(82e) Using Online Survey Tools to Facilitate Classroom Discussion on Process Safety

Process safety and ethics within Chemical Engineering continues to be a strong topic of focus. Students are continually challenged to be mindful of soft skill issues associated with being a professional engineer; however, the retention of that knowledge is low. The prevalence of increasing student awareness in process safety and ethics beyond the textbook requires innovative ways to bridge the discussion between fundamental course content and experiential learning. Given the time constraints of contact hours an instructor may have for a course, the integration of practical discussions can be pushed aside to ensure the learning outcomes are met. This, however, can be a disservice to the students as they prepare to take up jobs either in a co-op/internship or full-time position. One approach to overcoming the time constraints associated with limited contact hours is to seed the conversation of process safety and ethics through the use of scenario-based surveys. Using applications, like SurveyMonkey, can help to facilitate discussion on different topics associated with process safety and ethics. Providing real-time examples allows for stimulating discussions when time is limited. A discussion on the use of ready-made technology to facilitate process safety and ethics in the classroom will be shared. A primary focus will be on implementing the approach while not sacrificing classroom contact time.