Conference Session

Chemical Engineering Education: Upperclass Years

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Turton, West Virginia University; Joseph Shaeiwitz, West Virginia University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

processes follow specific procedures or recipes. Theserecipes may be very specific, as might be the case for a pharmaceutical processes in which strictadherence to good manufacturing practices (GMP) is required for all steps in the production ofthe product. On the other hand, the recipe might be less formalized and involve some “art” as inthe case of producing a batch of special colored glass. An example of a recipe to produce achemical product is shown in Table 1, where only details of the first two steps are given. The keyelements of a recipe are the time required for each step, the equipment used, and the rawmaterials and utilities required. Table 1: An example of a recipe for producing a chemical product2 Step

Conference Session

Contemporary Issues in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jason Keith, Michigan Technological University; Daniel Crowl, Michigan Technological University; David Caspary, Michigan Technological University; Jeffrey Allen, Michigan Technological University; Jeff Naber, Michigan Technological University; Dennis Meng, Michigan Technological University; Abhijit Mukherjee, Michigan Technological University; John Lukowski, Michigan Technological University; Jay Meldrum, Michigan Technological University; Barry Solomon, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

. As such, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 was passed by the 109th Congress1 as Public Law109–58. This bill contained the Spark M. Matsunaga Hydrogen Act of 2005 (cf Sections 801-816)1. One aspect of this bill was to fund the development of university education programs.These programs are described in more detail in the Department of Energy Multi-Year Research,Development, and Demonstration Plan2.Michigan Technological University is receiving federal support under this act, with an emphasison new course development, development of an interdisciplinary minor, and development ofmodules that can be used to supplement the traditional curriculum with information abouthydrogen and fuel cell technology. The focus of this paper is on the courses and

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering Education: Underclass Years

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sundararajan Madihally, Oklahoma State Univ.; Marcus Duffy, Oklahoma State University; Lynn Franzmann, Stillwater; Rebekah Reece, Stillwater; Karen High, Oklahoma State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

disinterest in engineering career by nearly 85% of 8 to 17 oldstudents [1]. A major reason cited by the students is the lack of awareness about engineering.As most students advance through middle school science classes, their attitude toward sciencebecome more negative and their interests decrease most in the seventh grade [2-5]. Thus, themiddle grades are a critical period for students, representing the period most beneficial toprovide engaging academic opportunities. With the increase in demand of qualified engineers,the lack of interest has been thought as future problem. There has been a significant increase in academies and workshops to provide an earlyexposure to engineering, which is recognized as a way to prepare K-12 for

Conference Session

Demonstration and Project Enhancements in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephanie Farrell, Rowan University; Zenaida Otero Gephardt, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

results.Additionally, students learn teamwork skills and oral and written communications by working inteams throughout the semester, preparing frequent technical progress reports, and delivering oralpresentations based on the project.The introduction of statistical experimental design through laboratory experiences in upper levelengineering courses has been addressed previously 1, 2, 3, 4. Ludlow et al.2 address theimportance of the application of statistics as a skill needed by undergraduate engineers andpresent a simple gas chromatography experiment which allows students to develop statisticalskills without being bogged down by a complicated experiment. McCluskey et al. 5 describe asimple experiment that uses a factorial design to determine the best cup of

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

andinstitutionalize a culture of open government.”1 College campuses across the country talk(and act) to “create a culture of sustainability”2, as evidenced by eco-based residentialvillages. W.L. Gore CEO Terri Kelly speaks of creating a culture of “innovation” by“[creating] the right environment where collaboration happens naturally.”3 While it isclear the phrase “creating a culture” is fairly ubiquitous in modern society across variousplatforms, a standard connotation of this phrase is much less so. Accordingly, we definethe term culture in this work to mean “the relationships, interactions, activities, andevents involving the department, its faculty, and its undergraduate students.”As it relates to academia, culture within a department is experienced by

Conference Session

Learning By Doing in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Larry Glasgow, Kansas State University; David Soldan, Kansas State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

consists of a question and actual student response from a recentTransport Phenomena 1 final exam (the student was a junior):Gasoline is being pumped 17 miles through nominal 3-inch, schedule-40 steel pipe at arate of 9500 gal/hr. What horsepower will be required if the pump’s efficiency is about75%? ≠ M/ τ The average velocity in the pipe: > V ≅? ρR 2 4571856 therefore, > V ≅? 2 ? 8.9 x107 ft/s. ρ (0.1278) d >V ≅ τ

