Conference Session

Chemical Engineering Education: Upperclass Years

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa Bullard, North Carolina State University; David Ollis, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

Professional Development Buffet: From Banquet to À La CarteAbstractBoth ABET and industrial advisory boards encourage engineering departments to includeinstruction in “soft skills” that reflect the broader professional qualities necessary for studentsuccess in their careers. These include oral and written communication, ethics and professionalbehavior, resume and interviewing skills, electronic and professional etiquette, informationliteracy, and broader knowledge of engineering solutions in a global or societal context. Whilesome departments dedicate one or more instructional credits to accomplish this objective, othersmay integrate such topics into existing core courses. This paper presents a one-credit model fora junior-level course in professional

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering Education: Underclass Years

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa Bullard, North Carolina State University; Donald Visco, Tennessee Technological University; David Silverstein, University of Kentucky; Jason Keith, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

culture: • Chemical engineering courses aimed at retention – (a departmental stakeholder cultural decision) • Bringing communication, soft skills, etc. into ChE curriculum (a departmental stakeholder decision) • The use of active learning and other ways to improve retention (if faculty members embrace these teaching concepts, they can modify the culture so that the students feel more engaged in the learning process and take ownership of their own learning). • The development of novel curriculum approaches and/or department level involvement (a departmental stakeholder cultural decision)Each of these classifications will now be discussed. In many cases, the concept ofretention is linked to an

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering Education: Upperclass Years

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa Bullard, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

traditionallecture content as well as a capstone project. Academic content typically includesflowsheet synthesis and development, process simulation, process economics, andequipment design/heuristics. Depending on the background of the instructor and whetherthe course is one or two semesters, a laundry list of additional topics might includesustainability and “green design” concepts,1 process safety, 2 Good ManufacturingPractice, Six Sigma,3 optimization,4 selecting materials of construction, reading P&ID’s,heat exchanger network or reactor network synthesis, environmental regulations,engineering ethics, batch scheduling, and product design.5 Senior design is also the lastopportunity to reinforce “soft skills” such as teamwork6,7 and communication.8