Assessing the Shift to an Inquiry-Based Approach in 2nd Year Chemical Engineering Labs on Observed Student Engagement and Self-Reported Understanding

An overemphasis on following detailed procedures in second-year lab courses has indicated student passivity and disengagement from the purpose and meaning of laboratory experiments. To abate this, adjustments were made to course structure and deliverables to introduce an inquiry-based approach that required students to develop their own lab procedures based on stated objectives and an overview of the experimental equipment. Surveys were conducted and student feedback indicated that the majority students found the new approach to have increased their understanding of their experiments.