Agile process systems engineering education:What to teach, and how to teach

peer reviewedThis paper investigates the current and future trends in the teaching of Process Systems Engineering (PSE) topics, addressing what should be taught and how these topics should be taught effectively in a classroom setting. It addresses which key PSE topics should constitute the core requirement of chemical engineering education and which application areas should be included. We surveyed existing courses on novel aspects of PSE applications, as well as polling PSE stakeholders to ascertain their opinion of what is taught and the degree to which graduates skills match their expectations. Existing gaps and interesting prospects have been revealed by the surveys leading to suggestions for the future. The second part of the contribution addresses how best the PSE content should be taught, so that our graduates are equipped to effectively apply their knowledge, given the availability of teaching technologies and the time available to effectively educate our students

Assessing Group Project for Fluids Power and Advanced Fluid Mechanics Paper

CONTEXT The Fluids Power and Advanced Fluid Mechanics paper is a Level 7 paper for the Bachelor of Engineering and Technology following Sydney accord. Its graduate attributes are set by the accrediting body, Engineering New Zealand. One key attribute is to: “Function effectively as an individual, and as a member or leader in diverse teams” It is a challenge to teach and assess this attribute in a group project setting. We have designed a project-based class and assessment for this paper to enable students to learn and work in a team-based setting solving real-world problems, using modern Engineering CAD tools. We investigate how this graduate attribute may be effectively taught and assessed when students are functioning as part of a team. PURPOSE OR GOAL The main purpose of this study is to investigate how to teach and assess, as accurately as possible and in a way that does not increase monitoring costs on the part of instructors, the contribution of each student as an individual and as a member or leader their diverse project team. APPROACH OR METHODOLOGY/METHODS This paper investigates teaching and assessment of group participation and demonstration of the graduate attribute both in the classroom, and in a group project context. First, the design of a small intensive Project-Based Learning (PjBL) class is described, and the process by which this design allows the instructor to foster directly participation and contribution towards the group’s deliverable is characterised. Then, a PjBL assignment is described, and the means by which an instructor can clearly assess the level of intra-group interaction and team-based contribution to the assignment is constructed. ACTUAL OR ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES Both cases demonstrate how an instructor can effectively teach and accurately assess group participation without relying on measures of self- and peer- assessment of others’ work. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS/SUMMARY The cases described in this paper challenge perceptions that teaching and accurate assessment of students’ participation in group work must entail more work on the part of the instructor. PjBL teaching classes are an excellent place to foster and develop teamwork skills. Furthermore, students’ fears can be allayed that group projects are inadequate reflections of students’ learning if most of the work is done by one student: it turns out students perform poorly at presenting or understanding their team members’ work. This does however also challenge the theory that group assignments result in students’ understanding the value of teamwork since less than half the class could effectively describe what their fellow team members had done. This suggests PjBL classes may be a better place to foster such teamwork

Assessing Group Project for Fluids Power and Advanced Fluid Mechanics Paper

The Fluids Power and Advanced Fluid Mechanics paper is a Level 7 paper for the Bachelor of Engineering and Technology following Sydney accord. Its graduate attributes are set by the accrediting body, Engineering New Zealand. One key attribute is to: “Function effectively as an individual, and as a member or leader in diverse teams” It is a challenge to teach and assess this attribute in a group project setting. We have designed a project-based class and assessment for this paper to enable students to learn and work in a team-based setting solving real-world problems, using modern Engineering CAD tools. We investigate how this graduate attribute may be effectively taught and assessed when students are functioning as part of a team. PURPOSE OR GOAL The main purpose of this study is to investigate how to teach and assess, as accurately as possible and in a way that does not increase monitoring costs on the part of instructors, the contribution of each student as an individual and as a member or leader their diverse project team. APPROACH OR METHODOLOGY/METHODS This paper investigates teaching and assessment of group participation and demonstration of the graduate attribute both in the classroom, and in a group project context. First, the design of a small intensive Project-Based Learning (PjBL) class is described, and the process by which this design allows the instructor to foster directly participation and contribution towards the group’s deliverable is characterised. Then, a PjBL assignment is described, and the means by which an instructor can clearly assess the level of intra-group interaction and team-based contribution to the assignment is constructed. ACTUAL OR ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES Both cases demonstrate how an instructor can effectively teach and accurately assess group participation without relying on measures of self- and peer- assessment of others’ work. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS/SUMMARY The cases described in this paper challenge perceptions that teaching and accurate assessment of students’ participation in group work must entail more work on the part of the instructor. PjBL teaching classes are an excellent place to foster and develop teamwork skills. Furthermore, students’ fears can be allayed that group projects are inadequate reflections of students’ learning if most of the work is done by one student: it turns out students perform poorly at presenting or understanding their team members’ work. This does however also challenge the theory that group assignments result in students’ understanding the value of teamwork since less than half the class could effectively describe what their fellow team members had done. This suggests PjBL classes may be a better place to foster such teamwork

Track 2 GK-12: Sensors!

