CURRICULUM INTENSIFICATION THROUGH

INTEGRATION OF UNITS OF STUDY IN THE

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DEGREE
PROGRAMME

A. Abbas1,
and J. A. Romagnoli2

1
Division of Engineering Science and Technology, University of New South Wales Asia, Singapore.
2
Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, USA.

Abstract: Chemical engineering education is made more relevant and up-to-date through inte-
gration of the units of study. Curriculum integration has received considerable attention in recent
years and many educators promote the idea because of its many advantages. This study looks
at the integration of the units of study in the chemical engineering curriculum. The concept of
integration is defined and different integration models are discussed. Vertical and horizontal inte-
gration are revisited and examples of these types of integration are presented in the context of
chemical engineering units of study. A framework for implementing the integration is presented.
The current integration and related issues are examined through a questionnaire targeted at final
year chemical engineering students. An integrated chemical engineering curriculum will give
positive results including elimination of poorly coordinated units of study, promotion of deeper
learning and enhancement of generic attributes.
Keywords: chemical engineering; curriculum; integration; deep learning; generic attributes.

INTRODUCTION streams of elective study and specializations

in the final years. This represents a degree
Chemical engineering (CE) is associated with programme that aims at producing graduates
the design, construction, operation and man- with the right engineering know-how and who
agement of commercial products and industrial are also competent to work in a problem-
processes. These products and processes based team environment. Being a broad pro-


Correspondence to: have chemical, physical, biological or environ- fession, it is necessary for the CE degree to
Professor A. Abbas, mental attributes. The profession of CE is adapt to changes in the profession and thus
Division of Engineering broad and chemical engineers may be found produce graduate students who are continu-
Science and Technology,
UNSW Asia, Singapore.
across a large sector of the professional com- ally in touch with the real world. Recent
E-mail: aabbas@ munity. Chemical engineers may work in a changes in the landscape of the CE
unswasia.edu.sg variety of industries including chemical, profession have further underpinned the
petroleum, minerals, paper, cement, plastics, necessity for change in the engineering edu-
DOI: 10.1205/ece06030
pharmaceuticals, food, semiconductor just to cational landscape, thus requiring radical
1749 –7728/07/ name a few as well as other sectors such as changes in the curriculum. Advances in bio-
$30.00 þ 0.00 research, financial and consulting. The technology, biomolecular and nanotechnology
degree program typically is focused on a fields need to be incorporated in the CE
Education for Chemical number of main tracks of CE education. degree syllabus since the contribution of
Engineers
These include chemical, bioprocess, environ- chemical engineers to these disciplines and
Trans IChemE, Part D, mental and energy, process systems and other advancing areas are quite evident.
Volume 2, 2007 chemical (management) engineering. Stu- The curriculum must keep course material
dents opt to undertake their learning in one up-to-date at all times reflecting current prac-
# 2007 Institution
of these streams. The degree is focused on tice. This raises the question of continuous
of Chemical Engineers
developing students who are industry oriented adaptability of the curriculum. One can
as well as competent in many aspects of soundly conclude that the curriculum is a
personal development. dynamic entity and change, it must, to
Like many other degree programs, the retain its credibility in professional instruction
curriculum structure of the CE degree con- and training. To develop CE graduates
sists of fundamental and core units of study who would be ready to face real life multi-
in the preliminary years followed by diverging and inter-disciplinary technical as well as

