(494b) Embedded Hands-on Classroom Activities Tailored to Personality Preferences Enhance Student Learning in Core Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Courses

Laboratory courses in chemical engineering programs reinforce students' learning of fundamental theoretical concepts. Laboratory instruction, together with the use of computational simulation tools, enhance student mastery of fundamental concepts by connecting them with their practical application. However, lab courses are often challenging to deliver due to constraints of cost and scheduling of space and time. Additionally, the time-lapse between teaching theoretical concepts in core courses and performing the associated experiments in separate laboratory courses scheduled later in the curriculum greatly minimizes their impact. In this work, we explore optimal implementation of embedded experiential instruction to improve students' learning of core chemical engineering concepts. We designed in-class hands-on classroom activities for a junior-level chemical engineering fluid mechanics course that embedded in-class experiments, computational simulation, and a teaming guide tailored by personality preference. We adapted an experimental set-up, initially intended for laboratory use, into a hands-on kit for classroom use. The experiments were conducted with the hands-on kit safely in the classroom and required no extra space or time. We further explored the impact of team formation guided by personality preference based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. After obtaining the experimental data, the students used commercial computational software (MATLAB) to analyze and interpret their results. The pre and post-test statistical analysis show a statistically significant improvement in students' learning of the fundamentals and the application of capillary flow. Our results indicate that incorporating low-cost and space-efficient hands-on experiments in classrooms, using personality preference as a teaming guide, can significantly improve students’ learning of chemical engineering fundamentals.