(589f) Approaches to Maintain Student Support on Projects with Increased Class Size

One of the more onerous courses in the chemical engineering curricula is capstone design. This is true of student and instructor alike. This is compounded in a curriculum with a one-semester design sequence as opposed to two. The work presented here is a series of small improvements to save time in properly challenging students with very different skill sets and managing group projects.

Students enter design with varying skillsets depending on their curricular and noncurricular experiences. With this, a competency-based assessment is utilized for topics in the course such as simulation, economics, and safety. The approach allows the instructor and student to agree upon the method of delivery and degree of competency shown prior to the demonstration. This technique appropriately challenges advanced students while providing students with agency over their learning.

Course procedures must be carefully designed to provide peer-to-peer support, improving feedback while also decreasing instructor time giving feedback. The method of project development, peer-to-peer midsemester presentations, utilization of discussion sections, and checkpoints with the instructor are described.