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.     

Professional design of chemical plants based on problem-based learning on a pilot plant

This work describes a novel teaching methodology and its application in a subject framed in the last course of the master’s degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Seville. The main aim consists of promoting a way to facilitate professional practice in this field to the students. Authors also aim at guiding the transition to the new learning requirements demanded by the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).The novel methodology is based on the development of a detailed design of a pilot plant that can be further evaluated by the students themselves. Students are also allowed to run experiments at the facility and carry out several standard tests to verify the quality of the results of their works. The novelty of this proposal consists of incorporating a real installation available in our department to drive new learning methodologies applied in Chemical Engineering curricula. The methodology is distributed across several tasks: training (self-learning), project execution and supervision, comparison with a real installation and pilot plant experiences. The application of the proposed teaching methodology provided quality didactic material production, high satisfaction of the students with the new learning approach and the fact that they gained practical experience at industrial scale.     

Spreadsheets for assisting Transport Phenomena Laboratory experiences

Academic laboratories have been traditionally used for complementing and reinforcing in a practical way the theoretical instruction received in classroom lectures. However, data processing and model evaluation tasks are time consuming and do not add much value to the student's learning experience as they reduce available time for result analysis, critical thinking and report writing skills development. Therefore, this project addressed this issue by selecting three experiences of the Transport Phenomena Laboratory, namely: metallic bar temperature profiles, transient heat conduction and fixed and fluidised bed behaviour, and developed a spreadsheet for each one of them. These spreadsheets, without demanding programming skills, easily process experimental data sets, evaluate complex analytical and numerical models and correlations, not formerly considered and, convey results in tables and plots. Chemical engineering students that tested the spreadsheets were surveyed and expressed the added value of the sheets, being user-friendly, helped them to fulfil lab objectives by reducing their workload and, allowed them to complete deeper analyses that instructors could not request before, as they were able to quickly evaluate, compare and validate different model assumptions and correlations. Students also provided valuable suggestions for improving the spreadsheet experience. Through these sheets, students’ lab learning experience was updated.     

传递课程教学刍议

本文介绍了传递教学中把握课程的抽象特征、数学特征和方法论特征的一些体会,以及对传质教学内容改革方面的分析与尝试。强化对课程特征的认识,可以使学生理解课程内容的实用性,掌握化工过程建模的思路。     

联系教学法在化学教学中的探讨与应用

本文提出了联系教学法,并阐述联系教学法在化学教学中的实际应用：在进行重要概念、定律和基本原理等的教学的同时,适当联系概念、定律或原理的产生、发展及实际应用,增强学生的感性认识,提高学生的学习兴趣;将化学知识置于学生的整个知识结构中,并使之系统化;联系前沿知识动态为培养学生的创新能力奠定基础。     

汽车排气催化转化器中的现象分析

催化转化器己广泛用于汽车排放控制,深入了解其中发生的现象对改进催化剂和转化器的设计以及建立合理的转化器模型都具有重要意义。本文分析了整装催化转化器中发生的现象,其中主要物理、化学过程包括传热、传质、气流分布、化学动力学过程、储放氧和催化剂中毒等。     

PBl教学法在电化学工程专业化学电源工艺学教学中的应用

PBL教学法（problem-based learning,PBL）是以问题为基础,以学生为中心,培养学生自学能力,发展学生综合思考能力和解决实际问题能力的教学法。它强调学生同时发展高层次的思维方式、掌握知识基本概念和实践能力。本方法让学生面对的是实际状况下的问题,学生自己就是解决问题的主角。结合桂林工学院电化学工程专业化学电源工艺学课程教学的现状,文章探讨了如何利用PBL等教学法提高教学质量,提高电化学工程专业学生对本课程的学习兴趣。     

物理化学实验教学改革及其仿真设计课件的开发

文章介绍了国内外物理化学实验教学改革的方向和目标,主要是培养学生的综合能力及创新意识。简述了物理化学实验仿真设计课件开发的意义、在开发过程中存在的问题以及国内外的开发现状。该课件的开发,有利于拓展物理化学实验教学模式,并为学生了解所有物理化学实验装置及操作提供了条件,也为物理化学实验网络教学提供了方便。     

