Work in Progress: Promotion of Growth Mindset in Introductory Mass and Energy Balance Course in Chemical Engineering

Nagma Zerin; Sakul Ratanalert

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: Chemical Engineering Division (ChED) Technical Session 5: Work-in-Progress Part 2
Tagged Division: Chemical Engineering Division (ChED)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 5
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44336
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/44336
Download Count: 133

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Paper Authors

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Nagma Zerin Johns Hopkins University

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Dr. Zerin is a Lecturer in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChemBE) department at Johns Hopkins University. She was born and brought up in Bangladesh. She completed her Bachelor's and Master's in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo in Canada and her Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University. Her current research interests include understanding the mindset of engineering students and creating an inclusive classroom.

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Sakul Ratanalert Johns Hopkins University orcid.org/0000-0002-1766-807X

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Sakul Ratanalert joined the faculty of the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department at Johns Hopkins University in August 2018. He received his BS in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Cornell University, and his MS in Chemical Engineering Practice and his PhD in Chemical Engineering from MIT.

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Abstract

Having a growth mindset is crucial for successfully designing and implementing a process as a chemical engineer. Innovative design is iterative, requiring continuous learning and improvement as well as consistent effort after setbacks without succumbing to self-doubt, which are the hallmarks of a growth mindset. Interestingly, the chemical engineering curriculum, in general, does not have any initiative to develop a growth mindset in undergraduate students. It would significantly benefit the students in their future professional careers if they get trained from the beginning of their education. Additionally, it could be helpful to motivate those students who underperform or drop out of the chemical engineering major by incorrectly believing they are not “smart enough”. Students who come from less privileged backgrounds tend to have a fixed mindset, which could be accountable to structural inequality. Thus, facilitating the development of growth mindset in chemical engineering education would also aid in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the major. We are currently conducting a growth mindset intervention study in the introductory mass and energy balance course, which is taught in both Fall and Spring. The study has been developed based on the mindset theory proposed by Dr. Carol Dweck. We have chosen the Fall 2022 semester to be the control group (without any intervention) and the Spring 2023 semester to be the intervention group. The control group is participating in a survey this Fall semester, where responses are being collected using a 6-point Likert scale. In Spring 2023, the interventions would be included in the course structure as part of the weekly group session, homework problems, and exams. The intervention group will participate in the same survey as the control group. Our final goal is to statistically compare the mindset scores between the control and the intervention groups and assess the effectiveness of the applied interventions. We are particularly curious to analyze the effect of the students’ demographic background on their mindset. We would like to present our work in a regular session.

Citation
Format

Zerin, N., & Ratanalert, S. (2023, June), Work in Progress: Promotion of Growth Mindset in Introductory Mass and Energy Balance Course in Chemical Engineering Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--44336

TY - CPAPER
AB - Having a growth mindset is crucial for successfully designing and implementing a process as a chemical engineer. Innovative design is iterative, requiring continuous learning and improvement as well as consistent effort after setbacks without succumbing to self-doubt, which are the hallmarks of a growth mindset. Interestingly, the chemical engineering curriculum, in general, does not have any initiative to develop a growth mindset in undergraduate students. It would significantly benefit the students in their future professional careers if they get trained from the beginning of their education. Additionally, it could be helpful to motivate those students who underperform or drop out of the chemical engineering major by incorrectly believing they are not “smart enough”. Students who come from less privileged backgrounds tend to have a fixed mindset, which could be accountable to structural inequality. Thus, facilitating the development of growth mindset in chemical engineering education would also aid in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the major. We are currently conducting a growth mindset intervention study in the introductory mass and energy balance course, which is taught in both Fall and Spring. The study has been developed based on the mindset theory proposed by Dr. Carol Dweck. We have chosen the Fall 2022 semester to be the control group (without any intervention) and the Spring 2023 semester to be the intervention group. The control group is participating in a survey this Fall semester, where responses are being collected using a 6-point Likert scale. In Spring 2023, the interventions would be included in the course structure as part of the weekly group session, homework problems, and exams. The intervention group will participate in the same survey as the control group. Our final goal is to statistically compare the mindset scores between the control and the intervention groups and assess the effectiveness of the applied interventions. We are particularly curious to analyze the effect of the students’ demographic background on their mindset. We would like to present our work in a regular session.
AU - Nagma Zerin
AU - Sakul Ratanalert
CY - Baltimore , Maryland
DA - 2023/06/25
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Work in Progress: Promotion of Growth Mindset in Introductory Mass and Energy Balance Course in Chemical Engineering
UR - https://peer.asee.org/44336
DO - 10.18260/1-2--44336
ER -