Integrating Problem-based and Project-based learning in large enrollment freshman engineering courses

This paper reports on the integration of problem-based and project-based learning opportunities conducted for over a decade with large enrollment classes of chemical (and since the fall 2015 semester) petroleum engineering freshmen. A primary objective of the first-year experience in our School is to provide a solid foundation in basic engineering principles and applications associated with our degree programs through problem-based and project-based learning activities. The approach taken is a blending of directed problem-solving activities in a collaborative learning environment coupled with Team Challenges through which groups of four freshmen engineering students engage in actively constructing systems for solving practical engineering problems. This approach brings to students a vibrant, interactive approach to learning about chemical and petroleum engineering fundamentals at a time when individual anticipation (and anxiety) about studying engineering is perhaps at its highest. Offered in a two-day per week format, course activities are structured to engage students in problem-solving strategies one day per week with the hands-on Team Challenges the second day each week. Significant course content and mentoring is provided outside of class in a “flippedclassroom” style. By assembling and testing a variety of simple engineering systems, students learn about engineering applications of math and science principles. Examples of systems studied include the development of a centrifugal pump curve using a simple, inexpensive apparatus; investigating level-control for continuous flow into and out of a small tank using LEGO NXTTM controllers/sensors; evaluating performance of a double-pipe heat exchanger using VernierTM meters and sensors; and assessing performance of a simple wind turbine as a function of changes in various parameters such as blade design, wind speed, etc. Individual students are provided an opportunity to quickly build relationships and skills for teamwork, leadership and collaboration along with gaining an understanding of designing experiments, collecting and analyzing data, and contextualizing the meaning of the work within a broader focus on the practice of engineering. Student enrollment in the two semester course sequence has grown significantly over the years since its inception in 2006 from an enrollment between 30-40 students each semester to a high of 173 in the fall 2015 semester. The evolution of the course and adaptations for large student enrollment is discussed. Introduction In 2009, the first survey of freshman chemical engineering courses was conducted by the AICHE Chemical Engineering Education Special Projects Committee. The first year experience for chemical engineering freshman has been shown to vary widely across a spectrum ranging from a common first year (among all engineering majors) with no chemical engineering-specific activities or topics to a discipline-specific, required chemical engineering course.1 Foremost among the priorities given among the variety of course constructs were to provide students a framework within which they could better understand the nature of chemical engineering while enabling the development of a strong problem-solving skill set appropriate to the discipline. Likewise, our course structure has evolved to achieve this desired outcome of familiarizing freshmen with the nature of chemical engineering practice while also building in students a problem-solving skill set appropriate to any engineering discipline (or, practically any STEM field). An added factor driving the nature of our first year experience is the historically strong involvement our students have had in the co-operative education program through our university. Participation is not required, but approximately 65% of all chemical engineering Bachelors of Science graduates from our School (spanning 15+ years of data) participate in the university coop program (not including the significant number of students which participate in industrial summer internships—not tracked by the university). Over 95% of B.S. graduates enter traditional industrial positions in regional industries. In light of these facts and given the opportunity for our freshmen to participate in co-operative education and summer internship job interviews (with some securing jobs as early as the summer after the freshman year) the structure of this course have continuously evolved toward a strong engagement in activities characterized both as problem-based learning and project-based learning. To heighten the interest of student in engineering topics, the author has introduced a variety of projects which expose students to the broad topics of heat transfer, automatic process controls, reaction processes, etc. through which they can begin to relate their STEM fundamentals to practical applications. Figure 1 at right illustrates one student-designed project for pH control in tank with a continuous inflow and outflow of a dilute acid stream requiring neutralization. First-year course sequence The latest incarnation of the two-course freshman sequence has been driven by regular feedback from students, upper-class mentors and employers (who often comment on the nature of student Figure 1. Student designed pH control process interviews with first and second year chemical engineering students). The revival of the petroleum engineering degree at our university and its inclusion within our School (and with several common courses in the early stages of that degree program) have also influenced, somewhat, the content of the courses. The course sequence comprises a one-semester-credit hour fall term and a three-semester-credit hour spring term. For the fall 2016 semester, class meetings increased from once per week to twice weekly (again, as a result of constituent feedback). Spring term meetings continue at a frequency of twice weekly. In 2015, our college of engineering began funding a mentoring program for each engineering department—with the result that our course sequence is now provided with six upper-class mentors each term. These students assist with team activities both during the class period and outside of class and provide tutoring on a regular basis. During one class period weekly, students practice problem solving techniques— engaging in collaborative learning with activities directed by one member of a two faculty member team. During the second weekly class meeting, students gather in self-selected teams for work on assigned projects—guided by the upper-class mentors and a faculty member. Figure 2 illustrates a simple experiment for evaluating the steady-state rate of heat transfer through different metals. Problem-based? Project-based? Flipped? The efficacy of innovations in both pedagogical methodology and “tactical” approaches to classroom use has been well documented in the educational literature. Problem-based learning has been characterized as: Engaging students in topically-relevant problems of a relatively narrow focus (in comparison to the “project-based learning” approach Students participating in problem definition and clarity through interactive discourse Solving problems iteratively and methodically as students construct a framework within which new learning occurs. Such an approach involves students much more intimately in the process of learning than in traditional lecture methods through active engagement with peers, mentors and the instructor.2 Project-based learning may be described as: Involving more substantial projects (in comparison to problem-based learning) over an extended period of time Engaging students in a process of discovery with distinct phases of research, design, development and testing activities Figure 2. Study of heat transfer through metals Requiring student self-assessment and the acquisition and/or use of a variety of skills over the project lifetime. The flipped classroom has been described as any number of classroom environments whereby the traditional presentation of course content is “flipped” to an “outside of class” delivery with student involvement through selfand team-discovery activities directed during the class period. Such an approach has been increasingly popularized through all levels of education3-6. The literature reports both successes and challenges of each of these approaches depending upon a variety of factors including: strength of interactions with instructor and mentors7, and the use of real-world projects and the balance of students’ self-efficacy with regard to studying engineering, and student perceptions of learning versus grades8-9. We have blended each of these approaches in our first-year course sequence, refining semesterby-semester the approach to assess student responses—both in self-assessment for attaining learning objectives and in student performance in meeting course outcomes. Current Course Structure Following course assessment and evaluation for the 2014-15 academic year, student responses clearly indicated a desire to have more contact time in the fall term. The course was redesigned to span two class meetings weekly with one dedicated to problem-based learning, using Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes by Felder, Rousseau and Bullard (Wiley, ISBN13: 978-0-470-61629-1) as our primary reference. The second class meeting each week is dedicated to a series of project-based learning exercises or Team Challenges. Continuing enrollment growth requires us to divide the class into three groups—each group pursuing a separate Team Challenge for a period of 2-3 weeks. Upon completion of a Team Challenge, each group rotates—finishing the three team challenges shortly before the end of the semester. Team Formation At the beginning of each semester students are allowed to self-select teams of four members each. Within teams, each member serves in a designated role (e.g. Team Leader, Data Recorder, Safety Officer, etc.)—rotation r