(574a) Electives in the Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Curriculum

This invited session focuses on electives in the undergraduate chemical engineering curriculum.  In this session, we will address these four key questions on ChemE education: How have electives developed over the past 25 years? How do electives spread to new institutions? How can we bring chemical engineering to new audiences?  And finally, what is the current state of elective offerings in chemical engineering education?

Tim Anderson, University of Florida, Distinguished Professor, Director of the Florida Energy Systems Consortium

The Value Proposition of Elective Engineering Courses

Elective courses intend to add a valuable learning experiences that exposes students to a subject beyond the scope of the basic curriculum. Obvious value is added through expanded knowledge, preparation for a specific area of chemical engineering, and practice in applying chemical engineering science.  Less obvious are the opportunities to interact with students in other disciplines and appreciate the generality of chemical engineering sciences.   The promised value proposition is exemplified by the experiences in teaching materials-based elective course.

Daniel Lepek, The Cooper Union; with Charles Coronella, University of Nevada Reno; Kimberly Henthorn, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Christine Hrenya, University of Colorado Boulder; Timothy Raymond, Bucknell University; Martin Rhodes, Monash University

Particle Technology: Best Practices for Teaching this Elective from Multiple Institutions (see attached abstract).  

Polly Piergiovanni, Lafayette College

“Indigo: A World of Blues” – a Chemical Engineering Elective for a Liberal Arts Audience

This talk will describe a course aimed at a mixed audience of engineers and liberal arts students in an exploration of the use of indigo dye across different eras and cultures.  Encompassing chemical reaction, mass transfer, and process design and its interrelation with environmental, social, and historical impact, the topic is ideal for learning chemical engineering in context. 

Margot Vigeant, Bucknell University and Benjamin Davis, The Cooper Union

Results of the Survey on Undergraduate Electives

We will share the first look at the 2013 Chemical Engineering Education Survey on electives.  Survey results will indicate the typical number of electives offered and taken at US institutions, the disciplinary breadth available, and the extent to which student choices lead to concentrations or other distinctions.