高职化工专业英语教学探析

在高职化工专业英语教学中,学生普遍存在词汇和句子结构方面的困难。而通过系统总结科技英语文体的语言特点,不仅能帮助学生有意识地解决这些困难,还能提高学生的英语语言应用能力,深化学生专业英语的学习。在教学实践中,可将这部分内容安排在课程进度的前半部分,可取得良好的教学效果。     

建筑用反射隔热涂料的研究现状

将反射隔热涂料涂覆在建筑表面可以达到良好的节能降耗作用,但大规模地推广还受到开发盲点较多、实际应用存在缺陷等问题的限制.本文结合相关文献,分析了反射隔热涂料的研究背景、配方设计和实际应用.结果可为当前反射隔热涂料的开发及应用难点提供解决方案,并为今后反射隔热涂料的研究提供理论参考.     

“异常实验设计法”在校准曲线法教学中的应用初探

实验中的异常现象能引起学生的关注、激发学习兴趣，如果通过“异常实验设计”使实验异常现象常态化，即人为地有意地设计实验，使实验出现受设计者控制的但明显不合理的实验结果，让学生自主地认识到实验中不应出现的错误，进而用形象直观的方法使学生从“不合理”理解“合理”，提高了教学效果。     

以《仪器分析》教学改革为契机,培养学生创新能力

仪器分析是一门实践性很强的化学学科,在培养大学生综合素质和创新能力方面具有非常重要的作用.本文以<仪器分析>教学改革为契机,优化教师队伍,丰富教学方式,提高教学质量;更新教学内容,跟进科技前沿,关注发展应用;强化实验操作,增加综合设计实验,激发创新意识,着力培养大学生创新能力.     

Modelling of the auto-ignition angle in diesel HCCI engines through D-optimal design

The HCCI (Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition) process is one of the most promising combustion processes developed to reduce pollutant emissions from automotive vehicles. However, there are practical difficulties concerning the control of the onset of ignition, and thus the availability of simple models which allows to simulate the auto-ignition phenomena may be very interesting for the development of new HCCI engines. In this work, the onset of ignition in a HCCI engine and the auto-ignition angle were modelled (OAM and AAM respectively) through experimental plans based on the D-optimal criterion. The experimental values were obtained by using the chemical kinetic code CHEMKIN together with an appropriate diesel fuel surrogate. The models developed have an acceptable goodness-of-fit and predictive capability (differences lower than 3 CAD were obtained between modelled and real auto-ignition angles for all the cases). The relative fuel/oxidant ratio and the intake temperature were the most significant engine parameters affecting the onset of auto-ignition, while the intake temperature and pressure appear as the most important parameters determining the auto-ignition angle. These models could be used by the Engine Control Unit (ECU) as an on-board diagnostic technique to control the HCCI combustion in real time. The optimal engine parameters for five specific operating conditions (chosen to cover the most common light duty diesel vehicles operating modes) were also calculated by using the above mentioned models (OAM and AAM) and by solving two non-linear optimization problems. To achieve optimization, a desirability function was defined. The optimization methodology proposed can be used to obtain the optimum engine parameters, which are used by the ECU, matching different vehicle requirements.     

分析化学教学改革探讨

为了让学生掌握分析化学的基本理论,培养严谨的科学态度和独立分析和解决实际问题的能力,树立"量"的概念,我们分析了分析化学教学中存在的主要问题,并针对存在的问题对分析化学的教学内容、方法、手段进行了改革。     

Evaluating the problem-solving skills of graduating chemical engineering students

