Design and assessment of a project-based learning in a laboratory for integrating knowledge and improving engineering design skills

Mechanical Design is a subject usually included in Chemical Engineering Degrees. In this work, we present the application of a project-based learning to the lab in two different engineering degrees, in of one the most time-consuming and difficult subjects of their programs. These two degrees, Mechanical and Chemical engineering degrees, were selected in order to compare the learning outcomes and satisfaction with the activity in the degree more related to mechanical concepts and the Chemical engineering degree. Moreover, to enhance students’ enthusiasm and motivation, these sessions included an innovative manufacturing technology, 3D printing, and digital image correlation (DIC). Before each practical session, the students are encouraged to watch an online video with the fundamental aspects. In order to assess the success of this methodology, after finishing the lab sessions, the students answered a non-formal quantitative survey. The results showed that the proposed project-based learning had the ability to help integrating the knowledge and improve the skills included in the main competences. Although these results are encouraging, there are still parts of the lab activity that should be improve in order to make the activity less time consuming and the most difficult part being easier for the students.     

A successful experience with the flipped classroom in the Transport Phenomena course

Transport Phenomena is a core subject in Chemical Engineering studies. Its fundamentals need significant effort to be understood. Furthermore, students must apply theory to solve practical engineering problems, and it is usually problem resolution which has the largest weight in course assessment. However, due to the high amount of theory that must be covered in Transport Phenomena courses, usually little classroom time is reserved for practice and problem-solving skills are not worked in class. This constitutes a serious misalignment between learning activities, expected outcomes and evaluation. In this article, we propose the flipped classroom as a suitable methodology to solve this issue. As a pilot study, we flipped one unit of the Transport Phenomena course of the Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering. Theory was provided through whiteboard animated video before the classroom sessions. Classroom time was mainly dedicated to participative discussion and problem solving in small groups. Satisfaction questionnaires were used to monitor student perception of learning quality before and after the methodology update. Student judgement on the interest of the subject and the value of the learnt concepts boosted about 20% on average with the flipped classroom. Around 70% of the surveyed students reported that the new methodology increased their motivation and that it helped them to learn both theory and practice. These results indicate that the flipped classroom is suitable for highly-technical classes with a large amount of complex theory, and it helps in the understanding and application of such theory.     

浅谈化工热力学课程中“合理用能”章节的教学体会——以化工单元过程为教学案例的能量分析

本文阐述了化工热力学与化工原理两门课程在能量有效利用方面的内在联系,分析了热力学第一定律在化工原理动量传递中的有关应用;探讨了热力学第二定律在流体流动等单元过程中的应用;并采用热力学方法对化工单元操作过程的经济性进行了分析与讨论。在化工热力学教学中,结合这些知识点的讲授可帮助学生更深层次地理解与掌握化工单元过程的内涵,提高对本课程的学习兴趣,培养学会应用热力学基本原理和方法处理工程实际问题的能力。     

“化工设计”课程的教学改革实践

化工设计课程具有知识面宽,工程实践性强,政策性强,技术性强,经济性强,综合性强的特点。在化工设计课程教学中使用多媒体CAI课件、计算机仿真实验及计算机辅助设计等现代化教学手段,使学生由原来的被动学习变为主动学习。有动于学习思路的拓宽和创造能力的培养,从而提高教与学的效率。     

浅议化工原理教学中学生工程意识的培养

文章根据化工原理课程特点、以及化工原理课程在化工及楣近专业学习中位置及重要性,提出在教学实践中应注意将工程意识贯穿于整个教学过程,注重工程理论、工程问题和解决方法的关联,从各方面构建、强化、提升学生的工程意识,对培养学生的工程观念和工程能力是非常重要的。     

化工实训课的教学体会和改进措施

化工实训课是一门工科专业技术基础课程,是自然科学领域的实验课程向工程科学的专业课过渡的桥梁。根据化工实训的教学内容,针对实训教学现状,介绍了教学过程中个人的体会,并且为提高化工原理实训教学的质量,提出一些改进措施,从而实现了在教学中充分发挥学生的主观能动性,提高学生对实训课程的兴趣。     

