolds’ experience. In the third course encourages and facilitates the implementation of a
block, students undertake practical activities with methodology of this type. In addition, we might note
reduced‐scale models of hydraulic works in the Center some very recent examples of its successful application in
for Technological Innovation in Construction and Civil subjects with similar content [33].
Engineering (CITEEC), a research and development The methodology used for the subject is as follows.
laboratory of the UDC, to understand how dimensional Instructors distribute the material for each thematic
analysis and similarity are applied to the development of block online to students before the course. This material
physical models. includes a selection of course content by other authors as
Blocks 4 and 5, which cover the most applied part of well as material created within the Educational Innova-
the subject and which in total represent 2/3 of total tion Group in Computational and Experimental Hydrau-
class hours, are traditionally taught through theore- lics of the UDC [29]. This content is sent to students
tical classes and the manual solving of practical using the Moodle virtual learning environment.
exercises. However, the professional practice of hy- Before a class, students are required to work
draulic engineering necessarily bears a close relation- independently on the materials given and to carry out a
ship to the use of computer tools. Manual calculation series of tasks that will provide course content for the
of pipe networks no longer makes sense, except to class itself. These tasks are described in the materials
underpin certain basic concepts. The calculation of provided in Moodle. In the first face‐to‐face classroom
flow in canals or rivers, which for years was limited to sessions of each block, tasks generally consist of resolving
very simple geometries, is now feasible for all types of small questions and problems individually. In the final
situations, and a wide range of professional tools sessions of each block, the work consists of group tasks
are available, although the basic concepts that serve as (groups of 3–4 students) and covers both the resources
a means of undertaking critical analysis are still provided by instructors and those aspects worked on in
necessary. the previous face‐to‐face classes. These tasks require
Starting from this premise, the current article presents students to prepare their own materials, such as
a set of computer applications for teaching on an presentations, tutorials and screencasts, which will then
undergraduate hydraulic engineering course, within the be shared with other students in the class.
subject blocks of pressure flow and free surface flow. The In this way, each class session generally includes the
applications make it possible to implement an active following activities: (a) Presentation of previous tasks and
teaching–learning strategy, which is described in detail in a round of questions. The aim here is to resolve doubts,
Section 2, and also help to familiarize students with the consolidate learning, and carry out a formative evalua-
tools used in professional practice. Section 3 describes the tion of the student that supports his/her learning [19]. (b)
different applications in more detail, arranged according Problem solving. In the second part of the classes,
to the chronological development of the subject. Finally, students consolidate their theoretical knowledge and
Section 4 discusses the observed impact, based on student apply it to problem solving, with the help of their
feedback, and the applicability of the methodology and classmates and instructors. (c) Practical laboratory work.
tools. A large number of face‐to‐face sessions also include
BERMÚDEZ ET AL. | 195

laboratory practical work. On previous courses teachers programming, but this is not what we are looking for
have been able to verify the usefulness of these as a here.
means of understanding and reinforcing complex con- With the professional models, simple cases are chosen
cepts learned from a theoretical perspective [4]. (d) Use of for a first approximation to their use in real practice.
computer applications, be they developed by instructors Working with relatively simple examples also allows
or professional ones, adapted to the knowledge and skills students to critically evaluate their results and thus
of the students. These final activities, sometimes linked to avoids these results becoming a “black box.”
practical laboratory work, are the main subject of the
present article. 3.1 | Applications associated with
pressure flow

3 | C OM P U T E R A P P L I C A T I O N S The usual approach to learning pressure flow begins with

