ROLE OF  DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING CHEMICAL ENGINEERING EDUCATION

Sahlodin, Ali Mohammad; Sotudeh-Gharebagh, Rahmat

doi:10.22047/ijee.2024.446961.2060

ROLE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING CHEMICAL ENGINEERING EDUCATION

Document Type : مقاله علمی -پژوهشی ( ویژه نامه)

Authors

Ali Mohammad Sahlodin ¹

Rahmat Sotudeh-Gharebagh ²

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology,, Tehran, IRAN

² Professor of chemical engineering,university of tehran

https://doi.org/10.22047/ijee.2024.446961.2060

Abstract

This paper discusses the impacts of digital technologies on the effectiveness of chemical engineering education and their potential to enhance students’ professional skills. The integration of digital technologies, such as spreadsheets, mathematical softwares, industrial simulators, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence tools, has revolutionized the field of chemical engineering education by creating interactive and contemporary learning environments. These tools can enhance the comprehension and application of concepts and facilitate problem analysis and solving. They also provide virtual practical experiences and stimulate greater engagement with the subject matter among students. However, the adoption of digital technologies also presents certain challenges that should be addressed carefully. These include the need for adequate infrastructure, training, and appropriate assessment methods for fair evaluation of student performance. Despite these challenges, the effective utilization of digital technologies in chemical engineering education can enable students to cultivate and refine their technical and professional skills. Moreover, it can assist professors and researchers in developing advanced tools and improving the overall educational experience.

