Ideas to Consider for New Chemical Engineering Educators: Part 2 (Courses Offered Later in the Curriculum)

Abstract

Chemical engineering faculty members, whether they are new to the profession or experienced educators, are often asked to teach a core course that they have not taught before. Many instructors would like to take the time required to come up with some new ideas to revolutionize the course in ways that engage students and maximize learning. The realities of the responsibilities of a faculty position often pose a significant challenge to accomplishing this goal, especially for young faculty. To aid in achieving the goal of improved quality of instruction in chemical engineering core courses, this paper summarizes the authors’ selection of the most effective, innovative approaches reported recently in the literature or discussed at previous conferences for chemical engineering courses that appear later in the curriculum. Much of this material was initially presented at the 2007 ASEE Summer School for Chemical Engineering Faculty. The challenges associated with particular courses and solutions successfully applied to address those challenges are also described. Courses covered in this paper include solution thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer, kinetics and reactor design, process control, and senior design.