Education for Chemical Engineers最新文献

{"title":"Fostering technical proficiency and professional skills: A multifaceted PO-PBL strategy for unit operations education","authors":"Olga Lucía Acuña ,&nbsp;Deya Marcela Santos Carvajal ,&nbsp;Angie D. Bolanos-Barbosa ,&nbsp;Julian Daniel Torres-Vanegas ,&nbsp;Oscar A. Alvarez Solano ,&nbsp;Juan C. Cruz ,&nbsp;Luis H. Reyes","doi":"10.1016/j.ece.2025.01.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ece.2025.01.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This contribution presents a comprehensive analysis of the implementation and outcomes of a Project-Oriented Problem-Based Learning (PO-PBL) approach in chemical engineering education, focusing on the Project of Unit Operations (POU) course. The study examines the efficacy of PO-PBL in developing both technical proficiency and essential professional skills among students. Using a mixed methods approach, the research analyzes data from four consecutive semesters, encompassing student surveys, performance metrics, and qualitative feedback. The integration of the Integrated Product and Process Design (DIPP) methodology, gamification elements, and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools are explored as complementary strategies to improve learning outcomes. The results indicate sustained or improved technical skills throughout the semesters, coupled with significant improvements in student engagement, motivation, and professional competencies, particularly in communication and teamwork. The implementation of GenAI tools, guided by the Artificial Intelligence Assessment Scale (AIAS), shows promising improvements in students’ research capabilities and writing skills. Although challenges in implementation are acknowledged, the POU course emerges as a promising model for chemical engineering education, effectively bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. This study provides valuable information on innovative pedagogical approaches that prepare students for the evolving demands of the chemical engineering industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48509,"journal":{"name":"Education for Chemical Engineers","volume":"51 ","pages":"Pages 64-78"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143464586","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"One-week flipped workshop on heat integration","authors":"Daniel R. Lewin ,&nbsp;Nilay Shah ,&nbsp;Abigail Barzilai","doi":"10.1016/j.ece.2025.03.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ece.2025.03.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper describes the first implementation of a flipped, one-week workshop on heat integration that was taught in Spring 2024 to the 3rd Year cohort of 138 students in Chemical Engineering at Imperial College, London. The “flipped” workshop consisted of three online lessons that cover the core materials on pinch design of heat exchanger networks, which the students were required to complete ahead of each of the corresponding three face-to-face class meetings, which focused on problem-solving exercises largely carried out by the students themselves. The paper describes the teaching methodology applied, presents and analyses the results of a survey conducted to assess the students’ perceptions and degree of satisfaction with the workshop. Learning outcomes relevant to the workshop topic, that is, the ability to design and optimize heat exchanger networks in realistic plant-wide settings, are also presented and compared to those of previous years. The main conclusion is that the short workshop format can successfully achieve the learning objectives, even for relatively large class sizes. Evidently, this workshop can be taught effectively in this concentrated form provided that the workshop participants are given access to the online lessons in advance of the class exercises.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48509,"journal":{"name":"Education for Chemical Engineers","volume":"51 ","pages":"Pages 110-120"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143620751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Harnessing generative AI in chemical engineering education: Implementation and evaluation of the large language model ChatGPT v3.5","authors":"Matthew Keith ,&nbsp;Eleanor Keiller ,&nbsp;Christopher Windows-Yule ,&nbsp;Iain Kings ,&nbsp;Phillip Robbins","doi":"10.1016/j.ece.2025.01.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ece.2025.01.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the recent and rapid growth of the adoption of generative artificial intelligence (GAI), including the use of large language models (LLMs) there has been growing concern amongst higher education institutions regarding assessment, potential plagiarism, and ultimately a negative impact on student learning outcomes. However, GAI is likely to be a useful tool in future professional environments, including in many chemical engineering-related roles. It is, therefore, essential that students are equipped with the knowledge and skills to use GAI responsibly, ethically, and safely. This research adopts the IDEE (Identify desired outcomes, Determine level of automation, Ensure ethics, Evaluate effectiveness) framework to develop a chemical engineering lab session which is augmented by the use of LLMs. As part of the pre-lab work, Year 1 students were tasked with using ChatGPT v3.5 to derive a model which predicted the drainage profile of water from a tank. They then tested the validity of this model experimentally in a lab session and analysed the data obtained as part of the post-lab work. Pre- and post-lab