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Session 3613 TS/5

Integration of Aspenplus (and other Computer Tools) into the Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Curriculum

Krishnan K. Chittur, Ph.D. Chemical and Materials Engineering Department University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville, AL 35899 (205) 890 6850 (V), (205) 890 6839 (F) kchittur@che.uah.edu - http://www.eb.uah.edu/~kchittur http://www.eb.uah.edu/che/

Summary

The development of the microprocessor has changed the way we approach undergraduate education. Our students can now be challenged with the solution of problems that are closer to "real" problems because of our ever expanding computing tool box. The implementation of these ideas is not without problems as we (and I am sure many others) have discovered. Effective use of a number of computing tools requires that students develop a more than surface familiarity with those programs. We, at UAH, are addressing this problem by integrating a number of computing tools throughout the curriculum.

At UAH, computing tools such as Fortran and Spreadsheeting have been integrated across the curriculum. What this means is that students in each chemical engineering course are expected to solve homework problems using each of these tools. During the past year, we started using Maple V a Computer Algebra System in many of our courses. Senior students were, till recently introduced to process simulation tools during the senior design courses. The combination of learning a fairly sophisticated program with the demands of learning process design and implementing some of these ideas for their design projects was, in most cases overwhelming. By the time students developed mastery over process simulation software tools, the semester usually drew to a close and the design projects were due for final presentation. We felt that prior experience with simulation tools would have been very beneficial.

UAH’s Office of the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs initiated a Teaching MiniGrant program during the Spring of 1997. This call for proposals was designed to assist faculty members who wished to improve a course, some part of the curriculum or in some other way assist student learning in the university. The idea of developing course material to help Chemical Engineering students with Aspenplus seemed to be appropriate for support under the Teaching MiniGrant program.

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Chittur, K. K. (1998, June), Integration Of Aspenplus (And Other Computer Tools) Into The Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Curriculum Paper presented at 1998 Annual Conference, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/1-2--7220