학술논문

Developing a 'Revolution': Design Challenges in a Chemical Engineering Department
Document Type
Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Author
Madalyn Wilson-FetrowVanessa Svihla (ORCID 0000-0003-4342-6178); Abhaya K. Datye (ORCID 0000-0002-7126-8659); Jamie R. Gomez (ORCID 0000-0001-9109-9138); Eva ChiSang M. Han
Source
International Journal of Designs for Learning. 2024 15(1):38-55.
Subject
Undergraduate Study
Chemical Engineering
Design
Curriculum Development
Curriculum Implementation
Educational Improvement
Teaching Methods
Learning Activities
College Faculty
Undergraduate Students
Cooperative Planning
Core Curriculum
Experiential Learning
Language
English
ISSN
2159-449X
Abstract
Engineering is fundamentally about design, yet many undergraduate programs offer limited opportunities for students to learn to design. This design case reports on a grant-funded effort to revolutionize how chemical engineering is taught. Prior to this effort, our chemical engineering program was like many, offering core courses primarily taught through lectures and problem sets. While some faculty referenced examples, students had few opportunities to construct and apply what they were learning. Spearheaded by a team that included the department chair, a learning scientist, a teaching-intensive faculty member, and faculty heavily engaged with the undergraduate program, we developed and implemented design challenges in core chemical engineering courses. We began by co-designing with students and faculty, initially focusing on the first two chemical engineering courses students take. We then developed templates and strategies that supported other faculty-student teams to expand the approach into more courses. Across seven years of data collection and iterative refinements, we developed a framework that offers guidance as we continue to support new faculty in threading design challenges through core content-focused courses. We share insights from our process that supported us in navigating through challenging questions and concerns.