Conference Session

The Latest in Improving Learning in ChE Students

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Zollars, Washington State University; Christopher Hundhausen, Washington State University; Jonathan Brown, Washington State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

AC 2008-1886: DEVELOPING A SOFTWARE ENVIRONMENT FOR VISUALLEARNING IN INTRODUCTORY CHEMICAL ENGINEERING CLASSESRichard Zollars, Washington State UniversityChristopher Hundhausen, Washington State UniversityJonathan Brown, Washington State University Jonathan Brown is currently a Ph.D. student in the Computer Science program at Washington State University. Page 13.382.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008Designing a Software Environment for Visual Learning in Introductory Chemical Engineering Classes The material and energy balance class is frequently the “gateway” class inchemical

Conference Session

New Ideas for ChEs I (aka ChE Potpourri)

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jason Keith, Michigan Technological University; David Silverstein, University of Kentucky; Donald Visco, Tennessee Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

includeintroductory courses for freshmen, material and energy balances, fluid mechanics,introductory thermodynamics, and separations.Objectives and MotivationAlthough teaching is a critical mission of any college or university, today’s facultymembers are increasingly becoming involved in other scholarly activities. Thus, whenteaching a new course, developing a good set of instructional materials can be achallenging, time-consuming task. In this paper we provide a review of some of what weconsider the best practices in engineering education, applied to the following courses:freshmen chemical engineering, material and energy balances, fluid mechanics,introductory thermodynamics, and separations. Note that a companion paper whichcovers the upper-level

Conference Session

New Ideas for ChEs I (aka ChE Potpourri)

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jason Keith, Michigan Technological University; H. Scott Fogler, University of Michigan; Valarie Thomas, University of Michigan; Don Chmielewski, Illinois Institute of Technology; Michael Gross, Bucknell University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

): unit conversions, basic engineering calculations, graphing • Fundamentals of Chemical Engineering: material and energy balances in fuel cells and fuel reformers • Transport / Unit Operations 1 (Fluid Mechanics): pressure drop in bipolar plate channels, sizing air compressors for fuel cells, sizing cooling fans for fuel cell systems • Transport / Unit Operations 2 (Heat and Mass Transfer): design of membranes for use in fuel cell vehicles, thermal management, mass transfer through fuel cell electrodes, hydrogen leakage through fuel cell bipolar plates, finite element modeling of mass transfer in fuel cell applications • Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics: theoretical efficiency of fuel

Conference Session

Curricular Developments in Energy Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarma Pisupati, Pennsylvania State University; Yaw Yeboah, Pennsylvania State University, University Park

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

, and management). The first two years of the program are similar to traditional engineering disciplines.Thereafter, one takes a series of courses that introduce Energy Engineering concepts.Fundamental energy engineering principles involve material and energy balances,thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer operations, and physical and chemicalprocessing as applied to energy industries. In addition to these engineering principles, studentsenroll in required courses in renewable/sustainable energy principles. Students will be trained inbasic chemistry of fuels – coal, petroleum, natural gas and biomass; combustion; petroleum andnatural gas processing; electrochemical energy conversion; and energy conversion

Conference Session

Student Recruitment and Retention

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa Bullard, North Carolina State University; Richard Felder, North Carolina State University; Dianne Raubenheimer, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

class sections were from 1.3 to 2.7 timeslarger, which would be expected to work to the advantage of the traditionally-taught classes.While more study is needed to firmly establish the quantitative effects of active learning in theintroductory chemical engineering course, the results provide strong motivation for criticalexamination of the pedagogy in gateway courses, particularly with regard to its impact onstudent performance and retention. Page 13.473.7References1. L.G. Bullard and R.M. Felder, “A Student-Centered Approach to Teaching Material and Energy Balances. 1. Course Design.” Chem. Engr. Education, 41(2), 93–100 (2007), ; 2

Conference Session

Novel Courses and Content for ChEs II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Margot Vigeant, Bucknell University; James Maneval, Bucknell University; Michael Prince, Bucknell University; Michael Hanyak, Bucknell University; William Snyder, Bucknell University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

, incorporating economics, process simulation, control, Proceedings of the 2008 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2008, American Society for Engineering Educationtransport, material and energy balances, thermodynamics, safety, and ethics (among otherelements). Due to the scope and scale of these projects, they are generally completedthrough calculation and simulation only.Senior design at Bucknell University is a two-semester sequence composed of two four-credit courses. In this paper, we describe how we moved from the traditional seniordesign sequence, in which both semesters focused on a single simulation-based design ofa styrene plant for a simulated company to one

Conference Session

The Latest in Improving Learning in ChE Students

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Silverstein, University of Kentucky

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

ofKentucky Extended Campus in Paducah were each assigned problems to be solved as a team.One course consisted of a group of 5 sophomores in a material and energy balances class, and theother three students in a senior level engineering economy course. These sample sizes representthe total enrollment in this program at those levels. Students were given pre- and post-assessment surveys, with selected questions common to both surveys. The post-project surveyincluded free-answer questions to illuminate student perceptions of their experience. Just prior tostudents being released to complete their assignments, they were given a 15-minute lesson onhow to function as a team. Prior team training varied by student as indicated in the results section.Students