Development of a Web-Based Self-Teaching and Assessment Module for Chemical Engineering Microchemical Systems

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has supported an undergraduate curriculum reform project in chemical engineering with an overall objective of developing a web-based educational resource for teaching and learning. One aspect of this project involves the development of Interlinked Curriculum Components (ICCs). These are web-based learning sites that aim to strengthen student knowledge in the fundamental subjects that span all chemical engineering courses, and to broaden their exposure to emerging technologies and non-traditional applications. This paper describes the development of an ICC that is focused on microprocess technology. This is a key emerging technology in chemical engineering that has applications ranging from discovery research of new catalysts and materials to small-scale manufacturing of high value-added products, toxic reagents, explosives, and other chemicals where point-of-use is preferred over a large-scale centralized manufacturing plant. The ICC module design follows a standardized protocol that includes five major sub-components: pre-testing quantitatively assess existing student knowledge on the module topic; (2) a set of topic notes so that students can perform a self-paced on-line review of the required subject matter; (3) examples that provide illustrations of various problems; (4) a series of exercises and problems having increasing complexity that allow the effect of various model equation set-ups and the effect of various model parameters to be studied in a conversational type of mode with graphical output; and (5) post-testing for quantitative assessment of student knowledge progression for validation of the desired modules outcomes. The examples, exercises and problems mentioned above employ a software tool called COMSOL Multiphysics as the numerical engine to simulate various microprocess system components involving fluid flow, heat transfer, and species transport, such as micro-scale fluidics and fluid micro mixers, micro heat exchangers,