Research Initiation - Developing Professional Identity: Integrating Academic and Workplace Competencies within Engineering Programs

化学工程教育需要一种新的教育方法，与行业期望的演变和扩展相适应，通过纳入来自几个领域的关键要素：制药，可再生能源，生物技术，纳米技术，核工程，食品和消费品等。鉴于化学工程在这些领域的影响，执业化学工程师预计将在这些广泛的领域技术知识，并在沟通和领导能力熟练。然而，典型的化学工程本科核心课程并没有适应由化学工业所包含的多种需求的学生做好准备。大多数课程都是内容驱动的，基于经典问题，这使得整合新兴工业实例和实践具有挑战性。沟通技巧和团队合作经验主要在高级课程中获得。许多现有的教师有有限的工业经验，他们没有充分意识到紧急的，实际的问题和应用程序来自新的行业。工业中使用的许多标准软件在大学里是不可用的，更广泛的化学工业需求也没有纳入课程内容。因此，学生的积极性和/或参与度较低，迷失在内容驱动的学习中，同时错过了概念的大局和应用。因此，他们往往难以认同这一职业，毕业时还没有准备好就业。该项目考察了一个独特的经验，其中学生，教师，行业综合社区将被创建，以弥合行业需求和化学工程本科课程内开发的能力之间的差距。该项目将调查旨在影响专业身份形成和促进行业相关能力的多种活动的效果。从研究中获得的知识和见解将有助于工程项目分析行业参与的重要方面，实施的可行性以及对学生成绩和教师专业学习的影响。研究结果将使工程教育工作者能够提高下一代的技能，并更好地为劳动力做好准备。该项目旨在将学术和工业工作场所的能力整合到工程项目中。行业专业人士和工程教育工作者将共同努力，提供应用指导和基础驱动的教育。在大二课程中实施该方法，化学工程课程的第一门课程之一，该项目将考虑：（a）课堂上的工业文化化过程，（B）教师和工业培训师的协同教学和指导，以及（c）学生与行业专业人士的互动。在项目期间，学生的工程身份和自我效能将通过调查，访谈和其他工具进行监测。这项研究的结果将导致更好地了解有效的工程教育模式和方法，为工程师的专业形成。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

Chemical engineering education needs a new educational approach commensurate with the evolution and expansion of industry expectations via inclusion of key elements from several fields: pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, biotechnology, nanotechnology, nuclear engineering, and food and consumer products, among others. Given the impact of chemical engineering in these areas, practicing chemical engineers are expected to be technically knowledgeable in these broad areas and also skilled in communication and leadership. However, the typical chemical engineering undergraduate core curriculum has not adapted to prepare students for the multiple needs encompassed by the chemical industry. Most courses are content-driven and based on classical problems, making it challenging to integrate emerging industrial examples and practices. Communication skills and teamwork experience are mainly gained in senior level courses. Many current faculty members have limited industrial experience, and they are not fully aware of emergent, practical problems and applications derived from new industries. Much of the standard software used in industry is not available at universities, and broader chemical industry needs are not incorporated into course content. As a result, students are less motivated and/or engaged, get lost in content-driven learning while missing the big picture and applications of the concepts. They therefore often struggle to identify with the profession and are not ready for the workforce when they graduate. This project examines a unique experience in which a student-faculty-industry integrated community will be created to bridge the gap between industry needs and the competencies developed within chemical engineering undergraduate programs. This project will investigate the effects of multiple activities designed to impact professional identity formation and promote industry-related competencies. Knowledge and insights gained from the research will help engineering programs to analyze important aspects of industry engagements, the feasibility of implementation and impact on student outcomes and faculty professional learning. The results will allow engineering educators to improve the next generation’s skillset and better prepare them for the workforce. The project aims to integrate academic and industrial workplace competencies within engineering programs. Industry professionals and engineering educators will work together to deliver application-guided and fundamentals-driven education. Implementing the method in a sophomore course, one of the first courses in chemical engineering curriculum, the project will consider: (a) the industrial enculturation process in the classroom, (b) synergistic instruction and mentoring by faculty and industrial trainers, and (c) student interaction with industry professionals. During the project, students’ engineering identity and self-efficacy will be monitored via surveys, interviews and other tools. The result of this study will lead to better understanding of effective engineering education models and methods for the professional formation of engineers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.