Collaborative Approach for Teaching Chemical Process Design

Abstract

A collaborative approach has been successfully used to teach the senior process design course in the Chemical Engineering program at UNB since 2010. Every design project in the course is sponsored by an outside client. Two teams of four or five students are assigned to each project. The teams work independently and are co-mentored by a faculty member and a practicing engineer. This collaborative approach brings engineering practice in the classroom while keeping faculty members in control of academic requirements. Eight evenly-spaced milestones pace students and co-mentors by defining the tasks that need to be accomplished, by setting the marking scheme for the deliverables and by providing a framework for the progressive assembly of a high-quality final report. Our approach has increased the number of faculty members interested in design activities and allows students to contribute to the local economy while becoming proficient in engineering design. Comments received from students, clients and co-mentors have been highly positive.