Curriculum Revitalization in Chemical Engineering

提案编号：0230655校长：阿姆斯特朗，罗伯特机构名称：马萨诸塞州理工学院标题：课程振兴化学工程摘要化学工程学科在过去的四十年里发生了巨大的变化，但核心课程只经历了微小的变化。1960年左右开始于化学工程的工程科学范式仍然主导着整个领域的核心课程和主要教育文本。这一范式对我们很有帮助;事实上，它使化学工程成为一门中心工程学科。化学工程对分子转化，过程，定量分析和问题的多尺度处理的独特关注为与广泛的其他科学和工程学科的边界进行富有成效的互动提供了理想的平台，这些学科是我们这个时代最令人兴奋的技术领域之一。化学工程基础的广泛适用性已成为该学科的一个定义特征，我们面临着向学生传达这种广度的挑战。因此，课程改革的一个主要驱动力是需要将学生与这些应用程序联系起来。由于工程课程通常主要通过示例问题来教授，如果要做得好，这是一项重大任务。化学工程课程改革的第二个主要驱动力是分子生物学的出现。我们的学科重点是分子相互作用和转化，使分子生物学的自然和令人兴奋的连接。最后，我们发现自己正处于一个快速教育改革的时代，在这个时代，学生在教室和实验室中的参与方法正在重新审视，新技术的教育方法正在探索中。化学工程课程改革的机会是如此紧迫和广泛，以至于一个适当的反应需要整个学科的广泛参与。除了对这一机会作出更丰富的反应外，学术界的广泛参与将有助于广泛采用改革的成果。因此，这项建议是针对一个广泛的规划工作，从事化学工程学科在应对广度，生物学和新的教学方法的挑战。这将通过一系列讲习班进行，并向社区广泛宣传。第一次研讨会将侧重于（重新）定义化学工程的核心课程，其产品是列举这些核心领域的一系列较小专题研讨会的主题。主题研讨会负责制定文本创建建议，基于网络的支持材料，模块化实验，设计问题，以及增加和补充主题的子主题。

PROPOSAL NO.: 0230655PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Armstrong, RobertINSTITUTION NAME: Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyTITLE: Curriculum Revitalization in Chemical EngineeringAbstractThe discipline of chemical engineering has evolved dramatically over the past forty years, yet the core curriculum has undergone only minor changes. The engineering science paradigm that began in chemical engineering around 1960 still dominates the core curriculum and major educational texts used throughout the field. That paradigm has served us well; indeed, it has been enabling for chemical engineering to become a central engineering discipline . The unique focus of chemical engineering on molecular transformations, processes, quantitative analysis, and multiscale treatment of problems provides an ideal platform for productive interactions with a wide range of other science and engineering disciplines at boundaries that are among the most exciting technology areas of our time. This broad applicability of chemical engineering fundamentals has become a defining feature of the discipline, and we are challenged to convey this breadth to our students. Hence a major driver for curriculum reform is the need to connect students to these many applications. Inasmuch as engineering curricula are often taught largely through example problems, this is a major undertaking if it is to be done well. A second major driver for curriculum reform in chemical engineering at this time is the advent of molecular biology. Our disciplinary focus on molecular interactions and transformations makes for a natural and exciting connection with molecular biology. Finally, we find ourselves in an era of rapid educational reform, in which both methods of engaging students in classrooms and laboratories are being reexamined and methods of incorporating new technology for education are being explored.The opportunities for reform in chemical engineering curricula are so compelling and broad that an appropriate response requires wide-ranging participation across the entire discipline. In addition to providing a richer response to this opportunity, extensive engagement of the academic community will facilitate wide adoption of the results of the reform. Hence this proposal is directed to a broad planning exercise to engage the chemical engineering discipline in responding to the challenges of breadth, biology, and new teaching methods. This will be done through a series of workshops, broadly advertised to the community. The first workshop will be focused on (re)defining the core curriculum in chemical engineering, with the product being enumeration of themes for a series of smaller topical workshops in these core areas. The theme workshops are charged with developing proposals for creation of texts, web-based supporting material, and modular experiments, design problems, and subtopics for augmenting and supplementing subjects.