Implementation of an innovative teaching project in a Chemical Process Design course at the University of Cantabria, Spain

ABSTRACT

This paper shows the planning, the teaching activities and the evaluation of the learning and teaching process implemented in the Chemical Process Design course at the University of Cantabria, Spain. Educational methods to address the knowledge, skills and attitudes that students who complete the course are expected to acquire are proposed and discussed. Undergraduate and graduate engineers' perceptions of the methodology used are evaluated by means of a questionnaire. Results of the teaching activities and the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed case study are discussed in relation to the course characteristics. The findings of the empirical evaluation shows that the excessive time students had to dedicate to the case study project and dealing with limited information are the most negative aspects obtained, whereas an increase in the students' self-confidence and the practical application of the methodology are the most positive aspects. Finally, improvements are discussed in order to extend the application of the methodology to other courses offered as part of the chemical engineering degree.

KEYWORDS:

• Process design
• learning activities
• calculation tools
• assessment and evaluation

Acknowledgements

The authors are indebted to Professor Ignacio Grossmann from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA, for invaluable comments of an early draft of this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Berta Galán Corta is Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering at the University of Cantabria (UC), Spain. MPhil. in Material Science from Bath University (U.K.) and Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Cantabria. She is involved in the UC Chemical Engineering Degree and Master/Doctorate Programs ‘Chemical Engineering’ and ‘Industrial Process Engineering’. Her research activity is focused on subjects related to the simulation and optimisation of chemical and environmental processes and industrial plants.

Iciar Muñoz Díaz received the M.S. degree in Chemical Engineering in 2010, the post degree in Process and Chemical Engineering ‘Sustainable Production and Consumption’ in 2011. She is involved in courses as Process Design, Product Design and Simulation & Optimisation of chemical processes. At present, she is working under research contract in a national R&D project at the University of Cantabria, UC, Spain.

Javier Rufino Viguri Fuente is professor in Chemical Engineering at the University of Cantabria, UC, Spain. Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Basque Country. He is involved in the UC Chemical Engineering Degree and Master/Doctorate Programs ‘Chemical Engineering’ and ‘Industrial Process Engineering’ as well as in the University of Cádiz ‘Erasmus Mundus Master and Doctorate in Water and Coastal Management’. His research activity under the GER Research Group (www.geruc.es) is focused on subjects related to the characterisation, control, environmental assessment and sustainable management of industrial wastes and marine sediments.

Additional information

Funding

Berta Galan and Javier Viguri was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education by means of an fellowship of mobility of professors and researchers in foreign centres of higher education and research [grant numbers PR2009-0212 and PR2009-045] (Chemical Engineering Department, Carnegie Mellon University, USA). This work was partially supported with the financial help of the University of Cantabria, 1^st and 2^nd Teaching Innovation Programs 2011–2012, 2013–2014, Projects Innodesign 1 and 2.