(551f) Pedagogical Framework for HAZOP Education Developed By an Academia-Industry Partnership: Integrating Dimensions of the Socratic Method, Fink’s Taxonomy, and ICAP Paradigm

This paper introduces an our approach to safety education, with a specific focus on undergraduate student learning of Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) studies. The central challenge that we worked on addressing was the effective transfer of HAZOP knowledge from experienced industrial professionals to an inexperienced audience of students. The paper details a unique collaboration between The Ohio State University Chemical Engineering department and Kenexis (OPEN-PHA HAZOP software) to teach HAZOP for the newly developed core curriculum Process Safety Course. In our presentation, we will initially provide theoretical background and systematic implementation details around our pedagogical framework for teaching HAZOP. We will then provide our rationale for assessment measures (based on direct quizzes, self-reported self-efficacy, curiosity and formative feedback) that were used to test out the effectiveness of this pedagogical framework. Finally we will provide perspectives and reflections on "what worked" and "lessons learnt" while also providing a potential starting point for other instructors to explore. Below, we provide the background, structure and assessment rationale for our work:

Background and Context: During the past semesters at Ohio State, the process safety instructors have faced challenges related to student learning bias associated with inherently open-ended nature of HAZOP studies. Specifically, the student feedback on metrics like SEI (Student Evaluation of Instructor) and formative instruments have shown a surprising consistency with studies that measure student cognitive bias related to "perception of fluency" and "fleeing of learning" as reported by Deslauriers et. al. (PNAS, 2019). In order to systematically overcome these challenges (associated with cognitive bias), while providing students with real-world insights, we worked on developing a modern pedagogical approach that incorporated various evidence based learning strategies. Specifically, our pedagogical design drew inspiration from several educational frameworks, including dimensions of "Socratic Learning (example: Golanbari et. al. (ASEE 2008))", aspects of "Fink's Taxonomy of Learning ( Fink D. (Oklohoma, 2003)" and core tenets of the "ICAP framework of active learning (Chi et. al. Edu. Psy. (2014)".

Structure of our pedagogical framework:

The initial phase of our pedagogical framework involves starting off with group-based and project based goal-setting activities and a structured reflection activity that promotes self-regulation by systematically reporting on challenges that students themselves would face in learning HAZOP. This goal-setting and structured reflection activity uses the "Learning how to learn" and "human dimension" components of Fink's taxonomy.

The initial phase is followed by a short conventional phase that uses a conventional lecture format to teach theory and simultaneously challenges the students to learn and analyze an industrial P&ID.

After the short-conventional phase, students enter a "discomfort phase" where in we extensively use the interactive component in ICAP paradigm of active learning (implemented using a method that is very similar to the socratic method) as a guiding principle to systematically coach students on analyzing a single HAZOP node. we extensively use the interactive component in ICAP paradigm of active learning (implemented using a method that is very similar to the socratic method) as a guiding principle to systematically coach students on analyzing a single HAZOP node. In this phase, an industry expert (Ed. Marszal from Kenexis) assumed the role of a HAZOP expert for the entire class and students in groups were charged with asking pertinent and efficient questions to complete a HAZOP analysis on the initial node. During group sessions, students posed questions related to the specific HAZOP node and the answers from industrial expert were documented which facilitated observational learning, allowing students to gain insights directly from an industry professional.

Following the discomfort phase, our students entered the final "integration and application phase". In the integration phase, students (again following ICAP paradigm and socratic method) participated in a gallery walk to interact with engineers from Kenexis. In the application phase students participated in an exam co-design session (similar to the ICAP inspired Problem solving studio paradigm, LeDoux (2019)) before being challenged to independently analyze a completely different HAZOP node without any help from the instruction team.

Assessment Measures: In order to assess the effectiveness of our teaching method , we used direct (student quizzes), indirect (Self-reported self-efficacy, curiosity) measures. We also sought and documented formative feedback and reflected on improvements that could be implemented in future semester.

In conclusion, this paper underscores the potential of industry-academia collaboration and active learning strategies in enhancing HAZOP education. By equipping future chemical engineers with critical safety skills, we contribute to a safer and more competent workforce. Our approach serves as a blueprint for other educational contexts seeking to bridge theory and practice effectively.

References

- Deslauriers, Louis, et al. "Measuring actual learning versus feeling of learning in response to being actively engaged in the classroom." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 116.39 (2019): 19251-19257.

- Golanbari, Michael, and Rick Garlikov. "Employing Socratic pedagogy to improve engineering students’ critical reasoning skills: Teaching by asking instead of by Telling." 2008 Annual Conference & Exposition. 2008.

- Fink, L. Dee. "A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning." University of Oklahoma 27.11 (2003): 1-33.

- Chi, Michelene TH, and Ruth Wylie. "The ICAP framework: Linking cognitive engagement to active learning outcomes." Educational psychologist 49.4 (2014): 219-243

- Le Doux, Joseph M. "The Problem-Solving Studio: An Approach for Structuring Face-To-Face Learning Activities in the Flipped Classroom." (2019).