Keywords

Digital technologies

engineering education

interactive learning

educational experience

artificial intelligence

20.1001.1.16072316.1403.26.103.3.2

Subjects

Future of Engineering Education in Iran and Glob

Adams II, T. A. (2022). Learn aspen plus in 24 hours (2nd ed.). McGraw Hill.
Bell, J. T., & Fogler, H. S. (1996). The status and prospects of virtual reality in chemical engineering. AIChE National Meeting, November, 1-10.
Cazzaniga, M., Jaumotte, F., Li, L., Melina, G., Panton, A. J., Pizzinelli, C., Rockall, E., & Tavares, M. M. (2024). Gen-AI:artificial intelligence and the future of work. International Monetary Fund.
Coker, A. K. (2007). Ludwig’s applied process design for chemical and petrochemical plants, Volumes I-III (4th ed.). Gulf Professional Publishing Co.
Downs, J. J., & Vogel, E. F. (1993). A plant-wide industrial process control problem. Computers and Chemical Engineering, 17(3), 245-255. https://doi.org/10.1016/0098-1354(93)80018.
Feise, H. J., & Schaer, E. (2021). Mastering digitized chemical engineering. Education for Chemical Engineers, 34, 78-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.2020.11.011.
Fogler, H. S. (2021). Elements of chemical reaction engineering. Pearson.
Gunawan, P., Kwan, J., Cai, Y., & Yang, R. (2021). Augmented reality application for chemical engineering unit operations. In Y. Cai, W. van Joolingen, & K. Veermans (Eds.), Virtual and Augmented Reality, Simulation and Serious Games for Education (pp. 29-43). Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-1361-6-4.
Guo, Y., Klink, A., Bartolo, P., & Guo, W. G. (2023). Digital twins for electro-physical, chemical, and photonic processes. CIRP Annals, 72(2), 593-619. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CIRP.2023.05.007.
Hirtreiter, E., Schulze Balhorn, L., & Schweidtmann, A. M. (2024). Toward automatic generation of control structures for process flow diagrams with large language models. AIChE Journal, 70(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.18259.
Coker, A., & Sotudeh-Gharebagh, R. (2022). Chemical process engineering, Volume 2: Design, Analysis, Simulation, Integration, and Problem Solving with Microsoft Excel-UniSim Software for Chemical Engineers, Heat Transfer and Integration, Process Safety, and Chemical Kinetics (1st ed., Vol. 2). WILEY.
Kumar, V. V., Carberry, D., Beenfeldt, C., Andersson, M. P., Mansouri, S. S., & Gallucci, F. (2021). Virtual reality in chemical and biochemical engineering education and training. Education for Chemical Engineers, 36, 143-153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.2021.05.002.
Lavasani, M., Ziaei-Halimejani, H., Sotudeh gharebagh, R., Zarghami, R., & Mostoufi, N. (2021). Application of data science in chemical engineering education [in Persian]. Iranian Journal of Engineering Education, 1-25. https://doi.org/10.22047/IJEE.2021.239468.1759.
Little, A. D. (2023). Digital technologies for sustainability in the european chemical industry. https://cefic.org/app/uploads/2023/04/ADL_CEFIC_Digital_technologies_for_sustainability_2023.pdf.
Low, D. Y. S., Poh, P. E., & Tang, S. Y. (2022). Assessing the impact of augmented reality application on students’ learning motivation in chemical engineering. Education for Chemical Engineers, 39, 31-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ECE.2022.02.004.
Ludwig, E. E. (2001). Applied process design for chemical and petrochemical plant, Volumes I-III. Gulf Professional Publishing.
Norton, C., Cameron, I., Crosthwaite, C., Balliu, N., Tade, M., Shallcross, D., Hoadley, A., Barton, G., & Kavanagh, J. (2008). Development and deployment of an immersive learning environment for enhancing process systems engineering concepts. Education for Chemical Engineers, 3(2), 75-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.2008.04.001.
Pirola, C., Peretti, C., & Galli, F. (2020). Immersive virtual crude distillation unit learning experience: The EYE4EDU project. Computers and Chemical Engineering, 140, 106973. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compchemeng.2020.106973.
Seborg, D. E., Edgar, T. F., Mellichamp, D. A., & Doyle III, F. J. (2017). Process dynamics and control (4th ed.). Wiley.
Solmaz, S., Dominguez Alfaro, J. L., Santos, P., Van Puyvelde, P., & Van Gerven, T. (2021). A practical development of engineering simulation-assisted educational AR environments. Education for Chemical Engineers, 35, 81-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.2021.01.007.
Sotudeh-Gharebagh R. and E. Jabbari. (2021). Computer-Aided Process Simulation in Chemical Engineering. University of Tehran Press [in Persian].
Sotudeh-Gharebagh, R., & Zia-Zarifi, M. (2005). Computer aides process simulation for chemical engineers and necessity of its inclusion in b. s. program [in Persian]. Iranian Journal of Engineering Education, 5(25), 27-44.
Teles dos Santos, M., Vianna, A. S., & Le Roux, G. A. C. (2018). Programming skills in the industry 4.0: are chemical engineering students able to face new problems? Education for Chemical Engineers, 22, 69-76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.2018.01.002.
Udugama, I. A., Atkins, M., Bayer, C., Carson, J., Dikicioglu, D., Gernaey, K. V., Glassey, J., Taylor, M., & Young, B. R. (2023). Digital tools in chemical engineering education: the needs and the desires. Education for Chemical Engineers, 44, 63-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.2023.05.002.
Udugama, I. A., Bayer, C., Baroutian, S., Gernaey, K. V., Yu, W., & Young, B. R. (2022). Digitalisation in chemical engineering: industrial needs, academic best practice, and curriculum limitations. Education for Chemical Engineers, 39, 94-107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.2022.03.003.
Miao, F., & Holmes, W. (2023). Guidance for generative AI in education and research. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000386693.
Van Noorden, R., & Perkel, J. M. (2023). AI and science: what 1,600 researchers think. News Nature, 621, 672-675. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-02980-0.
Vogel, G., Schulze Balhorn, L., & Schweidtmann, A. M. (2023). Learning from flowsheets: A generative transformer model for autocompletion of flowsheets. Computers and Chemical Engineering, 171, 108162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.