Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Curriculum Reform

德克萨斯农工大学（TAMU）化学工程系（ChE）的这一系级改革项目将重组其四年课程，使其毕业生能够：a)在更大范围的时间和长度范围内应用基本思想；b)将知识应用于更广泛的应用领域，包括生物技术、纳米技术、信息学。半导体制造更有能力解决开放式的合成问题，通过将基础知识和信息转移到新的挑战中，进入新的领域。重组将以学习科学的原则为基础，并将通过综合评估、内容更新、学生和教师发展来完成。知识价值。这个建议的智力价值有五个方面：帮助学生建立一个基于守恒定律和会计平衡方法的概念框架。这个框架在TAMU大一大二已经被证明是有价值的，将扩展到整个课程。学生在框架方面的学习将通过螺旋方法和独特的模块化方法得到支持。o开发了四门课程，让学生在越来越高的学习水平上重新学习相同的概念，以鼓励学习发展强大的概念框架。o采用不同的模块化课程方法，加强框架的凝聚力。跨课程和应用领域的相互关联的课程组成部分将加强概念框架在各种问题中的适用性。o在整个课程中引入最先进的综合和系统方法，使学生能够系统地将复杂的开放式问题分解为易于处理的任务。o在系内教师中推广学术教学方法。在整个课程开发活动中始终如一地使用组合、评估技术和同行评审，将使教师参与以社区为中心的努力，旨在实现持续的变化。更广泛的影响。三个更广泛的影响与学生的发展及其对该领域（以及随后的社会）的后续影响有关。系教师将采用创新的教学法，如团队、合作学习和基于项目的学习，为学习提供更大的社会和背景支持。他们增加了对背景和学习的支持以及对以人为本的应用的赞赏，改善了所有学生的学习，特别是妇女和代表性不足的少数民族。o结合新兴的应用领域，如生物技术，帮助学习者了解他们的知识和技能如何影响广泛的人类活动，包括健康科学和全球问题。鉴于化学工程实践的快速变化，早该进行的课程改革将有助于该专业向前发展。由于化学工程吸引了高比例的妇女和代表性不足的少数民族，课程的变化应该增加这些群体在工程中的比例。传播倡议将通过专业“宣传”前面的观点。o学术顾问委员会将提供更多的教育观点，并为制定和修订国际准则及其他可交付成果提供意见。o为教科书作者和化学工程教育工作者举办的全国讲习班将促进在新版教科书中纳入创新课程内容。

This department level reform project in the Department of Chemical Engineering (ChE) at Texas A&M University (TAMU) will restructure its four-year curriculum so its graduates can:a) apply fundamental ideas over a greatly expanded range of time and length scales,b) apply knowledge to a greatly expanded set of applications areas including biotechnology, nanotechnology, informatics, and semiconductor fabricationc) more capably address open-ended synthesis problemsd) move into new areas by transferring fundamentals and information to novel challenges.Restructuring will be based on principles from the science of learning and will be accomplished through integrated assessment, content renewal, and student and faculty development.Intellectual Merit. The intellectual merit of this proposal is fivefoldo Help students to construct a conceptual framework based on the conservation laws and accounting balances approach. This framework, already demonstrated to be valuable in the freshman/sophomore years at TAMU, will be extended throughout the curriculum. Student learning with respect to the framework will be supported through both a spiral approach and a unique modular approach.o Four course strings are developed in which students revisit the same concept at increasingly higher levels of learning to encourage learning development of a powerful conceptual framework.o Employ a different approach to modular curricula that strengthens framework cohesiveness.Interlinked curriculum components that span courses and application areas will reinforce applicability of the conceptual framework across a wide variety of problems.o Introduce state-of-the-art synthesis and systems methodologies throughout the curriculumempowering students to systematically decompose complex open-ended problems into tractable tasks.o Promote a scholarly approach to teaching and learning among Department faculty. Consistent use of portfolios, assessment techniques, and peer review throughout curriculum development activities will engage faculty in a community-centered effort intended for sustained change.Broader Impact. Three broader impacts are related to student development and the subsequent impact this will have on the field (and subsequently society)o Department faculty will incorporate innovative pedagogies, such as teams, cooperative learning, and project-based learning, that provide greater social and contextual support for learning. Their increased support for context and learning and appreciation for human-oriented applications improve learning for all students, especially women and underrepresented minorities.o Incorporating emerging application areas, such as biotechnology, helps learners appreciate how their knowledge and skills affect a broad range of human endeavors, including health sciences and global issueso Curricular changes, long overdue in view of the rapid changes in chemical engineering practice will help the profession to move forward. Since Chemical Engineering attracts high percentages of women and underrepresented minorities, curricular changes should increase the percentages of these groups in engineering Dissemination initiatives will "propagate" preceding points through the profession.o An Academic Advisory Board will provide more ChE educational perspectives and input intodevelopment and revision of the ICCs and other deliverables.o National workshops for textbook authors and chemical engineering educators will catalyzeincorporation of innovative curriculum content in new versions of textbooks.