2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Building Better Engineers: Teaching Chemical Engineers to Troubleshoot in the Laboratory

Presented at Laboratory and Research Skill Development

The Chemical Engineering Laboratory is a crucial training ground for students to acquire fundamental professional skills. Among these skills, troubleshooting is exceptionally valuable and significant, yet it is often underemphasized in the engineering curriculum. This study examines the efficacy of structured troubleshooting training modules in enhancing students' troubleshooting skills. Modules were integrated into laboratory lectures to introduce troubleshooting concepts, followed by a hands-on exercise to evaluate proficiency. Teaching assistants assessed student performance and recorded observations on troubleshooting approaches and strategies. Results suggest that structured training modules improve troubleshooting skills. Our findings highlight the importance of dedicated pedagogy in enhancing student troubleshooting performance.

Authors

Dr. George Prpich http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2697-2276 University of Virginia [biography]

Dr. Prpich is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Virginia. His primary pedagogical interests include professional skills development and laboratory safety training and culture. He has a B.Sc. from the University of Saskatchewan and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Queen’s University. Beyond his pedagogical research, Dr. Prpich has expertise in bioprocess engineering, environmental engineering, and environmental risk management. Outside academia, he has over 7 years of international consulting experience, collaborating with the U.K. government, European Union, and the United Nations.
Dr. Natasha Smith University of Virginia [biography]

Dr. Smith is a Professor at the University of Virginia
Caroline Elizabeth Crockett University of Virginia [biography]

Caroline Crockett is an assistant professor at the University of Virginia in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. She received her PhD degree from the University of Michigan in electrical engineering. Her research interests include image processing and conceptual understanding.
Anukriti Shrestha University of Virginia

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