2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Multiple studies highlight how the modern engineering work environment increasingly requires teams that are multidisciplinary, diverse, and dynamic. As this work environment evolves, the technical competencies and job opportunities of engineering students are also constantly evolving. Nowadays, chemical engineering students are pursuing careers in more diversified areas that possess fluid work structures, and that require engineers that are quick to adapt to change and effective at facilitating multidisciplinary collaborations. In this context, communication and collaboration are critical to the success of early and mid-career engineers; they are a fundamental aspect of career growth and an integral trait of leadership. The ability to communicate effectively, to develop teaming skills, and to work in dynamic teams is increasingly important and, as a consequence, must be considered a priority in chemical engineering programs to better prepare students for their postgraduation careers. Chemical engineering undergraduate programs must find ways to adapt to these fast-moving work environments as they aim to close the knowledge gaps that exist between industry needs and current teaching offerings in engineering curricula.

To accomplish this goal, we have utilized an approach that focuses on teaching and promoting teaming skills in chemical engineering students (i.e. how to team). Engineering programs do not need to reinvent teamwork and teaming education; we propose that the focus should be on emphasizing teamwork, teaming skills, and leadership practices as a central element of professional success and accomplishment. Our approach tailors these concepts to target effectively the skills needed by engineers in the modern work ecosystem. Our goal has been adapting the existing teamwork and teaming knowledge to a chemical engineering centered context and, by this effort, we intend to promote the creation of future engineering leaders that have developed these skills as part of their undergraduate education.

In this work-in-progress presentation, we will propose the utilization of modern practices in teamwork and teaming education to prepare our students for a changing work environment that centers around collaborative activities. This presentation will detail our experience using these practices, and our experiences as we have developed lectures and practical class components focusing on the development of teaming skills and the practice of effective teamwork. We will use a senior year Unit Operations Laboratory course as a case study to demonstrate the positive outcomes of this approach. In addition, this presentation will include a summary of student survey data and our planned future work in developing the teaming skills and promoting effective teamwork in chemical engineering students.