(414e) Employing Undergraduates to Develop Programming and Automation Modules for the Undergraduate Curriculum: A Two-Fer Scheme

In the 2020-21 academic year, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a) the need for agility in teaching and research; b) the desirability of computing skills for graduating students and c) the amenability of computational research to remote work. Moreover, although computing skills are increasingly paramount to success in an increasingly automated society, chemical engineering curricula are already heavy with coursework and leave little room for additional required content. Any application of modern automation tools must be incorporated into a traditional framework of thermodynamics, transport, and kinetics.

At the same time, the economic fallout of the pandemic generated a major problem for undergraduate co-op employment at Drexel University. Experiential education through co-op is the most distinguishing aspect of Drexel’s educational mission. Drexel students typically complete three six-month industrial co-ops throughout their bachelor’s. In 2018-2019, 98% of engineering students were employed as co-ops. In 2021, the financial fallout of the pandemic caused many employers to cancel their co-op programs, such that only 60% of Chemical and Biological Engineering students were able find positions for the April – September co-op cycle.

To address these acute and long-term needs in 2021, the CBE department developed a program in which stranded co-op students are hired to develop instructional modules for the undergraduate curriculum. These modules use hobbyist electronics, image analysis, and other low-cost methods to measure thermodynamic, transport, and kinetic properties with an emphasis on programming and automation. The experience provides important training opportunities to students who would otherwise be unable to find technical employment for the six-month period, with a deliverable hands-on device or interactive simulation that can readily be incorporated into existing lesson plans in the CBE curriculum. This talk will share the results of offering the program, including best practices, lessons learned, and suggestions for how similar programs could be implemented in other situations.