Implementation Grant: Transforming the Educational Experience of Transfer Students in Chemical Engineering using a Multi-Dimensional Spiral Curriculum

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Intellectual MeritThis department level reform project will transform the educational experience of undergraduate students in Chemical Engineering by the development and implementation of a "multidimensional spiral curriculum". The central thesis underlying the proposed initiative is that an engineering curriculum needs to be more than an aggregate of individual courses but rather a coherent and continuous program of study that transforms a student into a professional capable of integrating core concepts in a specific discipline for the synthesis, analysis, and design of a product or process of societal value. For students who transfer from two-year community colleges this outcome is particularly difficult via the predominant, traditional sequential model with its emphasis on a linear sequence of courses and gradual spacing over a four year program. Therefore, this implementation focuses on chemical engineering transfer students with the intention of extending it on a wider basis in future.The proposed project adapts the "spiral curriculum model" (sometimes called incremental learning approach) where a set of interlinked and basic ideas are presented in a repetitive manner exposing the student to higher level of sophistication and greater depth in each of the interlinked concepts. The spiral curriculum focuses on introducing higher cognitive content with progress along the upward spiral path of learning the subject. The iterative revisiting of concepts at increasing levels of complexity promotes curricular integration in a structured, yet simple manner. The novel model proposed here uses three interlocking spiral paths to deliver a pedagogically sound, student-centered curriculum that allows integration of core chemical engineering courses, incorporation of traditional and new technological applications, and threading of process and product design concepts over the complete curriculum.Broad ImpactThe project has the potential for significant broad impact on undergraduate engineering education as community college transfers are an important constituency at public and state-supported institutions. Nearly half of the engineering majors start as transfer students and significant fractions (40-60%) of minority and women college students go through community colleges. Transforming the learning experience for the transfer students will impact the recruitment and retention in engineering, particularly the underrepresented groups. The methodology and tools developed will be broadly applicable and can be generalized, first to non-transfer students and then to other disciplines of engineering.