Cooperative learning in process dynamics & control course for undergraduate chemical engineering students

titute in the country, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) is aggressively encouraging teaching staff to enhance teaching and learning to produce graduates who are relevant in today’s highly competitive world. To achieve this goal, grassroots awareness and training campaign, followed by encouragements are rigorously made. Active learning techniques, especially the Cooperative Learning (CL) and Problem Based Learning (PBL) are currently being promoted across all disciplines as well as levels of studies. This effort which was initiated by a group of enthusiastic teaching staff received a welcome endorsement from the highest level of university administrative key personnel. A special task force called CL-PBL Support Group was then set up to facilitate the promotion of CL and PBL practices across the board. At implementation level, faculty-based core groups were set up and trained to acquire and apply the necessary knowledge and teaching skills pertaining to these active learning approaches. This paper describes strategies and efforts to convince and encourage the implementation of active learning techniques among teaching staff and administrators, especially those in the engineering and engineering-related faculties. Training and support provided to academic staff are also discussed. Finally, factors that influence the success of university-wide implementation will be included

Promoting active learning in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia: A bottom-up, top-down approach

Being a leading technological higher education institute in the country, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) is aggressively encouraging teaching staff to enhance teaching and learning to produce graduates who are relevant in today’s highly competitive world. To achieve this goal, grassroots awareness and training campaign, followed by encouragements are rigorously made. Active learning techniques, especially the Cooperative Learning (CL) and Problem Based Learning (PBL) are currently being promoted across all disciplines as well as levels of studies. This effort which was initiated by a group of enthusiastic teaching staff received a welcome endorsement from the highest level of university administrative key personnel. A special task force called CL-PBL Support Group was then set up to facilitate the promotion of CL and PBL practices across the board. At implementation level, faculty-based core groups were set up and trained to acquire and apply the necessary knowledge and teaching skills pertaining to these active learning approaches. This paper describes strategies and efforts to convince and encourage the implementation of active learning techniques among teaching staff and administrators, especially those in the engineering and engineering-related faculties. Training and support provided to academic staff are also discussed. Finally, factors that influence the success of university-wide implementation will be included

A review on enhancing the teaching and learning of thermodynamics

Thermodynamics is a subject that deals with energy and is one of the most advanced tools for understanding our physical universe. Engineering students’ difficulties in learning thermodynamics occur globally as indicated by the literature. There are various studies reporting on efforts made to overcome the deficiencies and suggestions of teaching approaches to enhance students learning such as blended learning approach, active learning techniques, computer-based instruction, virtual lab – a web-based student learning tool for thermodynamic concept related to multi-staging in compressors and turbines, TESTTM software in design projects and laboratory and so on. This paper presents a review and analysis of the different approaches on supporting students learning of thermodynamics. The criteria for analysis are the characteristics of the learning system, the effectiveness based on students’ performance; the skill developed using the learning system, and students’ feedback

Comparison of product quality estimation of propylene polymerization in loop reactors using artificial neural network models

One of the major challenges in polymerization industry is the lack of online instruments to measure polymer end-used properties such as xylene soluble, particle size distribution and melt flow index (MFI). As an alternative to the online instruments and conventional laboratory tests, these properties can be estimated using model based-soft sensor. This paper presents models for soft sensors to measure MFI in industrial polypropylene loop reactors using artificial neural network (ANN) model, serial hybrid neural network (HNN) model and stacked neural network (SNN) model. All models were developed and simulated in MATLAB. The simulation results of the MFI based on the ANN, HNN, and SNN models were compared and analyzed. The MFI was divided into three grades, which are A (10-12g/10 min), B (12-14g/10 min) and C (14-16 g/10 min). The HNN model is the best model in predicting all range of MFI with the lowest root mean square error (RMSE) value, 0.010848, followed by ANN model (RMSE=0.019366) and SNN model (RMSE=0.059132). The SNN model is the best model when tested with each grade of the MFI. It has shown lowest RMSE value for each type of MFI (0.012072 for MFI A, 0.017527 for MFI B and 0.015287 for MFI C), compared to HNN model (0.014916 for MFI A, 0.041402 for MFI B and 0.046437 for MFI C) and ANN model (0.015156 for MFI A, 0.076682 for MFI B, and 0.037862 for MFI C)

Quality prediction modeling of palm oil refining plant in Malaysia using artificial neural network models

Malaysia is currently one of the biggest producers and exporters of palm oil and palm oil products. In the growth of palm oil industry in Malaysia, quality of the refined oil is a major concern where off-specification products will be rejected thus causing a great loss in profit. In this paper, predictive modeling of refined palm oil quality in one palm oil refining plant in Malaysia is proposed for online quality monitoring purposes. The color of the crude oil, Free Fatty acid (FFA) content, bleaching earth dosage, citric acid dosage, activated carbon dosage, deodorizer pressure and deodorizer temperature were studied in this paper. The industrial palm oil refinery data were used as input and output to the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model. Various trials were examined for training all three ANN models using number of nodes in the hidden layer varying from 10 to 25. All three models were trained and tested reasonably well to predict FFA content, red and yellow color quality of the refined palm oil efficiently with small error. Therefore, the models can be further implemented in palm oil refinery plant as online prediction system