the concepts of energy, energy gradient slope, continuous
It is of particular interest that students are able to use two energy dissipation, and local losses. The well‐known
types of computer tools: some of these being very simple, equations that quantify these concepts are, for example,
with calculation bases that are clear and easily to the Darcy–Weisbach equation, the Colebrook–White
understand, and which serve as a reinforcement and expressions and the simplified form of Swamee–Jain for
application of the basic concepts learned and applied in the evaluation of continuous dissipation, and expressions
the problems used to illustrate the concepts; and other, for the evaluation of local energy dissipation.
more sophisticated and professional kinds of applica- An Excel application has been developed for the
tions, whose calculation methods in some cases can only evaluation of continuous losses in a pipe segment using
be glimpsed by student in these initial stages of their the Darcy–Weisbach coefficient and the Swamee–Jain
training, and which will be studied in greater depth on expression (Figure 1). The variables involved are energy
subsequent courses, but which nevertheless allow stu- dissipation along the segment (∆E ), flow rate (Q) ,
dents to understand the immense potential for calcula- characteristics of the pipe, such as its diameter (D), its
tions currently available, and the application to real roughness (K ) and its length (L), and characteristics of
problems. the fluid, such as its viscosity ( μ) and its density ( ρ). The
MS Excel spreadsheets are used widely in education, application allows for the calculation of a variable when
and a number of studies have already shown their the rest of these are known. The following are of both
potential to enhance the curriculum of engineering academic and practical interest:
courses [25]. Unlike many professional software, simple
applications based on Excel allow the student to follow • Calculation of energy dissipation. This is a direct
the calculation steps, modify or change the inherent calculation, the first application of the equations.
formulae or easily plot the results, which reinforces their • Calculation of the circulating flow. This is an implicit
educational value [30]. Some examples of MS Excel tools calculation, which requires the use of Excel optimiza-
for water‐related courses include pipe flow calculations tion functions (Goal Seek or Solver).
[9,14] or pipe network analysis [13,20,26,27]. • Calculation of the appropriate diameter. This is an
Therefore, for both thematic blocks (pressure flow and implicit calculation, and the solution must also be
free surface flow), a parallel design of applications has extracted from a finite set of commercial diameters.
been made, with a set of simple tools based on Excel, and
the use of professional models: EPANET for pressure The next step is the incorporation of localized losses
flow, and IBER for free surface flow. Their appropriate- (by pipe elbows or bends, valves or similar elements).
ness for the subject and their relationship with practical This implies no added difficulty, but does allow us to
laboratory work is explained in the following sections. perceive how, with equal dimensions in the pipe, the
In the case of the Excel applications, an absolutely flat incorporation of these elements reduces the circulating
and explicit design has been chosen, without macros, flow. The application also makes it possible to calculate
buttons or a “shell” that masks the calculations being the energy terms (elevation, pressure, and velocity heads)
carried out, because the aim is for the calculations to be at the various points along a pipeline.
easily recognizable and traceable. This is a conscious The incorporation of pumping units is the next step in
decision. The Water and Environmental Engineering the calculation of pressure pipelines. The concepts of the
Group (GEAMA) to which the instructors belong has system resistance curve and the pump characteristic
solid computer experience, and a set of “attractive” curves are introduced as a means of defining an operating
applications could have been developed using VBA point of the pump (Figure 2). We work with curves
196 | BERMÚDEZ ET AL.

FIGURE 1 Calculation of head loss along a pipe system with three segments: (a) Discharge calculation, (b) pressure calculation, and
(c) diagram of the system

defined with three points, on which a second degree analysis of pipe segments is completed with a spreadsheet
function is interpolated (this being the usual practice). for the coupling of pumps in series or in parallel.
The inlet and outlet pressures of the pump are also The next and final step in this set of simple
analyzed for different locations, this to illustrate the applications is the analysis of networks, which is
concept of net positive suction head and to detect illustrated with the problem of three tanks (Figure 4).
whether cavitation problems may occur. Using Excel’s optimization procedures, the equation of
We work with a spreadsheet in which the pump energy conservation in the node is imposed, maintaining
characteristic curves are synthetic (they do not corre- a consistent distribution of flows. In this application,
spond to real pumps), to understand the concepts, and which is the preamble to the next block, where a
subsequently with another spreadsheet in which a pump professional model will be used, the effect of time is also
must be chosen from those available in a commercial introduced. The circulating flows fill and empty the
catalog (Figure 3), to understand that the options are tanks, and this modifies the distribution of flows, in a
limited by the market (although they are wide). The similar way to how the EPANET model works.

FIGURE 2 Calculation of a pipe network with pump: (a) Calculation of the system curve, (b) pump characteristic curve considered
(synthetic) and resulting system curve, (c) operating point obtained, and (d) diagram of the system
BERMÚDEZ ET AL. | 197

FIGURE 3 Pump selection for a pipe system using a pump catalog: (a) Selection of a typology, and (b) choice of a specific pump
considering the set of commercial curves for that typology

FIGURE 4 Branched pipe system with three reservoirs: (a) Calculation of flows for each branch, and (b) diagram of the system

These simple models are used in parallel with the Once students have assimilated and managed the
theoretical training and the problems that are solved simple concepts, it is important that they manage a
manually, but also with laboratory practices on the pipe professional program for the calculation of pressure
network panel in the UDC School of Civil Engineering’s pipelines. The current standard is EPANET (https://
laboratory, which has pipes of a certain magnitude www.epa.gov/water‐research/epanet), which is very well
(Figure 5) and equipment to evaluate the performance of known in the engineering community. Students receive
pumps. The pumps included in the computer application interactive training on this program, analyzing basic
correspond to the same series as those available in the problems, such as some of those mentioned in the
laboratory. previous paragraphs, and subsequently they are asked to

FIGURE 5 Diagram of the small‐scale pipe network panel in the University of A Coruña School of Civil Engineering’s laboratory
198 | BERMÚDEZ ET AL.

