Prediction and Reflection Activities in a Chemical Engineering Course: Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer

This paper presents a quantitative and qualitative study for discovering how written reflective exercises following in-class prediction activities enhance learning gains in a heat and mass transfer course for chemical engineering undergraduate students. The primary purpose of this research is to determine if and to what extent written reflection plays a role in adjusting commonly-held misconceptions students have about heat and mass transfer. To study this, three 30-minute prediction activities were planned throughout a ten-week course. The study participants included two sections of a course with approximately 20 junior-level chemical engineering students each. Based on their course section, students were broken into two groups. One group was asked to complete a follow-up reflection assignment after each prediction activity, guiding them through the reflective process, while the other group completed no structured follow-up reflection activity. The HECI (Heat and Energy Concept Inventory) was administered to students of all sections at the start and the end of the course. The HECI was used to evaluate learning gains. Archived data from classes with no prediction activities and no reflection activities served as a control group. Correlations between quantitative assessment performance and student group (prediction activities and practicing reflection, prediction activities only, no prediction and no reflection) are discussed. To explore if the quality of reflection is related to learning gains, student reflections were ranked according to a validated rubric and compared with data on learning gains. Additionally, to further understand how students’ perception of learning is affected by these activities, a focus group of 5 students was organized and interviewed in a semi-structured format after the conclusion of the course. Key insights from the qualitative interviews are discussed. The goal of this work in progress is to aid in directing the role of prediction and reflection activities in future courses.