surveys were conducted which revealed that students had limited prior experience with GAI but there was a general belief that it could be useful for future work. The post-lab survey showed that the vast majority of people believed that this exercise had helped them learn how to use LLMs, how to use it ethically, how to critique the output, and what some of its limitations were. Reflexive thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative data obtained in the same surveys. This revealed eight distinct themes, one of which showed that there was a strong awareness of the need for criticising the LLM output, of the potential pitfalls associated with its use, and concerns over the quality of the output. As such, this work provides not just a case study for the integration of LLMs, and GAI more broadly, into chemical engineering curricula, but also valuable insight into student perceptions regarding the use of this nascent technology more generally.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48509,"journal":{"name":"Education for Chemical Engineers","volume":"51 ","pages":"Pages 20-33"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143403254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effectiveness of active learning techniques in knowledge retention among engineering students","authors":"R. Maceiras,&nbsp;J. Feijoo,&nbsp;V. Alfonsin,&nbsp;L. Perez-Rial","doi":"10.1016/j.ece.2025.01.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ece.2025.01.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Many studies have examined the effectiveness of active learning techniques in comparison with the traditional method and compared the student performance between the two types of teaching. However, there are few studies focused on long-term retention after using different active learning techniques. This study evaluates the effectiveness of two active learning techniques—the Jigsaw cooperative learning approach and H5P interactive videos—compared with traditional lectures in enhancing immediate learning outcomes and long-term retention among engineering students. To evaluate the effectiveness of these techniques on student retention, a total of nine academic years (from 2014 to 2023 were evaluated, involved approximately 150 students per year. An exhaustive analysis of results was conducted in comparison with traditional method, before and after applying these learning activities, with the aim of testing its effectiveness. In addition, a survey was distributed among students to assess their experience and perception about the used techniques. The survey showed high satisfaction rates, particularly for interactive videos, highlighting the perceived benefits of these methods in engaging students and supporting skill development. The results demonstrate that the Jigsaw and H5P interactive video methods showed promise in terms of immediate learning outcomes, particularly in student engagement and performance in short-term assessments. However, in terms of long-term knowledge retention, the control group performed better, indicating that traditional lectures might have a stronger effect on retaining knowledge over time. The active learning techniques, while effective in the short-term, did not significantly enhance academic performance in the long-term assessments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48509,"journal":{"name":"Education for Chemical Engineers","volume":"51 ","pages":"Pages 1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143232323","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A team-based activity integrated with comics for introducing the Sustainable Development Goals in classrooms","authors":"Jude A. Okolie ,&nbsp;Sarah M. Barakat ,&nbsp;Emma K. Smith ,&nbsp;Chukwuma C. Ogbaga ,&nbsp;Paul Terhemba Iorember ,&nbsp;Nugun P. Jellason","doi":"10.1016/j.ece.2025.01.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ece.2025.01.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the modern world, sustainability is crucial to human existence, and it is essential to introduce students to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. This is regarded as a framework that underpins societal challenges and the benefits of addressing them. Moreover, in the domain of chemical engineering education, introducing SDGs into the curriculum could help students understand how chemical engineers will play a vital role in addressing some of the key global challenges. This study proposes a novel team-based activity that aids the understanding of international relations, and cooperation needed to achieve the SDGs as well as the challenges faced among nations. The team-based activity also introduces the concept of water-waste-energy nexus to help science and engineering students understand the current societal challenges and propose solutions from the lens of an engineer or scientist. The team-based activity including the comics were tested in classrooms with students from universities in Africa and England. The students were grouped into eight countries with distinct resources and challenges. The results revealed an enhanced understanding of the SDGs by the students and the interconnectedness and importance of addressing multiple goals at once by each simulation country. While participants from Africa were more focused on urgent, local sustainable development issues such as zero hunger (SDG2), quality education (SGD4) and clean water (SDG6), participants from the UK were probably more focused on global, policy-oriented issues such as clean energy (SDG7), sustainable cities (SDG11) and climate change (SDG13). The activity significantly enhanced students' understanding of the SDGs, global challenges and the water-energy nexus. However, future studies should focus on comprehensive feedback collection from participants. This will help improve the coherence and effectiveness of the activity, leading to better student comprehension of sustainable development concepts and an increased ability to apply these ideas practically.