FIGURE 6 Photograph of the full‐size pipe network in the Center for Technological Innovation in Construction and Civil Engineering
(left). Graphical user interface of the remote control application

model a system of pipelines with real characteristics. For calculated with Allievi’s formula) and slow closure (in
this, the existing research infrastructure of the CITEEC is which the pressure peaks are attenuated).
used, which includes a cast iron pipeline with similar These two spreadsheets are “playable,” in the sense
characteristics to that of the water supply of the city of A that one can modify all the parameters and observe the
Coruña (Figure 6). distribution of pressures in very different configurations.
This installation is used by the GEAMA research As a final point to this block, a laboratory practice is
group and by the water supply company of the city carried out in the hydraulic laboratory of the School of
(EMALCSA) for development work and for the calibra- Civil Engineering where a rapid closure is generated in a
tion of equipment, and is also used by students for PVC pipeline by means of an electrovalve. The pressure
working on pipes with a real appearance. The pipe distribution is analyzed, it being possible here to estimate
network is amply instrumented with pressure sensors parameters such as the velocity of the pressure wave. The
and flow meters. The purpose of the laboratory practice is entire process is tele‐controlled and the pressure field is
to create the pipe network in EPANET (the pipeline’s exported to a text file where students can analyze the
dimensions are indicated in the infrastructure itself), to results (Figure 9). In addition, the validity of the test can
establish flow conditions (which can be modified), and to be verified by means of the graphic interface presented in
check that the flow regime and the distribution of the figure, where the pressure peaks and their attenua-
pressures modeled coincide with reality. The experimen- tion over time can be seen.
tal facility has a computer platform for remote control
and operation (Figure 6).
The final topic related to the pressure flow is the 3.2 | Applications related to free surface
analysis of hydraulic transients. This is very complex and flow
requires all the students’ attention. In addition to
studying it theoretically and through class discussions This introductory subject explains in some detail perma-
among students, an analysis is made through some nent and uniform movement, as well as gradually varied
simple applications of the compression and decompres- permanent flow (backwater curves). For this purpose, the
sion wave fronts in a simple pipe, in several locations. In theoretical materials are accompanied by small Excel
the first of the applications, we consider the effect of the applications, which allow for the reproduction of results
total closure of a valve both instantaneously and as the observed in the laboratory channel of the School of Civil
sum of partial closures, so that the cumulative effect of Engineering (Figure 10). This channel has a length of
these partial closures can be perceived, which in some 15 m, a width of 50 cm, and a maximum depth of 50 cm
cases have an additive effect and in others a canceling and both the flow and the slope can be varied. In addition,
effect (Figure 7). it has a variable level reservoir at its downstream end that
The second application (Figure 8), in which linear allows various boundary conditions to be imposed to
valve closures are considered, these being essentially simulate different types of profile on the free surface.
staggered closures with a very small time increment, The first application presents the basic characteristics
seeks to illustrate the concepts of rapid closure (in which of a channel with different geometries, such as its normal
the pressure increase reaches the maximum that can be depth, its critical depth, and variables derived from these,
BERMÚDEZ ET AL. | 199

F I G U R E 7 Water hammer calculation considering a stepwise closure: (a) Input data and main calculations, (b) diagram of the system,
and (c) pressure fluctuations caused by the closure

such as its velocity or the conjugate depth of the normal The optimal shape of a channel section is the one that
depth, the meaning of which will be understood during transports a maximum flow for a given cross‐sectional
the final classes of the course. Rectangular, triangular, area. This means that the wetted perimeter is minimal. In
trapezoidal, and circular sections are proposed. addition to the exploration of theoretical issues, students
This spreadsheet allows for interaction with the are provided with a small Excel application that allows
laboratory channel, imposing on it a constant depth by them to optimize sections for the four geometries
manipulating the boundary condition, and verifying that indicated (Figure 12), and to verify that the optimum
this depth effectively fulfills the equation of the normal shapes are the half of a square, in the rectangular and
depth for different flows and slopes. Because the section triangular cases, the half of a hexagon, in the trapezoidal
of the laboratory channel is rectangular, the tab case, and the semicircular one in the circular case [12].
corresponding to this geometry is used, and is reproduced To do this, Excel optimization tools are used (Goal Seek
in Figure 11. and Solver).

