2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

A persistent challenge in engineering education is helping students connect foundational polymer science concepts to modern research literature and industrial practice. This paper reports the design, implementation, and initial evaluation of a sequenced project-based learning (PBL) framework integrated into an upper-level Introduction to Polymer Science – Thermoplastics course (n = 16). The instructional model combined three individual, literature-driven projects with professional engagement through invited guest speakers to strengthen student competencies in polymer chemistry, polymer properties, research literacy, and scientific communication. The project sequence was scaffolded from foundational to advanced content: (1) a thermoplastics case study requiring students to synthesize structure–property–processing relationships from a selected handbook chapter into an executive summary and presentation; (2) a polymer chemistry investigation of reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) in which students compared ATRP, RAFT, and NMP mechanisms and analyzed a peer-reviewed application paper; and (3) a critical synthesis assignment in which students selected a recent high-impact review article from Progress in Polymer Science and integrated at least one additional supporting peer-reviewed source into a structured report addressing motivation, background, state-of-the-art, applications, conclusions, and future directions. Two polymer scientists from different institutions delivered guest lectures that further bridged classroom content with real-world research and manufacturing, followed by student-written summaries and reflections. Course outcomes were evaluated using project performance and a post-course survey containing Likert-scale items and open-ended responses. Overall, student performance on the projects was strong, and survey averages were generally at or above the “Agree” level, indicating positive perceived impacts on learning, engagement with literature, and communication skills. Qualitative feedback highlighted increased awareness of polymer diversity, improved confidence interpreting scholarly sources, and stronger perceived relevance of polymer science to contemporary engineering challenges. Opportunities for refinement were also identified, including the need for clearer rubrics, additional in-class reinforcement of advanced concepts (particularly for RDRP), and scope adjustments to support synthesis in the most open-ended project. These preliminary findings suggest that scaffolded, literature-based PBL assignments combined with professional engagement can enhance learning and motivation in introductory polymer science courses while maintaining technical rigor.