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering Education: Underclass Years

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Silverstein, University of Kentucky; Margot Vigeant, Bucknell University; Donald Visco, Tennessee Technological University; Donald Woods, McMaster University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

chemicalengineering courses are taught. The survey is now conducted by the AIChE Education Division.This year’s survey focuses on the freshman engineering courses and details how freshmen areintroduced to engineering, what topics are taught, in what environment they are taught, and howthey are assessed. Teaching methods and novel approaches are focus elements of this survey.While the survey focuses on courses specific to chemical engineers, innovative teaching methodsin general introduction to engineering courses are included as well.1. IntroductionThe former Education Projects Committee of AIChE conducted a series of surveys and studies ofhow chemical engineering is taught across Canada and the United States between 1957 and 1994.The topics covered by those

Conference Session

Learning By Doing in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shannon O'Brien, Manhattan College; J.Patrick Abulencia, Manhattan College

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

dissecting problems in this manner,through cognition of underlying principles and patterns used in working towards a solution.To this end, two student populations with similar GPAs were assessed over consecutive years.The first group (Group 1) participated in the standard curriculum, while the second group (Group2) participated in the standard curriculum with the addition of the Reverse Engineeringassignment. This assignment was executed between the second and third exams of the semester.To establish the “pretreatment” condition, scores from the second exam were compared betweenboth groups. Statistical hypothesis testing indicate that there is no significant difference betweenthem (i.e. Group #1 mean = 78.32, while Group #2 mean = 81.94). In

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering in Silico

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Charles Nippert, Widener University; Byung-Hwan Um, Widener University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

“Engineering Techniques”.“Engineering Techniques” is a freshman engineering course offered each fall semester and takenby all engineering students. This course is an introductory course designed to acquaint freshmenwith the fundamental concepts of various disciplines of engineering. Engineering Techniques isa 2 credit hour course consisting of 1 one hour lecture per week and one 2 hour laboratoryperiod. The laboratory experiments are drawn from the various engineering disciplines. As anintroductory course, it is essential that the level of difficulty of the experiment and the analysis ofthe results be appropriate for the academic level of the students. That is, some students enrolledin the course are taking pre calculus.The experiments in Engineering

Conference Session

SPECIAL SESSION: Interdisciplinary Course Design Opportunities for Chemical Engineers

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William J. Kelly, Villanova University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

instructors were in attendance at most/all of the classroom sessions, to promoteand maximize interdisciplinary information exchange and discussion.Evaluation of student performanceThe grading for the course is shown in the following Table 1 % of total Grade Class participation 15 Quiz (Exam) #1 20 Quiz (Exam) #2 20 Mid-semester Project - oral presentation 15 Final Project - oral presentation 10 --- - Report 20

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering in Silico

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Debra Gilbuena, Oregon State University; Ben Uriel Sherrett, Oregon State University; Milo Koretsky, Oregon State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

22.139.2Technology reported in 1997 that significant investment needed to be made in understandinglearning and supporting the development of best practices. In supporting best practices, thereport emphasized the need for large-scale studies to determine best practices and provideinformation on generalizability.1 The Interagency Education Research Initiative, formed inresponse to that report, was created to support research and develop a knowledge base to“support the development, testing, and implementation of scalable and sustainable interventionsto improve teaching and learning, particularly through the use of technology.”2 Additionally,funding agencies like the National Science Foundation (NSF) require a “broader impact”component in all grant proposals.3

Conference Session

Focus on Capstone Experiences in the Chemical Engineering Curriculum

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel Lepek, The Cooper Union; Richard J. Stock, Cooper Union

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

biological and biomedical applications of chemical engineering. Page 22.157.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2011 Alternative Lab Reports – Engineering Effective CommunicationIntroductionFor many chemical engineering undergraduate programs, required laboratory sequences allowstudents to experience hands-on applications of chemical engineering principles outside theclassroom. After students have successfully completed their laboratory experiments, their resultsare analyzed and typically written up as a classic laboratory report [1-2]. In addition, prior totaking their chemical

Conference Session

Impact of the Gulf Coast Oil Spill on Chemical Engineering Education & Misc.

