Abstract
This work describes the student-centred approach followed in the Design Project in the
first-year Chemical Engineering course at The University of Manchester. This new
approach has allowed students to reinforce and apply subject knowledge, whilst
developing key skills such as teamwork and communication. The introduction of peerassessment
also provided students with the opportunity to make informed decisions and
judgements and to learn from their peers. Design tasks aimed at developing critical
thinking and problem solving skills within an industrial setting were employed. The
project has been successful at improving students’ engagement and sense of
responsibility within a more active learning environment.
Background
Designing a chemical plant, a product or process can be a highly creative activity.
Although restricted by the physical world and what can be achieved, the only initial
restrictions in the design of a chemical plant are imposed by the raw materials and the
end products considering that the path followed to go from one to the other is quite
open