A capstone laboratory course on separations, reactions and control operations

This work describes current teaching methodologies applied in the Unit Operations Laboratories (UOL) at the National University of Colombia (UNAL) Bogota campus, with emphasis in the capstone course of Laboratory of Separations, Reactions and Control Operations (LSRCO). This class is carried out using a wide variety of pilot and bench scale equipment within a ∼ 1000 m² laboratory facilities. The description of the course includes the context where it was developed, its goals and the intended student outcomes. Problem-based methodologies deployed during laboratory sessions are described, and required preparatory and final reporting materials together with examples of projects conceived and developed by students are described. The lasts are related to process control, separations, reaction engineering and entire process design problems. Additionally, course evaluation and grading scheme is presented including student surveys and final grades from recent semesters. Finally, tools, rubrics and results from the assessment of ABET’s student outcomes are summarized. Based upon the obtained results, it was observed that the working and evaluation methodologies have been well received by students, and besides improving technical competences, those have been effective to enhance their core skills and to promote the development of a research and entrepreneurial attitude.