Education for Chemical Engineers最新文献

This paper presents the rationale for incorporating engineering design into project-based laboratory learning. To ensure an effective and efficient pedagogy for the new laboratory format, we placed the emphasis of the pedagogical framework on constructivist learning for deep laboratory learning, and integrated experiential learning cycle with cyclic engineering design to formulate a sequential instruction and formative assessment methodology. The implementation of the pedagogy was exemplified using a case study of a concrete distillation design consisting of conceptualizing the design, reasoning the adequacy and experiment-based validation of the design correlations, and verifying the final design as per experimental observations. The impact of the novel lab format on student learning experience was surveyed and compared to that of a traditional laboratory. The survey results revealed that the project-based laboratory with design resulted in an improved learning experience in addressing high-level learning outcomes and engineering skills. Evidence of the survey also suggested that the sequential instruction and formative assessment methodology was effective with every stage of the experiential learning and formative assessment essential for the successful and efficient implementation of the project-based laboratory learning.

The University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, the Czech Technical University in Prague and ORLEN Unipetrol have established a common University center in the production facility of the refinery-petrochemical complex in Litvínov, Czech Republic. The university center offers higher education to more than 50 students in bachelor and master programs. The connection between the chemical industry and the academic environment has created a unique opportunity to apply experiential learning in many areas of teaching. The University center uses a newly built Training facility, which is equipped with several modules for training operators, engineers and, currently, students. Thanks to the attractiveness of the environment of the training facility premises, the target group of students has been extended to secondary and even primary schools. The University center organizes regular practice for secondary and primary schools at the training facility. The aim of these activities is to practice systematically modern methods of education through experience and to make technical disciplines as popular as possible among young students. Regionally, this experiential education system has achieved high popularity and, in addition to the University center own students, more than 500 students from around 30 secondary and primary schools go through the program every year.

Practice in experimental laboratories is a fundamental activity in the Degrees in Science and Engineering. FLUID-LABVIR platform is an attempt to innovate in the experience of students who must carry out laboratory practices, particularly in engineering and fluid mechanics subjects, by providing them with a tool (guide prepared as a website) adapted to the context of current media in a multi-platform web format (PC, mobile, tablet). This guide not only includes the theoretical foundations and the measurements which must be taken during the practice, but also includes images, animations, and explanatory videos of the handling of the practice made by teachers to support the theoretical content. It is also an additional tool to practice the handling of the experimental installation through an immersive simulator that reproduces the operation of the practice as faithfully as possible, including calibration errors of measuring equipment during the practice, saturation of indicator elements, etc. On this website, students have the possibility of downloading or accessing the practice simulator via the MyApps platform, so that they can work virtually with the demonstrative equipment, following the steps and taking the measurements that they would take in person in the laboratory. This simulator is accompanied by a short video tutorial showing how to use the simulator and how it would be operated to reproduce the handling and taking of measurements in the experimental practice. The virtual laboratory activity was implemented during the 2020/21 academic year, through three practices/simulators: Head Loss in Pipes (FM-HLP), Flow in Open Channel (FM-OC), and Wind Tunnel (FM-WT). The students considered the activity as a good complement to the practical learning before using it in the laboratory, indicating that the script seemed more attractive to them than the previous methodology based on written manuals of each practice in the laboratory. The theory and practice are also presented in more depth on the website. The students highlighted that, although it is always preferable to carry out the experimental practice in person, the immersive simulator seemed to them to be a good substitute, and the website was accessible and easy to use. The simulator reproduced the handling (stages, devices, etc.) of the experimental installation in a very acceptable way, and in some cases, they used the simulator to obtain additional data to prepare the final report of the practices. As a result of this work and this experience, the virtual laboratory activity will be offered as a complement to the traditional syllabus in the labs for subsequent academic years.

Engineering thermodynamics is the core course of many majors, especially mechanical engineering and chemical engineering. Two groups of students from different majors and with different coefficients of difficulty of engineering thermodynamics examinations were selected for investigation. The students’ achievements for the three courses of mathematics, physics, and engineering thermodynamics were analysed, and the relationships between them were concluded. Investigation shows that college-level physics, especially physics 1, plays an important role in improving the study of engineering thermodynamics, and students with a poor physics knowledge foundation have difficulty obtaining scores above the average level in engineering thermodynamics. A strong advanced mathematics foundation is also important to get a good score in engineering thermodynamics. The relationships between the prerequisite courses investigated in this study and engineering thermodynamics are more evident when the engineering thermodynamics examination is difficult and are weak when the engineering thermodynamics examination is easy. Finally, based on the findings, a student learning advising system is proposed, and a feasible implementation method is presented.

To tackle future sustainability and energy issues, novel learning approaches should be considered in chemical engineering education, particularly those encouraging learners’ problem-solving skills. This paper proposes an example for educators to integrate game-making activities into a chemical engineering curriculum. The specific activity proposed is a collaborative event, known as a game jam in Game Studies. Participants use a custom-made Game Editor for Learning to design levels for a jump n′ run/platform game. The editor facilitates the construction of games for non-game designers, has a tutorial, and is provided with inspirational gameplay videos of level examples and a template for facilitators to assess the resulting levels. This paper argues that prompting learners to create levels based on chemical concepts and structures, challenges and develops their problem-solving skills, and makes the activity valuable to be integrated in present engineering educational programs. The learning experience, named CHEM Jam, starts with an introductory phase during which participants receive essential guidance, while preserving the effectiveness, of learner-centred activities. The assessment methodology is aligned with the learning objectives of an undergraduate process design course. Finally, research and critique on the activity and how chemical engineering can benefit from game-making events and communities is discussed.