Research has shown that engineering students may not be learning to solve the kinds of complex problems they will be required to solve as practicing engineers (“authentic problems”). Though it is widely believed that we teach engineering problem-solving throughout the undergraduate chemical engineering curriculum, this has not been tested. In this study we use a new instrument for measuring the authentic problem-solving skills of graduating seniors in chemical engineering at two different universities in the context of chemical process design. We find large variations across different areas of process design problem solving as to how expert-like students are in general, and variations between the two institutions. Students were able to identify the same safety issues as experts, but they were conspicuously “nonexpert” in other areas, such as in identifying the important features of a design problem. By examining the respective curricula at the two institutions, we are able to show how the variations both within and across institutions in the specific problem-solving skills students master matches with the practice they get during their undergraduate careers. The results imply that more thoroughly integrating practice in authentic design and problem-solving decisions into the undergraduate curriculum would result in students graduating with capabilities more comparable to those of skilled engineers.     

波谱解析教学的体会

在多年教学的基础上,文章总结了波谱解析教学的体会：在内容上,紧抓四大谱的各自特点,强调综合运用;在方法上,以多媒体为手段,运用联想教学法,串联波谱特点和规律,加强波谱数据的记忆,并结合解析运用,构成了完整的学习波谱解析的面,使学生达到能独立完成药物波谱解析的目的。     

过程装备制造工艺教学探讨

过程装备制造工艺是过程装备与控制工程专业的一门专业课,其特点是实践性和综合性强,学生缺乏感性认识,普遍容易感到抽象。采用多媒体计算机辅助教学方式,将抽象的知识变为形象化,使学生能在较短的时间里学好知识,掌握知识;加强实践环节,增加学生的感性认识;积极推进课程网站的建设,实现师生互动交流;以实际工程案例组织教学,提高学生的学习兴趣;建立学科兴趣小组,激发创新精神,通过这些措施的实施,提高过程装各制造工艺的教学效果,把教学提高到一个新的层次。     

应用型和创新型化工人才培养的双结合模式研究

通过对往届毕业生和在校大三学生问卷调查结果的统计分析与归纳总结,总结了教学计划的实施情况和毕业生工作的体会,了解了目前教学过程中存在的影响学生应用能力和创新能力的因素,本文提出了化工类人才培养计划的完善意见和培养中的一些具体方法,论证了双结合的培养模式是两种化工人才培养的必要保证。     

Incorporating life cycle assessment and ecodesign tools for green chemical engineering: A case study of competences and learning outcomes assessment

Chemical engineers assume a broad range of roles in industry, spanning the development of new process designs, the maintenance and optimization of complex systems, and the production of intermediate materials, final products and new technologies. The technical aptitude that enables chemical engineers to fulfill these various roles along the value chain makes them compelling participants in the environmental assessment of the product in question. Therefore, the introduction of life cycle assessment (LCA) and ecodesign concepts into the chemical engineering curriculum is essential to help these future professionals to face design problems with a holistic view of the technical, economic, social and environmental impacts of their solutions. The teaching of these and other disciplines by means of student-centered methods, based on a holistic structure, have demonstrated better teamwork and communication skills. For that reason, this paper proposes a Micro (Assess-Analyze-Act) (M-3A) model of assessment mainly focused on closing the loop of the learning activities. This model has been applied to an ecodesign case study of the “University master’s Degree in chemical engineering” of the University of Cantabria/University of the Basque Country, with positive feedback of the students. They felt that the approach has allowed them to utilize their analytical skills in quantifying a situation before applying other subjective measures, and that the public discussion of the results was a satisfactory element for improving their communication skills. Moreover, the students found that the workload was nicely adjusted, highlighting the acquisition of 4 competences preferentially: teamwork, creativity; relevance of environmental issues and initiative and entrepreneurship. Finally, the students suggest that the application of this methodology into their degree could motivate future students improving their performance.     

药用基础实验化学考核方案的实践与探索

在药学类专业的实验教学中,药用基础实验化学是学生所必须掌握的专业基础实践课,是提高学生动手能力,培养创新、应用和技术型人才的重要手段。文章结合我校药用基础实验化学教学改革实践,从考核内容、考核方式和成绩评定标准等方面对考核方案提出合理的建议。