化工原理教学感悟

化工原理是化工类专业以及相近专业的一门专业基础课,在基础化学与化工专业课之间起着桥梁的作用。文章从培养学生的工程意识、注重传递过程的相似性原则、利用好实践性环节等方面．探讨了一些教学体会。     

在化工专业新生中开设工程导论课程的探索与实践

分析了低年级大学生学习积极性不高的原因,阐述了在工科专业低年级开设工程导论课程的必要性,从课程内容、教学组织形式、教学反馈等方面介绍了我校在化工专业一年级学生中开设工程导论课程的探索与实践。工程导论课程对学生工程意识和专业兴趣的培养起到了积极推动作用。     

Contextualized project-based learning for training chemical engineers in graphic expression

This paper describes the planning of a computer-aided design (CAD) laboratory for training chemical engineers in graphic expression. The CAD laboratory was organised into four projects following a project-based learning method. Flipped classroom and contextualised learning were used to motivate the students and promote meaningful learning. The laboratory mainly focused on engaging the students by replicating 2D and 3D plans of common industrial engineering equipment and piping and instrumentation diagrams of industrial facilities. Two surveys carried out before and after the course showed that the student’s perception of their graphic expression skills significantly increased. Gender differences were observed in self-perceived graphic expression skills, particularly in spatial vision. The results showed considerable overall satisfaction with the method, scoring a value of 4.1 ± 0.9 in the Likert scale (maximum 5). Most of the students obtained a score higher than 8 in the CAD laboratory, showing their acquisition of specific competences. The results encouraged us to apply this method to subsequent courses and to extend training in graphic expression to other subjects in the chemical engineering degree. The method followed here can easily be extrapolated to other engineering disciplines.     

浅谈提高学生化工原理学习效果

化工原理是化工类各专业的技术基础课,在基础课与专业课之间起着承前启后、由理及工的桥梁作用。化工原理的学习效果与后续专业课程的学习密切相关。笔者结合自己的教学,从理论教学、实验教学、课程设计三个方面探讨如何提高学生的学习效果。     

高职《化工原理》课程的项目化改革及实践

本文以应用化工技术专业《化工原理》课程为例进行有意义的项目化改造的探索和实践。以学生为主体,重在培养能力,使学生由要我学转变为我要学,极大程度上提高了学生的学习主动性和专业技术能力。     

反应工程基础教学的实施及“后疫情”时代教学的思考

化学工程是利用化学、物理、数学、生物和经济学等原理有效实现物质和能量的转化及利用的工程科学。化学反应机理的研究和反应器的优化设计是化学工程的核心,因此反应工程基础是化学工程专业本科生的重要核心课之一。文章回顾了反应工程学科的历史贡献和发展历程,介绍了清华大学化工系近15年来的反应工程本科教学,并结合2020年新冠肺炎疫情期间网络教学的实践,探讨了“后疫情”时代线上线下混合式教学的发展趋势。     

Viability of outcome-based education in teaching English as second language to chemical engineering learners

Outcome-based Education (OBE) is a student-directed learning system that enables learner autonomy, skill development, and life-long learning. Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) has started implementing OBE in her affiliated engineering institutions at the undergraduate level, being a full signatory of the Washington Accord in 2017. PEC has made it obligatory for all institutions offering engineering degree programs to implement OBE at the undergraduate level. In this regard, the present study investigated the prospects of OBE implementation in the English as Second Language learning classroom of Chemical Engineering students. A quasi-experimental method was adopted to analyze the effectiveness of OBE in ESL learning. A group of 29 students were taught through traditional pedagogy in the first half of the semester and were provided treatment over the second half. Pretest and post-test were conducted to examine the learners’ outcomes for the ESL course for chemical engineering students. The teachers’ beliefs were recorded through semi-structured interviews regarding the prospects and potential challenges to OBE in Pakistan. The quasi-experiment results showed a rise in the students' course learning outcome in the content and skills. The teachers highlighted several challenges to OBE in Pakistan, including lack of training for non-engineering faculty, teachers’ and students’ reluctance to shift to student-centered mode, institutional dictation regarding teaching and assessment, and large classrooms. This work suggests teacher training of non-engineering courses and adopting a unified learning management system.     