Studies revealed that existing lockdowns due to COVID-19 across developing countries resulted in education access inequalities and challenges. Closure of schools and higher education institutions have forced educators to deliver courses and assessments distantly as an immediate countermeasure against threats on the academic progression of students. Specifically, students marginalized by digital divides were found to have less satisfaction in learning experiences under this emergency online learning method. For students with science and engineering background, it is a challenge to learn first principles theories in the online environment which could affect their learning motivation level. This paper presents the implementation of online cooperative learning in the course Material and Energy Balance which covered the fundamental principles of Chemical Engineering. The impact of virtual cooperative learning approach to reduce the loss of motivation due to digital divide was investigated. Firstly, it was found that most of the students, from different backgrounds of digital access, experienced a drop in motivation at the start of emergency online learning. Secondly, when virtual cooperative learning was implemented, an increase in students’ motivation at both sides of the digital divide was observed. The implications concerning provisions to design an all-inclusive online learning environment are also presented. We found that the incorporation of cooperative learning approach could contribute towards alleviating the drop in motivation, especially for the digitally disadvantaged students. We hope that the findings from this study could compel instructors or education practitioners to rethink and redesign the online teaching and learning activities to enable a more inclusive emergency online learning environment for digitally disadvantaged students.

An increasing number of experts considers that durable skills are needed to prepare the professionals that will tackle the challenges of the 21^st century. However, a clear overview of which skills are the most relevant for specific learning outcomes has not been reached. In this work, we present a simplified conceptual framework for the training of engineers to be more innovative and entrepreneurial. We introduce three core components or ingredients: knowledge, persuasiveness and empathy. These ingredients can be used to initiate a necessary shift in how students are educated in fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. A Challenge Based Learning context is proposed for developing persuasiveness and empathy as durable skills. We also present a six-step procedure as a guideline to turn the knowledge, persuasiveness, and empathy framework into actionable items. This framework enriches the toolbox of durable skills that needs to be taught during the educational process, and in the professional practice of (chemical) engineers. We propose to explicitly teach the importance of durable people-oriented skills in combination with technical courses, ideally spreading the focus over the whole curricula.

The community service program is one of the Tri Dharma or three obligations of Higher Education conducted by the academic community in Indonesia. A brand-new initiative in education was unveiled by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, specifically Independent Learning – Independent Campus. Numerous Chemical Engineering – Institut Teknologi Indonesia faculty members and students collaborated with partners to manufacture and diversify cocozone oil as an outcome of downstream research and community service. As part of the 'Independent Learning - Independent Campus' program, community service is examined to determine its effect on student competence development and faculty-student engagement. Furthermore, students are unaware of its cost because it is subsidized by the government, though it highlights the importance of voluntary community work. Similarly, faculty members followed the same trend, though their ratings were higher than the pupils. Student socialization is an important part of their education and learning process. Additionally, community service activities are beneficial to the partner since they cushion them against the economic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lab work is a basic pillar, especially in engineering and science. It promotes problem solving and discovery and it has proven to enhance student learning. Transversal competences such as autonomy or effective oral and written communication are also enhanced. E-learning is currently increasing and requires a redesign of practical work. Several virtual laboratories can be found to cover different areas. This, however, does not replace the face-to-face laboratories in the field of chemistry, where students need to perform hands-on experiments to acquire the required skills. An alternative is experimentation at home. Most existing references in this regard describe qualitative experiences. In this work we have designed a home practical work in which some fundamental concepts of chemical kinetics and catalysis are developed quantitatively. Students are introduced here to wastewater treatment using an advanced oxidation process; the Fenton reaction. From the results of a preactivity survey, students showed motivation and high expectations with the activity proposal. From a post-activity survey, we concluded that the perception of students towards the activity did not change after completing it. The learning objectives were met both for the students that participated in the take-home experiment and for those who did the experiment in the laboratory.

This study explores the implementation of a detailed model pharmaceutical production facility in an undergraduate engineering class. Xandar Pharmaceuticals (XP), a fictitious manufacturer, was created and presented to undergraduate engineering students during a current good manufacturing practices (cGMP¹) course in two forms: (1) 3D virtual model and (2) 3D printed model. Data was collected from three separate cohorts over three years with a total of 197 participants. Surveys would gauge student’s sentiments and collect feedback, while quizzes assessed technical understanding. Statistical analysis and effect size calculations would evaluate the differences among the three cohorts. Survey results indicate the 3D printed model has small positive effects on study vs control (groups) regarding understanding of general industry related functions and practices. The 3D printed model also improved students’ interest in critical thinking and investigation. Qualitative feedback and sentiment analysis indicate the model was well received by students and received positive feedback related to visualization, industrial relevance, and student engagement. Use of the 3D printed model (but not the 3D virtual model) has had positive quantitative effects on student quiz scores and feedback. Qualitative improvements to student attitudes and interest are encouraging and suggest further use of 3D printed models in other courses may be beneficial.