Integrating Team-Based Design Across the Curriculum at a Large Public University

Authors

  • Kathryn Trenshaw Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 600 South Mathews Avenue Urbana, IL 61801
  • Jerrod Henderson Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 600 South Mathews Avenue Urbana, IL 61801
  • Marina Miletic Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 600 South Mathews Avenue Urbana, IL 61801
  • Edmund Seebauer Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 600 South Mathews Avenue Urbana, IL 61801
  • Ayesha Tillman Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 600 South Mathews Avenue Urbana, IL 61801
  • Troy Vogel Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 600 South Mathews Avenue Urbana, IL 61801

Abstract

Despite high enrollments and budget cutbacks affecting many programs, students still need design experience which prepares them for a globally competitive workforce. We demonstrate that team design projects can be threaded across the curriculum even at large institutions with high departmental student to faculty ratios (∼50:1). We assessed student outcomes with an undergraduate population of nearly 500 students using a mixed-methods approach. Students reported increased confidence in their engineering, design, and teamwork skills after completing the projects. 

Author Biographies

Kathryn Trenshaw, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 600 South Mathews Avenue Urbana, IL 61801

Kathryn F. Trenshaw is a PhD candidate in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and member of iFoundry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her PhD thesis work includes developing a low cost course conversion to increase students’ intrinsic motivation to learn and investigating the climate in engineering for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. 

Jerrod Henderson, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 600 South Mathews Avenue Urbana, IL 61801

Jerrod A. Henderson is a lecturer in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In Unit Operations Laboratory, he has developed inquiry- based teaching modules for senior undergraduate students that emphasize team-building, communication, ethics, professionalism, and safety. Dr. Henderson is committed to mentoring and interfacing with students, student organizations, and campus entities that support engineering and science education. 

Marina Miletic, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 600 South Mathews Avenue Urbana, IL 61801

Dr. Marina Miletic served as a lecturer in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for eight years. She taught senior Process Design and Unit Operations Laboratory and helped establish one of the nations first week-long Chemical Engineering summer camps for girls. She currently works as a freelance Chemical Engineer and Engineering Education Consultant. 

Edmund Seebauer, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 600 South Mathews Avenue Urbana, IL 61801

Edmund G. Seebauer is the James W. Westwater Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engi- neering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and served as department head during 2005-2011. His research focuses on the control of atomic-scale defect behavior in semiconductors. He presently serves as Provost Fellow with a goal to foster partnerships and academic programs in other countries, and to build an international focus to campus strategic planning. He is a fellow of AIChE, AAAS, AVS, and APS. 

Ayesha Tillman, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 600 South Mathews Avenue Urbana, IL 61801

Ayesha S. Tillman is a doctoral candidate in Educational Psychology in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a specialization in evaluation. Her research interests include interdisciplinary STEM education evaluation and the evaluation of large STEM educational programs. Her dissertation topic is using a values-engaged, educative evaluation approach to multi-site STEM program evaluation. 

Troy Vogel, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 600 South Mathews Avenue Urbana, IL 61801

Troy J. Vogel is a lecturer in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He teaches Process Design, a senior level course. In addition to formal teaching, Dr. Vogel acts as the advisor for the Illinois Chapter of AIChE and AIChE’s Chem-E-Car Competition. Dr. Vogel also plays an active role in various summer camps fostering a desire to learn science and engineering in today’s youth. 

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Published

2014-08-01

Issue

Vol. 48 No. 3 (2014): Summer 2014

Section

Manuscripts