Problem-based learning in facilities planning: a pilot implementation

In Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Problem Based Learning (PBL) is proposed as an alternative to lectures in moulding engineering graduates to acquire attributes that are required to excel in today’s k-economy. To investigate if PBL is viable for undergraduates in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, a pilot implementation of PBL in Facilities Planning, a subject required for final year Mechanical Engineering undergraduates with specialization in Industrial Engineering was executed. With 60 students in the class, the whole syllabus of the subject was covered using three main PBL problems. PBL was conducted with the help of industrial partners: a semiconductor company, and a furniture factory. The outcome of the implementation was highly encouraging. Students were able to illustrate good understanding of the content, while progressively exhibiting maturity in their generic skills, such as communication, team-working, self-directed learning and problem-solving. However, several aspects of the execution can be further improved

From micro to macro levels of practice: a showcase of a SoTL journey within and beyond classroom experiences

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is closely related to a teacher's journey of personal and professional growth, which initially occurs in the classroom. In higher education, where academics are recognised experts in their fields, SoTL activities are critical for translating educational principles into innovative practices that are consistent with the body of knowledge, thus significantly facilitating the learning process of students. When implemented consistently, two components of SoTL - reflective practice and practice dissemination - have the potential to accelerate growth not only at the micro (classroom) level, but also at the meso (institutional) and macro (national and international) levels. This article showcases a SoTL journey that began with a micro level practice in engineering classes and progressed into meso and macro level implementations. Beginning with student-centred learning approaches designed to assist students with classroom engagement, motivation enhancement and contextualised learning during a challenging course, the practice expanded into institutional-level experience-sharing sessions. This resulted in the development of structured training programmes and later, a centre of excellence. SoTL practice at the institutional level paved the way for national and international professional development training. This reflection showcases SoTL implementation at all three levels while demonstrating the potential for growth from one level to another leading to wide-ranging impacts both within and beyond the classroom

Preparing First Year Engineering Students to Become Engineers: The Impact of an “Introduction to Engineering†Course

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effectiveness of the “Introduction to Engineering†(ITE) course in supporting first year engineering students to transition from school to university in preparing them to be good engineers for the 21st century.  To ensure an effective learning environment in the ITE course, the How People Learn (HPL) framework was utilised as a basis for the design of the course.  To determine the suitability and the impact of the course on the first year students, an exploratory qualitative research design was used where the interview data were gathered via interviews on 20 first year Chemical Engineering students at a university in Malaysia at the beginning, the middle and the end of the semester.  Thematic analysis technique was carried out to identify what students had gained throughout the course. From the analysis, three important themes emerged; (i) engineering knowledge; (ii) professional skills; and (iii) attitude. From the analysis of the data, it can be concluded taht the “Introduction to Engineering†course has a positive impact on students’ understanding of engineering, professional skills and attitude, that are essential for higher order thinking skills in preparation for them to be future engineers

Student Perceptions Change in a Chemical Engineering Class using Cooperative Problem Based Learning (CPBL)

AbstractThis paper reports a phenomenological study of a class of third year Chemical Engineering students first experience in undergoing a course using Cooperative Problem Based Learning (CPBL). The main purpose of this study is to understand the students’ perceptions on CPBL in two aspects; (1) the student perceptions and acceptance on the learning approach; and (2) what the students gained from the learning process. The paper illustrates the pattern of perception change among the students and how CPBL affects the students’ mastery of the content knowledge (Process Control), problem-solving, team-working as well as self-esteem. Concurrently, this study also investigates the role played by the lecturer in affecting the students’ perception change. Through classroom observations and interviews for one whole semester, the results are reported in three stages: (1) the beginning; (2) the middle; and (3) the end of the semester. The findings have wider relevance for evaluating student assessments of CPBL in Engineering Education

Enhancing learning through cooperative learning: UTM experience

Lecture-based classes are the predominant teaching method in all levels of education. This teaching style, undoubtedly is able to deliver knowledge to students and produce graduates. However, this teaching technique is usually unable to invoke higher level of cognitive skills. With an ever-growing volume of knowledge that must be covered in engineering education, an alternative technique must be used to enhance learning. Co-operative learning is a proven teaching technique that is able to enhance students’ learning through active learning. This technique has been widely accepted in engineering education in the United States, Europe, United Kingdom and Australia. In UTM, lecturers from different faculties of engineering implement cooperative learning in their classes. The main aim is to induce better retention, in-depth understanding and mastery of knowledge among students. This paper shows how cooperative learning successfully enhance students' learning by looking at the performance of their grades in different engineering classes