FIGURE 8 Water hammer calculation considering a linear valve closure: (a) Input data and main calculations, (b) diagram of the
system, and (c) pressure changes caused by the closure
200 | BERMÚDEZ ET AL.

FIGURE 9 Laboratory experiment used to generate and visualize water hammer in pipes

The last simple application is the one that allows drawing regime), and the integration interval is also indicated. The
backwater curves, and is used to reproduce the curves that application integrates the equation of the backwater curves
are observed in the laboratory channel (Figure 13). This by means of a fourth‐order Runge–Kutta algorithm, which
application therefore makes it possible to “test” (in is explained in the spreadsheet (the calculation columns
simulation form) before, during, and after the practical are hidden in Figure 13 but can be displayed) and which
work in the laboratory. Students set different slopes, flows has been previously analyzed in the theoretical classes.
and initial conditions, calculate the normal and critical The result is a graph showing the bottom of the
depths, and draw on paper the curves observed in the channel, the normal depth, the critical depth, the free
laboratory, extracting from them a maximum of parameters surface profile, and each of the conjugate depths. The
(the critical depth if there is a free fall condition, or the application makes it possible to include the measured
normal depths if a constant depth is reached, for example). data in the channel and to check the average quadratic
At the same time, the situation is reproduced on a error between the measured data and the calculated data,
screen in the laboratory itself using the application, in and to calculate the Manning coefficient that optimizes
which the flow parameters are set, the direction of the adjustment, using the solver tool.
integration is indicated (from downstream to upstream in The determination of the conjugate depths in a
subcritical flow regime, and vice versa in supercritical flow hydraulic jump, which is measured in the laboratory,

FIGURE 10 Laboratory open‐channel flume

BERMÚDEZ ET AL. | 201

FIGURE 11 Calculation of normal

depth, critical depth, and conjugate depth
for a rectangular channel

can also be analyzed by means of this application, in applications, a step is taken towards professional models
which the supercritical and subcritical reaches are through the presentation and use of the two‐dimensional
reproduced, as well as their respective backwater (2D) hydraulic model Iber (http://www.iberaula.es/). The
curves and their conjugate depths, plus the point of Iber model allows the analysis of rivers reaches or
compatibility. estuaries and has thousands of registered users. It is
In a parallel way to that proposed in the case of developed by the UDC and the Polytechnic University of
pressure flow, once the basic concepts have been Catalonia, together with the Center for Studies and
assimilated in the laboratory and by means of simple Experimentation on Public Works (CEDEX) and the

FIGURE 12 Best hydraulic sections for four cross‐section shapes: rectangle, triangle, trapezoid, and semicircle
202 | BERMÚDEZ ET AL.

F I G U R E 1 3 Calculation of backwater curve observed in the laboratory experiment: (a) Input data, (b) plotted results, and (c) numerical
calculation of the water surface profile (partial view of the table with calculations)

International Center for Numerical Methods in Engineer- 4 | IMPACT AND

ing (CIMNE) [6,11,18]. It has been widely applied by APPLICABILITY
companies and researchers for hydraulic computations
involving free surface flows, in particular related to river This approach to teaching has been evaluated by students
inundation [1,3,8,17]. in a survey inspired by previous studies [15,23,24,31]. It
Although it is a 2D flow model, a series of simple cases consists of 19 questions, which students rate on a Likert
have been prepared for students’ initial contact with the scale of 5 points (1 = totally disagree, 5 = totally agree).
model, which allow the visualization of the effect of The questions are grouped for analysis into three
changes to the channel slope, changes of cross‐section, categories: Student participation, student motivation
and the presence of steps and other singularities. and satisfaction, and learning outcomes. The results
Through handling the application with these simple presented below correspond to the academic year
geometries, which are provided and documented in a 2018–2019. A total of 11 students took part in the course
teaching publication [10], students become familiar with during that year, all of whom completed the evaluation
the model and increase their understanding of open‐ survey.
channel flow principles. Figure 14 shows a case Students evaluated the methodology positively and
corresponding to a rectangular channel with four agreed that learning with this method is more active and
sections with different slopes, while Figure 15 has three experiential (mean = 4.5). They also pointed out that
sections, with change of width and slope, as well as an interactions with the teacher during the class were more
upward step. In both cases it is possible to compare the frequent and positive (mean = 4.1). Also, the results of
solution obtained with the numerical model (Figures 14b the questionnaire showed an increase in student motiva-
and 15b) with the theoretical solution calculated by tion. The majority of students indicated that they had had
students (Figures 14c and 15c). These are examples that a pleasant learning experience (mean = 3.9) and that they
usually cannot be carried out in the open‐channel flume had been motivated to carry out the course activities
of a teaching laboratory, due to the complexity of the (mean = 4.0). In relation to learning outcomes, students’
geometry. The model makes it possible to virtually “test” self‐evaluation yielded satisfactory results (mean = 3.8).
these geometries in the same way as would be done in the These results are consistent with previous studies in
conventional (physical) laboratory context. In the final which an increase in student satisfaction, engagement,
classes of the course, the calculation potential of the Iber and face‐to‐face communication have been observed with
model is explained on the basis of examples of real cases, “flipped classroom” methodologies in contrast to tradi-
these drawn from applications around the world. tional ones.
BERMÚDEZ ET AL. | 203