46 Vol 2 46 –55
 CURRICULUM INTENSIFICATION THROUGH INTEGRATION OF UNITS OF STUDY 47

professional problems, academia is pressured to address the Niess, 1998; Czerniak et al., 1999). The idea of curriculum
instruction issue at a number of levels and curriculum is integration has been traced back as far as the 1800s in the
certainly one of them. writing of Herbert Spencer (Vars, 1991). There is currently
Once the individual units/modules of the degree pro- increasing interest in integration in academia as evidenced
gramme list are identified (which is another facet of curricu- by educational literature. A special issue was dedicated to
lum development and is not the focus of this paper) then curriculum integration in 1991 in the Journal of Educational
the implementation of the curriculum becomes the key Leadership and also a special issue on the same topic was
hurdle. The curriculum from the student’s point of view may produced in 1998 in the Journal of School Science and
be described as being a programme that engages students Mathematics (JSSM). Different researchers use different
in the productive application of knowledge and skills learned words to describe integration. Interdisciplinary, multidisciplin-
in academic subjects (De Leeuw, 1992). At the point the ary, thematic and fused are some of these terms. Many
student enters the degree, he/she receives a programme researchers use these terms to mean integration and they
of subjects that he/she, we may fairly say, views as individual use them synonymously. Beane (1995) suggests that
units on a list which he/she must pass and thus tick off the
‘Curriculum integration is not simply an organizational
entire list to achieve the short term goal of graduating.
device requiring cosmetic changes or realignments in
Moving the student to perceive the learning differently and lesson plans across various subject areas. Rather, it is a
to appreciate and adopt a deep learning approach is the way about thinking what schools are for, about the sources
daunting challenge for the academic. When examining the of curriculum, and about the uses of knowledge. Curricu-
curriculum from the teacher’s point of view, it is also fair to lum integration begins with the idea that the sources of
assume that he/she is, mainly because of the busy nature curriculum ought to be problems, issues, and concerns
of his/her work, forced to compromise certain facets of the posed by life itself.’
curriculum. The teacher’s facilitation and teaching efforts
Beane is a self-proclaimed advocate of curriculum integration
may depart from achieving sound learning outcomes,
and in his article titled ‘Curriculum integration and the disci-
because perhaps like the student, many an academic
plines of knowledge’, he puts forward arguments defending
perceive the curriculum as a set of notes, slides and tutorials
curriculum integration as being the way for achieving high-
that they need to deliver in a particular course during a
status knowledge and argues that integration is important
particular semester. This compartmental perception needs
because it rearranges subject-area sequences that define
to be further scrutinized firstly for its existence and predomi-
the flow of knowledge and thus it is student centred. Beane
nance amongst academics. Then if the latter case is valid, we
does not favour separate-subject teaching and suggests
need to carefully investigate and learn about its influence on
that this offers little more than a disconnected and incoherent
teaching and learning outcomes.
assortment of facts and skills. Beane suggests in his last
Nevertheless, we press on, and suggest simply that the
statement in the above quote that real life problems should
curriculum consists of the course content and the mode(s)
be sources for curricula. This point is echoed by another
of delivery of this content. The National Council of Teachers
researcher (Huckaba, 1983), who stresses the need to
of Mathematics (NCTM) define curriculum as (Woodbury,
align the engineering education with real problems. Other
1998)
educational researchers have discussed the issue. In the
‘. . . an operational plan for instruction that details what editorial of JSSM, the editors Lederman and Niess (1998)
students need to know, how students are to achieve the attempt to resolve a definition to the term ‘curriculum inte-
identified curricular goals, what teachers are to do to gration’ by stating that
help students develop their knowledge, and the context
in which learning and teaching occur.’ ‘. . . future attempts to elaborate and clarify the meaning
of an ‘integrated’ curriculum should abandon attempts to
The curriculum content is vital to producing competent gradu- dissolve disciplines and create incongruous hybrids.’
ates who carry with them a set of skills derived from experien-
cing the content. The delivery of the content is also crucial, as it Here the editors are explaining that it is not a requirement of
may impact positively or negatively on the learning experience integration that units of study become blended in a manner
of the student. Examining the contents part of the curriculum is that units of study should lose identity. The integrated curricu-
a large area of research and is a curriculum design issue that is lum from this perspective is one that has discrete units of
beyond the scope of this paper. On the other hand it is the deliv- study that are linked with each other via common topics.
ery of the contents that is the focus of this paper (i.e., ‘what tea- Other workers have warned about the drawbacks of mis-
chers are to do to help students develop their knowledge’) and understanding the meaning of integration. Pang and Good
particularly how the integration of the units of study influences (2000) state
the way CE students perceive their degree and consequently ‘. . . real integration requires full understanding of inte-
how their performance shapes up. gration ideals. In order to help teachers reconceptualize
the vision of integration, the argument for integration
should include effects of integration on students’ concep-
DEFINING CURRICULUM INTEGRATION tual development.’
The notion of curriculum integration is not a new one and it For the purposes of this paper, integration is defined as the
has been a central idea in the delivery of educational instruc- process that requires units of study to work together in a
tion and has also presented itself as a hotly debated issue. fashion that enables the student to see the application of the
This debate argues whether or not an integrated curriculum theory and/or practice in one unit of study to the theory or
is any better than a separate-subject curriculum (Vars, practice in another unit of study allowing for construction of
1991; Beane, 1995; Venville et al., 1998; Lederman and knowledge and skills which are applicable in real life situations.

