Impact of Industrial Visit Activities in Enhancing Chemical Engineering Student Education
Practical skills are relevant in chemical engineering education to gain employability skills. This is conventionally achieved through on campus laboratory work rather than industrial visit activities. Second year chemical engineering students carried out on-site visit activities at an industrial process plant in the spring of 2023.
What did you do? Why did you do it?
To comprehend the relevance of their learning to real time applications, second year chemical engineering students visit the CATCH facility in Stallingborough. They carry out different activities a day in the workshop, tank farm, process plant, and control room following the industrial protocol. This is to help students familiarise themselves with industrial settings and practices, and improve on their employability skills through personal experience. Students take notes during their activities and submit a group summative report, and are required to comment on the applicability of the industrial activities to their modules and learning in general. Feedback is provided online by writing comments to help students improve on their technical communications and reflect on any areas they could not cover in their report.
Students performing various activities at CATCH.
Students performing various activities at CATCH.
Students performing various activities at CATCH.
What was the impact of your practice and how have you evaluated it?
Student feedback was very positive with all the students agreeing that the visit activities help them to understand chemical engineering concepts taught in their modules, and considered the activities to be more interesting and engaging. It was established that the activities improved their technical skills such as equipment operation, team work, communication and problem solving skills.
Tutors supervise the students, helping them to understand the links between theory and the industrial activities and ensure students who may have a background in conventional on-campus activities are all involved.
Student response on the rating of how the activities relate to their modules.
Student feedback noted: “I learnt a lot about the centrifugal pumps parts, how it works and how important it is in the chemical plants.” “I learnt health and safety on plants, plant design and layout.” “Simulation control room helped to improve the understanding of the CAPE2020 assignment. Safety protocol, safety gear used throughout the visit.”
How could others benefit from this example?
Traditionally, industrial visits involve students touring the facility rather than being involved in hands-on activities. Performing on-site practical activities in an industrial facility could be useful to all engineering students as experiential learning forms an integral part of engineering education. Students spend enough time, learn better, and engage with themselves and the industrial personnel.
Students doing hands-on work in the industry will build their confidence and give them a better understanding of industrial equipment operations and industrial practices. It will improve their problem solving and team working skills. Assessment of visit reports add a variation to the module assessment types and promotes students’ self-reflection and tutor feedback.
Author
Dr Eric Danso-Boateng, FHEA, PGCAP, e.danso-boateng@leeds.ac.uk, School of Chemical and Process Engineering
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