Active learning in class helps students develop deeper understanding of chemical engineering principles. While the use of multiple-choice ConcepTests is clearly effective, we advocate for including student writing in learning activities as well. In this article, we demonstrate that word clouds can provide a quick analytical technique to assess…

Introductions of computer-aided software and simulators are implemented during the sophomore-year of the chemical engineering (ChE) curriculum at the American University of Sharjah (AUS). Our faculty concurs that software integration within the curriculum is beneficial to our students, as evidenced by the positive feedback received from industry…

A design exercise in chemical engineering is described which is concerned with thermocouples. Physics is the relevant discipline, a point that was made to the students doing the exercise, and accordingly an account of the exercise for the guidance of teachers and lecturers is presented as a contribution to "Physics Education."

A project that involves the numerical simulation of transport phenomena is an excellent method to teach this subject to senior/graduate chemical engineering students. The subject presented here has been used in our senior/graduate course, it concerns the study of natural convection heat transfer between two concentric, horizontal, saturated porous…

Background: This article reports on an analysis of errors that were displayed by students who studied mathematics in Chemical Engineering in derivatives of mostly trigonometric functions. The poor performance of these students triggered this study. The researcher (lecturer) works in a mathematics support programme to enhance students'…

This study used a within-subjects experimental design to compare the effects of learning with lecture and hands-on desktop learning modules (DLMs) in a fluid mechanics and heat transfer class. The hands-on DLM implementation included the use of worksheets and one of two heat exchangers: an evaporative cooling device and a shell and tube heat…

Iron corrosion is a complex process that occurs when iron is exposed to oxygen and humidity and is exacerbated by the presence of chloride ions. The deterioration of iron structures or other components can be costly to society and is usually evaluated by following the properties of the corroding material. Here, the iron ions released into solution…

Roughly half of all doctoral students who begin a program do not continue through graduation, and many of them face significant financial losses and emotional burdens as a result. Although this completion rate has stayed fairly constant for the past few decades, it has recently gained attention on a national level. In 2011, the National Research…

Background: Professional skills are critical in engineering practice. Differing definitions and lack of empirical evidence make it difficult to help students develop these skills. Purpose: This research seeks to understand what it means to have professional skills in an industrially situated capstone project and, by extension, in engineering. We…

This paper presents a project about the chemical elements made by 15-year-old Spanish high school students of Chemistry. It focuses on context-based teaching combined with the advantages of creating a large mural which subsequently is exposed in the school. The project consisted of researching the chemical elements in the different materials that…

We describe a laboratory experiment that employs the Nanoceria Reducing Antioxidant Capacity (or NanoCerac) Assay to introduce students to portable nanoparticle-based paper sensors for rapid analysis and field detection of polyphenol antioxidants. The experiment gives students a hands-on opportunity to utilize nanoparticle chemistry to develop…

This paper explores differences between chemical engineering students and students of other engineering disciplines, as identified by their intended college major. The data used in this analysis was taken from the nationally representative Sustainability and Gender in Engineering (SaGE) survey. Chemical engineering students differ significantly…

Changes in student perceptions to a novel technology-based, active-learning pedagogy using a custom, sophisticated, personal response system called WISE were studied over the first five years it was used. Students tended to view active learning more favorably over time, particularly in regards to statements that required them to be interpretive of…

Practical education in chemical engineering has drawn increasing attention in recent years. This paper discusses two approaches to teaching and learning about experiments among upper-level chemical and pharmaceutical engineering majors in China. On the basis of years of experience in teaching chemical and pharmaceutical engineering, we propose the…

This paper reports on a study carried out at a University of Technology, South Africa, aimed at identifying the existence of the mathematical knowledge gap and evaluating the intervention designed to bridge the knowledge gap amongst students studying first year mathematics at the Chemical Engineering Extended Curriculum Program (ECP). In this…