The learning-oriented approach, with its emphasis on student engagement, has been implemented in a course that utilizes a slug flow simulator (SFS), in the context of research assignments that complement traditional engineering lectures. The course is a Master's degree in Theoretical and Applied Fluid Mechanics, at the Engineering Faculty of Porto University (Portugal). The goal is to engage students proactively in the learning process, so as to enrich their learning experience and foster knowledge retention. The main features of the simulator are presented (main windows, input parameters and monitored variables) and the potential benefits of its use are discussed. A series of tasks of increasing complexity are proposed, covering both undergraduate and graduate levels.