FIGURE 14 Calculation of backwater curves in a rectangular channel with four sections of different slopes

These positive results have encouraged the authors to available to the community at Zenodo (https://doi.org/10.
share their experiences and extend them to other courses 5281/zenodo.3522670). The two professional software
(e.g., within the Civil Engineering Degree at the packages used in the examples are distributed free of
University of Granada). Introductory courses in fluid charge and can be obtained from their respective
mechanics are common to various university degrees websites. The aim here is to eliminate the external
within engineering (e.g., mechanical, civil, or chemical). barriers usually encountered during the integration of
However, it is undeniable that the introduction of new technology in the classroom, such as time constraints and
active methodologies in the university classroom requires lack of resources [16]. Implementing the methodology
an effort on the part of teaching staff, who must produce does not entail any economic cost and the tools provided
new high‐quality content adapted to the new teaching can be used “as is.”
strategy, often with limited institutional support. To It should be noted that the material provided
facilitate its application or adaptation to other courses constitutes a comprehensive set of computer tools
and/or degrees, the tools developed have been made that covers the basics of pressure flow and free surface
204 | BERMÚDEZ ET AL.

FIGURE 15 Calculation of backwater curves in a rectangular channel with three sections of different slope and width, and with a step

flow, starting from very simple applications based on these tools into an undergraduate hydraulic engineer-
Excel up to numerical simulations with professional ing course. Following the proposed methodology, it is
software. All applications are easily adaptable, and also possible to incorporate other problems or tools as
geometries can be easily varied according to the a means of exploring in greater depth those topics
laboratory facilities available, or new cases can be that may be of more interest, according to the focus of
generated from them. It is also worth noting that this the subject (e.g., the study of branched systems
study goes beyond the development of a set of of pipes [13,26,27,34], or the calculation of transients
computer tools by designing and implementing an in pipes with the professional tool Allievi [www.
innovative teaching–learning strategy that introduces allievi.net]).
BERMÚDEZ ET AL. | 205

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at the University of Granada. Her main
22. M. Marqués Andrés, Qué hay detrás de la clase al revés (flipped
research interests lie in the field of flood
classroom), ReVisión 9 (2016), no. 3, 2. https://dialnet.unirioja.
es/servlet/articulo?codigo=5821632. Accessed April 26, 2019. risk assessment and modelling. She is
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Learning en la formación del profesorado de secundaria y of efficient and reliable methods for the evaluation of
bachillerato. Formación para el cambio, Contextos Educativos. current and future flood risks, and examining
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institutions in development projects in several coun-
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Environmental and Water Engineering
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networks using MATLAB and Excel spreadsheet: Q‐based His research is focused on the numerical
methods, Comput. Appl. Eng. Educ. 25 (2017), no. 2, 277–289. modelling of environmental water flows
https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.21796 and associated transport processes, in-
28. J. González, and R. Wagenaar, eds., Tuning Educational cluding soil erosion at the catchment scale and water
Structures in Europe II. La Contribución de Las Universidades quality in rivers. He is especially interested in
Al Proceso de Bolonia, University of Deusto Press, Bilbao/
applications related to flood inundation modelling,
Groningen, 2006.
from the catchment scale to the urban scale.
29. J. Puertas et al., Apuntes De Ingeniería Hidráulica, Fundación
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