2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Integrating Problem-Solving Studio into 75-minute Chemical Reaction Kinetics Sessions
Huan Gu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor in Chemical Engineering
Department of Chemistry, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
Tagliatela College of Engineering
University of New Haven, West Haven, CT 06516
In Fall 2021, I started teaching 75-minute Chemical Reaction Kinetics Sessions. By the end of the Fall semester, I noticed the following challenges for me as an instructor: (1) to deliver the required contents in two 75-minute lectures per week and 15 weeks; (2) to help students climb the Bloom’s taxonomy; and (3) to motivate positive teamwork. It is also hard for students to integrate the knowledge introduced through PowerPoint slides and pre-recorded videos in problem solving.
Problem-solving studio (PSS) was designed to teach students how to solve engineering problems without resorting to rote memorization of algorithms, while at the same time developing their deep understanding of the course topics. This is a core skillset that would help me address the challenges that I am facing; however, each session usually takes up to one and a half to two hours. After I attended the PSS held by Dr. Joe Le Doux, Dr. Carmen Carrion, and Dr. Sara Schley at Georgia Institute of Technology through Engineering Unleash, I decided to try to incorporate PSS into the 75-minute Chemical Reaction Kinetics Sessions by making the following adjustments: (1) I introduced Decision Trees through a ‘Guess the Animal’ activity. This activity served as the icebreaker activity to promote teamwork and stimulate discussion. Decision trees are important in learning Chemical Reaction Kinetics concepts. (2) I paired students and rearranged the table from traditional lecture to four-student interactive table. This was designed to motivate students participate into PSS. (3) I flipped the classroom by making reading assignments and quizzes for reading assignments. The quizzes were due right before the lecture. This can help me to cover the target contents and motivate students to come to my classroom prepared, so that I can focus on the key contents that most students were struggling. (4) I left one session for in-class activity after each chapter. I started with well defined questions and then gradually move toward less defined questions toward the end of the semester. (5) I adjusted the pace of PSS by combining small group discussions and large group announcements. By making all these adjustments, I was able to conduct PSS in 75-minute sessions without rushing my students. I was able to promote active participation of my students from 40% (Fall 2021) to 90% (Fall 2022) and significantly increased the confidence of my students in problem-solving and the average of quizzes and exams.