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel Knight, University of Colorado, Boulder; Frances C. Ray-Earle, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado Center for Biorefining & Biofuels (C2B2); Nancy S. Tway, University of Colorado

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

the country.Each goal will be briefly described below:Goal 1: Engage students in fundamental investigations of converting biomass to fuels andchemicals – Upon admission to the REU program, students are matched based on researchinterest to a research project and team at one of the participating institutions. Participants engagein weekly meetings with their respective principal investigator (PI) and research teams. Inaddition to working with a principal investigator, students are matched with a mentor graduatestudent or postdoctoral researcher that can provide guidance on everything from the researchproject execution and equipment maintenance to career experience and getting settled into livingarrangements at their summer site. PIs and mentors

Conference Session

Project-Based, Inquiry Guided, and High Performance Learning Environments: Effective Approaches

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lale Yurttas, Texas A&M University; Mahmoud M. El-Halwagi, Texas A&M University; Houssein A. Kheireddine, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

them canreach the target. In the mass-integration exercise, a recycle problem is presented to the students.Data for process streams and units as well as constraints on acceptable recycles are given. As theuser defines the flowrates assigned from the process streams (sources) to the process units(sinks), infeasible solutions are detected and the student’s score is penalized. When a feasiblesolution is finally obtained, the grade is assigned based on the number of trials and the ratio ofthe student’s answer to the optimal value. Figures 1 and 2 are snapshots of the graphical userinterface (GUI) for the mass-integration exercise.Figure 1: Mass integration solution tableFigure 2: Mass integration error messages. In the heat integration exercise, a

Conference Session

Contemporary Issues in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Milo Koretsky, Oregon State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

experience with the world, and views cognitive conflict as astimulus for learning.3 In addition, a social constructivist perspective views the socialinteractions and cultural context in which learning occurs as critical.4 Based on theseperspectives, it is believed that learning is facilitated when students (1) are engaged in solvingreal-world problems, (2) use existing knowledge as a foundation for new knowledge, (3) areimmersed in a community centered classroom culture, and (4) are prompted to usemetacognative skills and strategies.5 The course architecture is designed to match the teachingmodel of Kolb,6,7 and encourage the development of intellectual growth as modeled by Perry, inwhich students’ view of knowledge ascends from dualism, to

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering Education: Upperclass Years

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Randy Lewis, Brigham Young University; Thomas Knotts, Brigham Young University; W. Vincent Wilding, Brigham Young University; William Pitt, Brigham Young University; Morris Argyle, Brigham Young University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

. In 1999, as a response to ABET’s EC2000 criterion, a list of specific competencieswas defined in the Chemical Engineering Program at Brigham Young University that, whentaken together, constituted each Program Outcome. When the competencies were firstdeveloped, it became clear that the level of mastery expected from students varied fromcompetency to competency. Exposure to the material was all that was required for somecompetencies. For others, it was our expectation that students should not graduate withoutdemonstrating a specified level of mastery. The expected level of mastery is intimatelyconnected to the types of practices, assessment, and feedback associated with a givencompetency. Consequently, a mastery level of 0, 1, 2, or 3 was

Conference Session

Contemporary Issues in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patrick Mills, Texas A&M-Kingsville; Anuradha Nagaraj, Texas A&M-Kingsville; Srivenu Seelam, Texas A& M University-kingsville; Ali Pilehvari, Texas A&M University-Kingsville

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

applications ranging from discovery research of new catalysts or materialsto small-scale manufacturing of high value-added products or toxic reagents where point-of-useis preferred over a large scale plant. The ICC module design follows a standardized protocol thatincludes four major sub-components: (1) pre-testing to quantitatively assess existing studentknowledge; (2) a set of topic notes so that students can perform a self-paced on-line review; (3) aseries of exercises and problems that allow the effect of various model parameters to be studiedin a conversational type of mode with graphical output; and (4) post-testing for quantitativeassessment of student knowledge progression for validation of the desired modules outcomes. Amodel library is

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering Education: Underclass Years

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Valerie Young, Ohio University-Athens

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

anEFLC. Also, the strategies resulting in high yields for EFLC participation and course evaluationparticipation should be investigated for marketing and evaluating other retention interventions.Table 1. Math / Chemistry enrollments of Russ College freshmenMath Course All Russ College freshmen Fall Course EnrollmentAlgebra 14 %Pre-Calculus 42 %Calculus I 23 %Calculus II 15 %Other / No Math 5%General Chemistry 52 %Self-reported enrollments of the electronic survey respondents are in similar proportions to thosetypical of all Russ College freshmen (Table 1), suggesting that this small sample is notnecessarily atypical of the population. The electronic survey’s self-reported

