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Pedagogical Approaches to Teach Fluid Mechanics and Mass Transfer to Nonengineers with a Biotechnology Focus P

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Pedagogical Approaches to Teach Fluid Mechanics and Mass Transfer to Nonengineers with a Biotechnology Focus P ChE curriculum PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES TO TEACH FLUID MECHANICS AND MASS TRANSFER TO NONENGINEERS WITH A BIOTECHNOLOGY FOCUS P. Arthur Felse Northwestern University • Evanston, IL 60208 iotechnology uses the principles of chemical engineer- of chemical engineering in order to communicate and operate ing and biological sciences to create new products us- effectively in the cross-disciplinary environment. [1,2] ing living organisms. Genesis of the biotechnology A limited number of precedents have been reported for Bindustry was catalyzed by rapid advances in molecular and teaching chemical engineering to nonengineers. Two web- cell biology, particularly in the areas of gene manipulation based courses on the fundamentals of chemical engineering [3] and animal cell culture. Translating new discoveries in for nonengineers that satisfied the requirements of a certifi- biology to an industrial enterprise requires the development cate program in Foundations of Chemical Engineering were of reliable, robust, and scalable bioprocesses. Predictably, reported.[11] A sophomore-level course on chemical engi- chemical engineers took the lead in developing and com- neering for nonengineers was taught using active-learning mercializing biotechnological process. The positive synergy exercises for liberal arts students.[12] This course had a unit between chemical engineering and biology has existed for operations approach to teach chemical engineering principles several decades such as in the development of submerged using indigo manufacture as a case study. AIChE’s three-day culture processes for antibiotic manufacture and immobilized classroom course on Essentials of Chemical Engineering [4] enzyme processes for high fructose corn syrup production. for Non-engineers has been offered for more than 25 years This was later followed by the development of processes and has been completed by lawyers, business managers, and for recombinant protein production in bacteria, large-scale process technicians.[13] Absi, et al. described a fluid mechanics mammalian cell culture for therapeutic antibodies, and course for nonengineers taught through atypical experiments most recently for the mass production of virus-like vaccine using a play-based pedagogy.[14] This course was offered to [5,6] particles. Future discoveries in genome sequencing, cell undergraduate students in a five-year M.Sc. program in ap- therapies, and regenerative medicine will demand an even plied industrial biology. closer interaction between biologists and chemical engineers. The Master of Biotechnology Program at Northwestern Several chemical engineering programs in the United States University prepares biologists and engineers for careers in responded to the interdisciplinary needs of biotechnology by the biotechnology industry. The program offers two bridge requiring biology courses in their curriculum. About 30% of courses to introduce nonengineers to the fundamentals of chemical engineering programs require at least one biology chemical engineering. First in this series is a course on bal- course, 27% require at least one bioengineering course, and ances and kinetics followed by a course on fluid mechanics 7% require both. Thus, more than 50% of chemical engi- neering programs require some biology exposure in their P. Arthur Felse is a lecturer in the Master of undergraduate curricula.[7] In contrast, biology undergradu- Biotechnology Program and in the Chemical & Biological department at Northwestern ate programs typically don’t require a course of engineering University. He also serves as the assistant nature in their curriculum. However, 49% of biology under- director for research in the Master of Bio- technology Program. His research interests graduate programs in the United States require at least one include engineering education, diversity in calculus course and 42% require at least one statistics course.[8] engineering, and biotech regulatory sciences. Notwithstanding the lack of exposure to engineering, biolo- gists routinely work with chemical engineers in the biotech- nology industry.[9,10] Therefore, biologists aspiring to succeed in the biotechnology profession have a need to learn the basics © Copyright ChE Division of ASEE 2018 202 Chemical Engineering Education and mass transfer. After completing the two bridge courses, employed. When asked about their overall perceptions of this students move on to take three graduate-level courses in course, 72% of students thought the course would be challeng- bioprocess engineering. Presented in this paper is the fluid ing and 70% thought it would be rewarding and interesting mechanics and mass transfer course offered to nonengineers. as well (Table 1). About 62% of students reported that the This course is designed specifically to meet the learning needs course will involve a lot of math and quantitative calculations, of nonengineers progressing to cross-disciplinary careers in which is conceivable for an engineering course. About 25% biotechnology. Course development strategies, pedagogi- of students held no preconceived notions. This data indicates cal methods, course assessment, and future initiatives are that students generally enter this course with a positive attitude discussed. Details of a previous version of this course along expecting the course to be rewarding and interesting, while with a discussion on course development challenges and recognizing that it will be challenging as well. course assessment using ABET guidelines were presented at When asked about the learning outcomes that students ex- [15] the 2011 ASEE annual meeting. pect from this course, about 88% wanted to gain competence in performing engineering calculations and 78% expected this LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THE COURSE course to set them up for success in future engineering courses By completing this course, students will be able to: (Table 1). These two expectations match the stated learning • Explain the fundamental principles of fluid mechanics and outcomes of this course. A significant number of students mass transfer. (~ 64%) wanted to apply transport principles to physiology. This course was initially developed with a bioprocess perspec- • Remember, recall, and use notations and terminology in transport processes. tive. Based on this feedback, physiology examples of fluid mechanics and mass transport were included in the course. • Perform numerical calculations related to solving quanti- About 24% of students expected this course to be useful in tative problems in fluid mechanics and mass transfer. their careers, which is not the intention of this course. Stu- • Relate and apply the principles of fluid mechanics and dents were informed that taking the graduate-level bioprocess mass transfer to various bioprocess and physiological engineering courses will help them in their careers, but the systems. fluid mechanics and mass transport course itself is not directly • Get the required prerequisite knowledge to take graduate- correlated with career opportunities. level courses in bioprocess engineering. TABLE 1 Student perceptions and expected learning outcomes STUDENT PERCEPTIONS AND LEARNING based on entrance survey responses. PREFERENCES Student response % of students Students generally have a positive opinion about engineer- What are your overall perceptions of this course? ing, but it is often perceived to be difficult and overwhelming Challenging/rigorous 72 [16,17] along with a rigorous course load. To better understand Rewarding/interesting 70 the preconceived notions of students taking this course, they Lot of math/calculations 64 were asked to complete a short entrance survey on the first day of classes. The intent of this survey was to understand No preconceived notion 25 student perceptions and expectations, and to gain insights on What learning outcomes do you expect from this course? their learning preferences. The survey had four questions: one Competence in engineering calculations 88 each related to students’ preconceived notions; the learning Success in future engineering courses 68 outcomes that students expected; their specific perceptions Apply transport to problems in physiology 64 on the challenges in this course; and their preferences for Useful in career 24 activities that will make them feel confident in the classroom. Students provided free-style responses to survey questions, What do you perceive as specific challenges in this course? but they were prompted to use short, thematic phrases in Time commitment 90 their responses. Examples of thematic phrases were pro- Math/calculations 78 vided with survey questions. Students were informed that Paying attention to long lecture 62 they should provide original responses, and the examples Understanding concepts 24 were solely meant to demonstrate the brevity and clarity of What makes you feel confident in the classroom? responses. Responses were processed using an open source phrase-frequency counter to quantify the frequency of any Contribute to class discussion 78 particular thematic response (<http://www.writewords.org. Cheerful class environment 64 uk/phrase_count.asp>). In cases where the frequency counter Success in problem solving 62 was unable to identify thematic responses, a manual count was Come prepared for the lecture 42 Vol. 52, No. 3, Summer 2018 203 Students perceived that time commitment and performing was one week long and four modules that were two weeks math calculations will be the major challenges in this course long, each with their own homework assignment,
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