This proposal describes a Track 2 project developed by the University of Maine in collaboration with several Maine public school systems in urban, suburban, and rural communities to capitalize upon UMaine\u27s interdisciplinary, state-of-the-art sensor science and engineering resources to establish strong partnerships with middle and high schools, benefiting GK-12 fellows, teachers, middle and high school students, senior personnel, and business and community stakeholders. Focusing on sensor science and engineering, the PI, Dr. Vetelino is carefully integrating NSF RET, GK-12, REU, and IGERT programs, reaching students from middle school through the Ph.D. The synergy among the PI\u27s education and research programs provides a national model on how to effectively integrate an emerging interdisciplinary research area such as sensors with education, particularly within a rural and economically depressed region

A Needs Based Approach to Teaching and Learning of English for Engineering Purposes

The objective of this study was to assess the English language needs of learners of engineering colleges of Orissa.The main purpose was to examine the current English syllabus of different engineering colleges of Orissa and to study how effectively they have been implemented at the classroom level. It also attempted to find out how language skills along with life-skills can be learnt effectively by engineering students for proper utilization by them in real life situations.The study attempted to answer the following questions: First, is there a gap existing between the present English language syllabi in engineering colleges and students’ academic and professional needs? Second, is there a need to modify and revise the present English language course so that it meets the engineering students’ needs to apply it in real-life situations? The study involved 770 students and 63 teachers of 20 engineering colleges located in different regions of the state. The tools used for data collection comprised of questionnaire survey among students and teachers. After validating the validity and reliability of the research instruments, the questionnaire survey was conducted among students of 2nd, 4th and 6th semester Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) students and the teachers’ survey was conducted at a workshop conducted by the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT), the only technological university in the state which has around 100 engineering and management colleges affiliated to it. The survey was also conducted among students of other government run autonomous colleges and also at National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, and an institute of national importance. The survey was conducted during the academic year 2008-2009

A Lesson Plan for Partnerships: Insights from Leading STEM Nonprofits

In 2013, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation conducted research to better understand partnerships between corporations and nonprofits. The research, which was conducted through its Corporate Citizenship Center (CCC), looked at a specific set of nonprofit organizations. Each organization works to improve education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), and all received grants from the Department of Education's Investing in Innovation Fund.The goal of the research was to discover two things: (1) how leading nonprofits effectively partner with corporations, and (2) how nonprofits measure their success and share it with corporate donors. While STEM nonprofits were chosen for this study, the findings in this paper may apply to other types of nonprofit relationships

Development and evaluation of open-ended learning activities to support chemical engineering students' development

