Curriculum reform is a key topic in the engineering education literature, but much of this discussion proceeds with little engagement with the impact of the local context in which the programme resides. This article thus seeks to understand the influence of local contextual dynamics on curriculum reform in engineering education. The empirical…

Examines first-year chemical engineering students' conceptions of the energy changes taking place in dissolution. Students were individually interviewed and transcripts (n=17) were analyzed using a phenomenographic methodology. The phenomenographic category explanations given by students were used as the basis for developing an approach to…

Presents a research project in which the nature and extent of the misunderstanding of moles is quantified. Outlines a design and the implementation of a set of activities to promote conceptual change in this area. (CCM)

Concerns a second-year chemical engineering course in which recommendations such as reducing content coverage, promoting active learning in the classroom, and using assessment methods that require students to demonstrate a high level of understanding and ability were adopted. Presents an in-depth investigation into the influence of the course…

Describes an Introduction to Chemical Engineering course with particular reference to the development, use, and evaluation of four simple experiments centered around the fundamental principles of heat transfer, mass transfer, reaction kinetics, and momentum transfer. (WRM)