化工原理课程教学方法的研究

化工原理是化学工程与工艺专业以及相近专业的一门专业基础课,在基础化学与化工专业课之间起着桥梁的作用。本文从激发学生的兴趣,采用合理的教学手段以及加强实践环节等几方面着手,研究了化工原理的教学方法。     

基于应用型化工专业化工原理的教与学

从化工原理教与学的角度出发,探究应用型化工专业人才培养过程中专业教师应有的授课思想、方法、手段,以及学生的任务、目的和态度问题。     

基于CDIO教育理念的化工设计课程改革与实践

本文剖析了化工设计教学中存在的问题,从本校实际出发,阐述基于CDIO教学理念的化工设计课程的教学改革和实践,提出了教学改革的具体措施。实践表明,CDIO模式以化工产品或过程设计为导向的工程教育,做中学,学中做,建立起了以往化工工科教育中缺乏的工程价值观,激发了学生的学习兴趣,转变了其学习态度,全方位培养了学生在现代工业生产中赖以生存和成长的团队精神、交流能力、创新能力和多学科、大系统掌控能力,形成了化工设计课程鲜明的特色和优势,促进了化工专业教学质量的提高。     

化工原理理论教学的改革

化工原理是一门直接服务于化工生产第一线的课程。从认识实习中发现问题,激发学习兴趣,并利用各种教学手段培养学生解决问题的方法,将复杂的理论简单化,并通过方法和过程的讲解潜移默化教会学生解决工程问题的基本方法,培养学生的工程观念和创新思维。     

结合重庆化工产业实际 深化化工工艺学教学改革

《化学工艺学》的课程目标是使学生综合运用前面课程所学知识,科学地分析和解决生产中实际工艺问题。它是培养化工专业学生的创新意识和创新能力的重要课程。结合重庆市化工产业发展循环经济实际,依托重庆市天然气化工技术创新战略联盟,走产学研相结合的道路,改革教学内容和教学方法,充实和完善《化工工艺学》教学内容,提高了学生学习的积极性和主动性。     

浅谈化工设计课程教学改革

化工设计是化工专业培养学生工程能力的一门核心专业课程。本文主要从课程定位、师资力量、学生情况、工程环境及其它情况五个方面探讨了当前化工设计课程教学存在的问题,并结合自己的观点提出了一些解决措施,以期本文对于从事化工设计教学工作人员有一定的参考价值。     

Integration of the structured development of communication skills within a chemical engineering curriculum at the University of Adelaide

Communication skills are among the most important attributes for engineering graduates, and yet Australian employers are often dissatisfied with the level of communication skills demonstrated by graduate engineers. In recognition of the importance of communication skills, an engineering communication curriculum is fully integrated into two undergraduate courses in the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Adelaide. The structured development of fundamental engineering communication skills in two Professional Practice courses (Levels I and II) is a collaboration between lecturers from the School of Chemical Engineering and the Faculty’s Engineering Communication Unit. The integration at Level I (Professional Practice I) is the focus of this paper.The success of the integration has been sustained in every Professional Practice I cohort from 2009 to 2016. Improvement is evident in the communication skills of almost every individual student, particularly for those students who enter the course with low-level skills. The wide spectrum of communication abilities, and some initial resistance from students to a focus on communication skills within an engineering course have been effectively addressed with a number of strategies. Limited success has been achieved with intervention in contributions to group reports by students with low-level skills.