Conference Session

Learning By Doing in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Golter, Washington State University; Bernard Van Wie, Washington State University; Gary Brown, Washington State University; David Thiessen, Washington State University; Baba Abdul, Washington State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

group work on an open-ended fluid-flow and heat transferdesign project (such as the design of heated water showers at a local river beach), one period for projectpresentations, and one period for a midterm exam. This approach showed promising results in terms ofstudent engagement and enthusiasm.After the initial success, we determined that it would be necessary to address the issue of laboratoryspace if this pedagogy were to be implemented at other institutions. To this end we developed theDesktop Learning Module (DLM), figure 1 (Golter, Van Wie et al. 2006). The DLMs are a systemconsisting of an approximately one cubic foot base unit and a series of modular cartridges. The baseunit contains pumps, flowmeters, thermocouples, water tanks, and

Conference Session

Demonstration and Project Enhancements in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Baba Abdul, Washington State University; David Thiessen, Washington State University; Gary Brown, Washington State University; Bernard Van Wie, Washington State University; Paul Golter, WSU

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

correlation between technical research and effectiveteaching [1-3], a few studies have found a positive correlation between the two [4]. Astin in hismonumental work reports that research-oriented universities in fact impact negatively on meas-ures of student cognitive and affective development [5]. Astin attributed this to a low prioritygiven to undergraduate teaching at such institutions. This low priority to teaching is also tied tofaculty hiring and reward structure which is heavily skewed towards research output because ofthe dependence of most universities on external research funding [6]. Interestingly, universitiesand community colleges which have teaching as their primary goal are striving for more researchoutput because they too want to

Conference Session

Improving Introductory Experiences in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kevin D. Dahm, Rowan University; Stephanie Farrell, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

of course concepts. Page 24.1405.4Table 1: Response to survey on homework abstracts, administered in Fall 2012. For allquestions, responses were defined as 1=never, 2=almost never, 3=sometimes, 4=frequently,5=always 1 2 3 4 5 Average1. Does the process of explaining to someone 1 3 9 21 13 3.89else how to solve a problem change or enhanceyour own understanding of the problem solution?2. Did writing abstracts for homework solutions 11 12 14 10 0 2.49change or enhance your understanding of whyyou approached the

Conference Session

Design, Creativity and Critical Thinking in the Chemical Engineering Curriculum

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathryn F. Trenshaw, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Troy J. Vogel, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

more successful peers? And what caninstructors and the teams themselves do to mitigate difficulties and avoid complete teambreakdown? To answer these questions, we investigated the engineering teams in a chemicalengineering design capstone course for seniors. We assessed the possibility that the differences,rather than being due to team demographics or GPA discrepancies, were actually due to minutepersonality type differences among team members. We gave students the Myers-Briggs TypeIndicator® (MBTI)1 at the beginning of the course, but did not reveal their types to them so thatthey would not modify their behavior based on that knowledge. Throughout the course, theinstructor kept notes on student interactions during team meetings and

Conference Session

Curriculum Development and Assessment in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Margot A. Vigeant, Bucknell University; David L. Silverstein P.E., University of Kentucky

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

 than  an  in-­‐depth  consideration  of  textbook,  specific  content  coverage,  or  approach  as  with  the  other  surveys.        In  the  survey,  Chairs  were  presented  with  a  list  five  common  over-­‐arching  elective   Page 24.1050.2areas:  Bio-­‐Related;  Materials-­‐Related;  Advanced  Core;  Sustainability;  and  Process-­‐Type,  each  hosting  5-­‐10  typical  course  titles.  The  “typical”  course  titles  were     1  generated  from  an  informal  survey  of

Conference Session

Virtual and Online Learning Tools in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary M. Staehle, Rowan University; Babatunde A Ogunnaike, University of Delaware

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

effect on student learningexperience in PD&C at Rowan University.The Undergraduate Process Dynamics and Control CourseThe Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) stipulates that chemicalengineering graduates are able to “design, analyze, and control physical, chemical, andbiological processes” [1, emphasis added]. These processes are intrinsically dynamic, in the sense thattheir variables are constantly changing with time; yet in most chemical engineering programs,the first and only course that focuses on dynamic behavior is PD&C. In this single course,students are required to develop a wide range of knowledge, abilities, and skills (KAS) coveringboth dynamics and control, such as those defined by Edgar et al. and

