Looking Ahead: Restructuring Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Curriculum for Optimal Impact of Process Simulation: Student Benefits in Optimization and Sustainability

Abstract

Proper chemical process simulation knowledge is valuable for senior chemical engineering students to deliver optimal design outcomes and achieve many learning objectives. This study aims to highlight the benefits of continuous improvements and innovations in chemical engineering's undergraduate curriculum. In particular, curriculum restructuring benefits when the simulation course is offered earlier in the curriculum. Most importantly, it elaborates on how this change creates opportunities to help the program attain multiple learning objectives at higher levels. There is a direct modification to the upper-division undergraduate courses (for example, the senior design project course) to incorporate more important in-depth skills, such as optimization and sustainability. The students' summer training experience has also been enhanced to simulate and troubleshoot industrial case studies