(412d) The Trials and Tribulations of Implementing a Problem Based Learning Approach in the Freshman Year of Chemical Engineering

Chemical Process Principles I (CPE1002) is a core and compulsory module taken by approximately 70 students in the freshman year of a Chemical Engineering undergraduate degree at The University of Sheffield, UK. The primary learning objective of this module is to develop the students' knowledge and understanding of material balances. Here we will present the progression of improvements in CPE1002 over the past 3 to 4 years, including the adoption of a problem based learning approach. New aspects introduced into the course were group work, industrial visits and assignments incorporating industrially relevant processes. The course was extended to cover key personal and transferable skills such as group work, communication skills, independent and self-directed learning and peer assessment, without losing any of the key technical material. In addition, online resources were provided via WebCT Vista (managed learning environment) to enable the students to self-assess their weaknesses and strengths in the core chemical engineering principles and practice these skills so that they were able to come to the group work more prepared. Through the changes in the course, we were also able to expose the students to the way process engineers work, think and communicate their ideas as well as introducing them to the processing/chemicals industry. These changes transformed the course from a problem module with the class generally struggling to grasp the key concepts to a successful module with positive student feedback.