Conference Session

Improving Introductory Experiences in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard L. Zollars, Washington State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

implementing a studio-based approach in their material/energy balanceclasses. All eight programs have agreed to make comparisons of the knowledge gained,retention, and student attitudes between a typical class approach and a studio-based approach.Studio-Based LearningStudio-based learning (SBL) techniques have been used in a variety of disciplines, most notablyin architectural education.1 The technique is rooted in a type of constructivist learning theorycalled sociocultural constructivism.2 The studio-based approach typically encompasses four keysteps (see Figure 1). 3 First, students are given complex and meaningful problems for which theyhave to construct solutions. Second, students present their solutions and justifications to theentire class for

Conference Session

Improving Laboratory Education in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew Cooper, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

preview videos – use of recordings of experiment preview lectures in place of in-person preview sessions20  “Classroom Capture” – term referring to providing video and audio of lectures online for student review, a service offered at many universitiesEach of these methods was evaluated during the Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 semesters. Datarecorded for each method included:  Amount of time the method saved for instructor  Monetary cost for use of method  Frequency students actually benefitted from method  Open-ended student comments from end-of-semester course evaluations3. Results3.1. CATME3.1.1. Assigning student engineering teamsTwo of the many challenges of teaching UO courses are (1) initial assignment of

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Laura P. Ford, University of Tulsa

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

American Society for Engineering Education, 2014 Using a Journal Article with Sophomores to Increase Lifelong Learning ConfidenceIntroductionJournal articles are often used in upper-level engineering courses as reference material toencourage students to develop life-long learning skills. How early in the curriculum are journalarticles introduced? This paper presents the results of a study on using a journal article in asophomore-level class.Chemical Engineering Progress often includes articles appropriate for use in sophomore andjunior engineering science classes of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and heat transfer 1-6.These articles use only the concepts covered in the course and include analytical results

Conference Session

"Modular" Learning

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jacqueline Gartner Ph.D., Washington State University; David Finkel, Washington State University; Bernard J. Van Wie, Washington State University; Olusola Adesope, Washington State University-Pullman; Shane A. Brown P.E., Washington State University; Justin William Atkinson

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

. Upon identification and classification utilizing Bloom’s taxonomy andqualitative software analysis, these conceptual difficulties are used to develop a worksheet toaccompany a bends and pipes and a Venturi meter hands-on DLM. A within-design study is thenapplied to a fluid mechanics class, with one group receiving treatment using the hands-onlearning bends and pipes module and the other section receiving treatment with the Venturimeter. In both cases, the untreated group receives traditional lecture as opposed to a hands-onexperience. The timeline of this study can be viewed in Table 1.Table 1: Timeline outlining individual tasks performed for this study. Timeline and Methods Task

Conference Session

Bringing Industrial Applications into the Classroom

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Margot A Vigeant, Bucknell University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

mainstreampopularity of food science shows such as Good Eats and techie food blogs and Pinterestsites. Not only is there general interest in the chemical mechanisms behind “typical”food, but molecular gastronomy as a high-end cooking approach (as seen in thegroundbreaking el Buli and Alinea restaurants) is generating significant interest. Whilethe fraction of chemical engineering graduates going into the food and consumer productssector has held relatively constant at 10-20% for decades (1), at our institution thefraction of our graduates heading into such industry has increased from slightly below thenational average to slightly greater during the past decade. At 15-25% of our graduates,the fraction is comparable to that going into pharmaceutical/bioprocess

Conference Session

Using Communication and Writing Techniques to Improve Student Learning

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mariajose Castellanos, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Joshua A Enszer, University of Maryland Baltimore County

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

practical pieces to relate to.Students’ feedback at the end of the year (2006-2009, 2011) noted disconnects between theoryand real world examples, complaints about the mathematics/equations used throughout thecourse, and finally not enjoying the textbook by Smith and Van Ness[1]. During the Fall semester,2012, we developed a new approach to the course with two goals: 1) students will actively readthe book[2], 2) students will reflect on thermodynamic learning[3] and also self-assess learningtechniques.In previous years, the Thermodynamics class at our University would consist of a typical lecture,followed by solving problems in group format. This semester, class time changed to a readingactivity, followed by a concept clarity feedback, and then