There are myriad challenges in developing a stimulating yet supportive curriculum in many subject areas, and recent shifts in course entry demographics and employer expectations have made this especially challenging in chemical engineering. As a discipline, there has been a gender shift in recent years towards greater women student representation at undergraduate level and an increase in global industry sector demand for chemical engineering graduates. This has raised issues of inclusion, to allow women students to participate equally in learning activities and wider opportunities, as well as those of graduate skills development, tempered by reports from the Confederation of Business Industry, which indicate that employers are dissatisfied with the skill sets offered by graduates.;This work sets out to address these concerns through evaluation of active learning and makes recommendations regarding integrated learning, where group work is used to develop students' professional competencies in tandem with their transferable skills. Engineering education has developed over the years to include many instances of group based working that focusses on problem based learning, however, the full extent of the impact that this may have on students' development is little understood or studied. This thesis explores the role of problem-based learning in facilitating students' engagement with specific components of a chemical engineering degree within UK Higher Education, including surveys of staff and student perceptions of group working and skills development, statistical evaluation of student attainment and appraisal of course (re)design.;Despite significant group work and problem based learning focussed on developing openended working, teaching staff identified issues with students' abilities to deal with such problems in chemical engineering and to accept open-endedness itself. By identifying openendedness as a threshold concept, it has been possible to study the impact that the timeline of teaching has on student development and achievement. This work presents a strategy for vertical alignment of teaching within the chemical engineering degree to support student development and foster student confidence and autonomy.;Within this context, the use of group working is key and the thesis also investigates the role of tutors within this educational framework and how such activities impact on the inclusion of women in engineering subjects. Additional work to redevelop early years teaching to address the identified threshold concept and, specifically, its role in the capstone design project is reported and students' perceptions of skills development has been investigated to understand the impact that working in such an environment has on the transferable skill sets of these cohorts.;The insights gained show that tutor supported problem based learning can be key in nurturing critical evaluation skills in students, often requiring them to explain their reasoning and work with unknown quantities. The role of women students in group working changes with their increased awareness of social expectations to adapt to normalised views of women's roles; this happens early in their University career and sets working parameters for the remainder of their degrees, so addresses the early imbalance in role assignment that may be observed. The successful incorporation of problem based learning activities in early years helps students overcome the liminality that results from open-ended working, with wider impact, beyond the classroom, in providing advanced skill sets and working practices that will enhance employability.;Students demonstrate increased engagement, mitigated stress, bolstered confidence and reduced confusion, while student retention is also improved. By surveying current students and graduates, a link between experiential practice and high skills confidence is observed; hence, it is recommended that students are encouraged to reflect on their learning experiences and that integrated learning be promoted to develop all skills effectively. The work also indicates that using problem based learning in early year classes, to underpin advanced project working in later years, is worthy of consideration for chemical engineering teaching as well as the wider engineering discipline.There are myriad challenges in developing a stimulating yet supportive curriculum in many subject areas, and recent shifts in course entry demographics and employer expectations have made this especially challenging in chemical engineering. As a discipline, there has been a gender shift in recent years towards greater women student representation at undergraduate level and an increase in global industry sector demand for chemical engineering graduates. This has raised issues of inclusion, to allow women students to participate equally in learning activities and wider opportunities, as well as those of graduate skills development, tempered by reports from the Confederation of Business Industry, which indicate that employers are dissatisfied with the skill sets offered by graduates.;This work sets out to address these concerns through evaluation of active learning and makes recommendations regarding integrated learning, where group work is used to develop students' professional competencies in tandem with their transferable skills. Engineering education has developed over the years to include many instances of group based working that focusses on problem based learning, however, the full extent of the impact that this may have on students' development is little understood or studied. This thesis explores the role of problem-based learning in facilitating students' engagement with specific components of a chemical engineering degree within UK Higher Education, including surveys of staff and student perceptions of group working and skills development, statistical evaluation of student attainment and appraisal of course (re)design.;Despite significant group work and problem based learning focussed on developing openended working, teaching staff identified issues with students' abilities to deal with such problems in chemical engineering and to accept open-endedness itself. By identifying openendedness as a threshold concept, it has been possible to study the impact that the timeline of teaching has on student development and achievement. This work presents a strategy for vertical alignment of teaching within the chemical engineering degree to support student development and foster student confidence and autonomy.;Within this context, the use of group working is key and the thesis also investigates the role of tutors within this educational framework and how such activities impact on the inclusion of women in engineering subjects. Additional work to redevelop early years teaching to address the identified threshold concept and, specifically, its role in the capstone design project is reported and students' perceptions of skills development has been investigated to understand the impact that working in such an environment has on the transferable skill sets of these cohorts.;The insights gained show that tutor supported problem based learning can be key in nurturing critical evaluation skills in students, often requiring them to explain their reasoning and work with unknown quantities. The role of women students in group working changes with their increased awareness of social expectations to adapt to normalised views of women's roles; this happens early in their University career and sets working parameters for the remainder of their degrees, so addresses the early imbalance in role assignment that may be observed. The successful incorporation of problem based learning activities in early years helps students overcome the liminality that results from open-ended working, with wider impact, beyond the classroom, in providing advanced skill sets and working practices that will enhance employability.;Students demonstrate increased engagement, mitigated stress, bolstered confidence and reduced confusion, while student retention is also improved. By surveying current students and graduates, a link between experiential practice and high skills confidence is observed; hence, it is recommended that students are encouraged to reflect on their learning experiences and that integrated learning be promoted to develop all skills effectively. The work also indicates that using problem based learning in early year classes, to underpin advanced project working in later years, is worthy of consideration for chemical engineering teaching as well as the wider engineering discipline

Female High School Biology Students\u27 Biofilm -Focused Learning: the Contributions of Three Instructional Strategies to Patterns in Understanding and Motivation.

This exploratory study examined three instructional strategies used with female high school biology students. The relative contributions of the strategies to student understanding of microbiology and motivation in science were analyzed. The science education community targeted underachievement in science by implementing changes in content and practices (NRC, 1996). Research suggested that teachers facilitate learnirig environments based on human constructivism (Mintzes, Wandersee, & Novak, 1997) that is rooted in meaningful learning theory (Ausubel, Novak & Hanesian, 1978). Teachers were advised to use both visual and verbal instructional strategies (Paivio, 1983) and encourage students to construct understandings by connecting new experiences to prior knowledge. The American Society for Microbiology supports the study of microorganisms because of their prominence in the biosphere (ASK 1997). In this study, two participating teachers taught selected microbiology concepts while focused on the cutting edge science of biofilms. Biology students accessed digitized biofilm images on an ASM web page and adapted them into products, communicated with biofilm researchers, and adapted a professional-quality instructional video for cross-age teaching. The study revealed improvements in understanding as evidenced on a written test; however, differences in learnirig outcomes were not significant. Other data, including student journal reflections, observations of student interactions, and student clinical interviews indicate that students were engaged in cutting edge science and adapted biofilm images in ways that increased understanding of microbiology (with respect to both science content and as a way of knowing) and motivation. An ASM CD-ROM of the images did not effectively enhance learning and this study provides insights into what could make it more successful. It also identifies why, in most cases, students\u27 E-mail communication with biofilm researchers was unsuccessful. The positive experiences of successful students indicate that teacher management could maximize the benefits of experiencing cutting edge science this way. Cutting edge science can be used to make science more relevant to students, enhance science learning, and insure a more scientifically literate society. Cross-age teachers effectively adapted an instructional video, communicated science, and increased their understanding of selected microbiology concepts and self-confidence. They also increased or maintained their motivation to study science