World Wide Web-Based Modules for Introduction of Molecular Simulation into the Chemical Engineering Curriculum

最近，化学工程师对高价值产品和工艺的设计要求已经从传统工业的大规模要求转变为当今高科技商品的精细得多的规模特征。目前的化学工程课程并没有让学生做好充分的准备，以面对随着规模转变而出现的挑战。目前，在化学工程课程中，低年级化学课程所教授的分子概念与高年级工程课程所教授的宏观过程之间的联系很少。在本科课程中引入重要的分子模拟概念对于满足新兴技术的设计需求是非常重要的，但由于课程已经很完备，缺乏教学资源和熟悉分子概念的本科教师，这一过程受到了阻碍。作为弥补这些课程缺陷和不协调的重要一步，我们建议开发24个万维网模块，以促进将分子模拟引入化学工程本科课程。这些教学模块将直接整合到化学工程核心本科课程中，为教师和学生提供宏观概念和分子模拟之间的适当链接材料。因为这些模块是基于网络的，它们可以很容易地分发，可以提供到其他相关材料和主题的直接链接，并且可以很容易地被学生和教师使用。它们将提供可视化模拟，说明核心本科课程中的关键概念，并且它们将包含教师材料、基础指导、教程、计算机模拟、学生问题和评估材料。由于这些模块具有视觉学习和探索性学习的能力，因此设计这些模块的目的是为具有各种学习风格的学生提供学习体验（Harb et al. 1993）。这个项目是一个多机构合作的项目，涉及来自9个不同机构的11位化学工程教员。该项目的目标得到了CACHE公司的认可和支持，CACHE公司是一家非营利组织，旨在促进大学、工业和政府之间的合作，为化学工程专业开发和分发与计算机相关的教育材料。

Design requirements for high-value products and processes by chemical engineers have shifted recently from the large-scale requirements of traditional industries to a much finer scale characteristic of today's high-tech commodities. The current chemical engineering curriculum is not adequately preparing students to face the emerging challenges accompanying this shift in scale. There is currently little linkage in the chemical engineering curriculum between the molecular concepts taught in lower division chemistry courses and the macroscopic processes taught in the upper-division engineering curriculum. Introduction of important molecular simulation concepts into the undergraduate curriculum is important to meet design demands of emerging technologies, but it is hampered by an already full curriculum and a lack of teaching resources and undergraduate faculty familiar with molecular concepts. As a major step toward remedying these curriculum deficiencies and incongruities, we propose the development of 24 World-Wide-Web modules that would facilitate introduction of molecular simulation into the chemical engineering undergraduate curriculum. These teaching modules will be integrated directly into the chemical engineering core undergraduate courses, supplying for the instructor and the student the appropriate linkage material between macroscopic concepts and the molecular simulations. Because the modules are web-based, they can be easily distributed, can provide direct links to other related materials and topics, and can be readily used by students and faculty alike. They will provide visual simulations illustrating key concepts in the core undergraduate courses and they will be self-contained with instructor materials, fundamental instruction, a tutorial, computer simulations, student problems, and assessment materials. Because of their capability for visual and exploratory learning, the modules are designed to provide learning experiences for students with a variety of learning styles Harb et al. 1993 . This project is a multi-institutional endeavor involving eleven chemical engineering faculty from nine different institutions. The goals of the project are endorsed and support by CACHE corporation, a non-profit organization that promotes cooperation among universities, industry, and government to develop and distribute computer-related educational materials for the chemical engineering profession.