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48509,"journal":{"name":"Education for Chemical Engineers","volume":"51 ","pages":"Pages 9-19"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143373096","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing PFD comprehension for non-majors: An innovative approach using a petrochemical pilot plant","authors":"Byungjun Kim ,&nbsp;Young Duk Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.ece.2024.12.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ece.2024.12.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study developed an innovative PFD education methodology utilizing an actual practical petrochemical plant and analyzed its effectiveness. The educational pilot plant located in Ulsan, South Korea, is used annually by 300 students and 1000 working professionals. It consists of equipment similar to real industrial settings, including storage tanks, heat exchangers, distillation columns, and pumps. The educational program comprises six lectures, where students learn by connecting actual equipment with PFD. Specifically, it is designed to help students understand the functions and principles of key equipment such as storage vessels, pumps, heat exchangers, and distillation columns in direct relation to the state, pressure, temperature, and material balance of substances in the PFD. To evaluate the educational effectiveness, a survey using a 5-point Likert scale was conducted, measuring changes in PFD comprehension, satisfaction with each chapter, and increase in confidence. The research results confirmed that this methodology is effective in significantly improving PFD understanding for non-majors and new employees. This study presents a new paradigm in chemical engineering education that effectively links actual processes with theoretical representations. It is expected to contribute to talent development and competitiveness enhancement in the chemical process industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48509,"journal":{"name":"Education for Chemical Engineers","volume":"50 ","pages":"Pages 32-41"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143144186","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Online preparation for enhanced practice, confidence and learning, in chemical engineering experimental laboratories","authors":"Daniel Orejon ,&nbsp;Hannah Linden ,&nbsp;Ignacio Tudela ,&nbsp;Tayebeh Ameri ,&nbsp;Glen McHale","doi":"10.1016/j.ece.2024.12.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ece.2024.12.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Experimentation and/or learning by doing, where students apply and secure concepts gained in other concurrent courses, are an essential intrinsic component to any engineering discipline in higher education. Moreover, practical skills in chemical engineering are important for the formation and development of our students as well as being within the (Institution of Chemical Engineers) IChemE accreditation requirements. To cope with the restricted access to the university laboratories at the University of Edinburgh (UoE) during the academic year 2020–21 (AY20/21) caused by the COVID-19 lockdown, the different Chemical Engineering courses with laboratory components at the UoE made use of a wide range of digital tools including videos, quizzes, assignments, etc. to provide the necessary and relevant learning environment and ensure students could follow the different experimentations online as if they were in the lab. The quality and quantity of digital material and resources created motivated a subsequent development of a detailed step-by-step interactive online preparation experience prior to current in-person laboratory sessions. During this online preparation, students are guided through the introduction, experimental apparatus, risk assessment, start-up and shut-down via videos and videos embedded with quizzes, interactive activities such as fill in the blank and mix and match, as well as assignment submissions. The aims of the online preparation are three-fold: 1. provide the students with a more engaging and interactive mode of deepening their understanding on the experiment to be tackled; 2. furnish the student with a higher level of confidence and preparation prior the actual in-person experimentation; and 3. ensure students prepare and submit the necessary risk assessment before the laboratory session as expected by the IChemE. Overall, an enhancement in the students’ satisfaction when compared to other traditional preparation modes, such as making use of the laboratory manual, is reported. In particular, a 140 % increase in the confidence and practice are highlighted with an 80 % improvement in securing fundamentals, when compared to no preparation or the sole use of the laboratory manual. The better confidence and understanding prior to the laboratory session also played a role on the enjoyable and rewarding of such hands-on experimentation with the consequent better practical preparation of future professional engineers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48509,"journal":{"name":"Education for Chemical Engineers","volume":"50 ","pages":"Pages 59-71"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143144189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Embracing the efficient learning of complex distillation by enhancing flipped classroom with tech-assisted gamification","authors":"Claudia Roman,&nbsp;Miguel Ángel Delgado,&nbsp;Moisés García-Morales","doi":"10.1016/j.ece.2024.11.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ece.2024.11.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Our students are digital natives and smartphones are part of their identity. However, the use of mobile devices in the classroom continues to be a non-integrated issue. For academic purposes, teaching actions involving smartphone apps expressly linked to student participation could be an opportunity to improve their performance. Under this premise, the use of the Quizizz app as a way of enhancing the flipped classroom methodology is herein proposed. The reported experience took place within a mass transfer separation course, at the Master level, during the academic courses 2021–22 and 2022–23. Enhanced distillation, a topic that is instrumental to future professionals in the field of Chemical Engineering, was addressed. It was found that the proposed approach allowed the students to better interpret the vapor-liquid and vapor-liquid-liquid phase equilibrium diagrams. Hence, the students demonstrated more skilled performance when they were asked to propose suited separation schemes (complex fractional distillation) using the Aspen Plus process simulator. Such success was not only in terms of deeper understanding but also on the observed predisposition towards autonomous learning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48509,"journal":{"name":"Education for Chemical Engineers","volume":"50 ","pages":"Pages 14-24"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142703465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Simplifying the calculation of residual properties using numerical methods","authors":"Sebastián Bonanni,&nbsp;Tomás Melloni,&nbsp;J. Pablo Tomba","doi":"10.1016/j.ece.2024.12.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ece.2024.12.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The calculation of thermodynamic properties using Residual properties (Rp) is a key element in Chemical Engineering curricula. Traditionally, the derivation of Rp involves solving analytical expressions through partial differentiation and integration of generalized thermodynamics equations combined with specific equations of state (EoS). This method is mathematically demanding, increasing cognitive load and often limiting classroom discussions to simpler EoS for which analytical solutions are readily available in textbooks. To enhance student engagement and reduce the time spent on complex derivations, we propose a simplified approach that numerically evaluates Rp using standard software tools. This approach not only minimizes the mathematical effort, allowing students to focus on thermodynamic concepts, but also extends the applicability to more complex EoS that are not covered in textbooks. By significantly reducing the instructional time required for Rp calculations, this method fosters critical thinking, promotes autonomy, and can be applied to other fundamental thermodynamics topics that traditionally rely on analytical expressions, such as multicomponent solution models.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48509,"journal":{"name":"Education for Chemical Engineers","volume":"50 ","pages":"Pages 25-31"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143144185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Teaching practice on a compact desktop experimental system to enable facile hands-on learning of residence time distribution","authors":"Yao Mu ,&nbsp;Yuxin Chen ,&nbsp;Jiahe Fan ,&nbsp;Yuting Wu ,&nbsp;Yi Yan ,&nbsp;Shiteng Wang ,&nbsp;Yi Cheng","doi":"10.1016/j.ece.2024.12.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ece.2024.12.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To enhance student learning outcomes during the teaching of residence time distribution (RTD) theory, a compact open-source desktop RTD measurement device has been constructed for chemical reaction engineering (CRE) education. A safe, miniature CO₂ cylinder serves as the fluid source, and ambient air, which is easily collected <em>in situ</em>, functions as the tracer gas. A Raspberry Pi®–based portable thermal conductivity detector (TCD) is employed as the detector, achieving RTD measurements with sufficient resolution. Low-cost PTFE tubes and put-in fitting connectors are used to easily construct different forms of reactor models for RTD experiments. The total cost of the experimental materials is approximately $200. During teaching practice, students are encouraged to construct the experimental device by themselves, measure RTDs for specified and self-designed reactors, and address a reactor diagnosis problem. The experiment does not require a laboratory setting, allowing students to conduct it at their convenience, anytime and anywhere. Through engaging and practical hands-on learning, students achieve comprehensive educational outcomes. In summary, the desktop RTD measurement device and the associated experimental contents represent an innovative approach in CRE education, addressing the evolving need to train modern chemical engineers with multifaceted capabilities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48509,"journal":{"name":"Education for Chemical Engineers","volume":"50 ","pages":"Pages 53-58"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143144187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}