Trans IChemE, Part D, Education for Chemical Engineers, 2007, 2: 46–55

48 ABBAS and ROMAGNOLI

INTEGRATION QUESTIONNAIRE Frary, 1996; Bell, 1999) on the design, use and administration
of questionnaires. Many facets of the questionnaire were con-
The integration (based on authors’ anecdotal experiences)
sidered including its clarity, validity and reliability, the type of
in the current curriculum between units of study is typically
questions to be included and their order of appearance in
based on ad hoc arrangements. The curriculum exists as
the questionnaire. The questionnaire has some questions
independent subjects mapped out to lecturers who deliver
that require students to circle a preferred answer while at the
the material independently. There exists little effort in addres-
same time provides the student the opportunity to inform
sing the curriculum at the level of subjects’ topics. Each
about their opinion in other questions of an open-ended
lecturer is typically allocated independently his/her semester nature. The order of the questions was carefully planned
workload. The material delivered by the lecturer in a unit of with a sequence acting as a filter of the information to be gath-
study is developed to a large degree with minimal consul- ered. Finally, any bias in the survey was tracked and removed
tation with other lecturers. To pinpoint this problem we within the questions’ context. This small questionnaire may be
share the case where students learn the numerical regarded as a sample survey that provides some insight into
techniques in a mathematics course (which was taught by the current integration as perceived by the students through
another department) and then this is repeated in the their four years of undergraduate experience.
Chemical Engineering Computations course. Such lack of The questionnaire showed some consistency in its results. In
integration is hypothesised by us to be prevalent in the answering the first question, most students found themselves
current programme. ‘often’ learning something in a subject that can be applied in
Having earlier discussed some educationalists’ ideas on another subject. This reaffirms that there are common grounds
curriculum integration and recently our view of the current existing between subjects and that students are readily seeing
state of integration in the programme, it would be of value these overlaps. When asked to give examples of these com-
to learn about students’ perceptions on this to perhaps monalities, many students indicated that the later years
reveal whether or not students share the same concerns exhibited more commonalities between their units of study. A
mentioned by educationalist theorists and by us. We also number of students wrote down units of study they believed
wish to probe the current level of integration in the pro- had links to other subjects. From the students’ perspective
gramme from the students’ perspective. Following this and this data about the areas of commonality is vital and shows
due to the lack of information and feedback relating to the how the student envisages links between the various units of
status of integration in the CE curriculum, a short question- study. Important units to be mentioned are process modelling,
naire (questions listed in Appendix A) was prepared and thermodynamics and final year design 1 and 2.
administered to final year students from the 2001 class. When questioned about the existence of links between
Twenty students responded and the following results units of study, 14 students indicated they saw ‘some’ links
(Figure 1) are based on these responses. while six indicated they saw ‘many’ links. This is a positive
The survey was prepared in accordance with guidelines pre- indicator about the current state of the Department’s linking
sented in literature (Oppenheim, 1992; Rea and Parker, 1997; between the various units of study. Question 2(b) queried

Figure 1. Fourth year students’ questionnaire results.

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 CURRICULUM INTENSIFICATION THROUGH INTEGRATION OF UNITS OF STUDY 49

students about whether they came across subjects that had no Summary of Questionnaire Results
links to other subjects. The majority (11 students) indicated
This survey asks students about the perceived presence or
they ‘sometimes’ did come across units of study that they
absence of links—however it does not probe the quality or
saw were not linked to other subjects. From the responses,
nature of these links. This is not the focus of this work and
the units of study that fell in this category according to the
is quite a different thing. However it might be a very interest-
students were particle mechanics, electrical technology, intro-
ing area to investigate further as it would help in any con-
ductory mechanics, mechanics of solids, chemical process
sideration of the current integration in the degree—for
case studies, fundamentals of environmental engineering
example in relation to the three curriculum models identified
and materials and corrosion. There was a large consensus
in Figure 2. However, the survey data provide a very helpful
on the lack of links between the mathematics subjects and
preliminary indication of students’ perceptions of integration.
the rest of the CE units of study.
The questionnaire results indicate that there is already
The response to question 3 and question 4 indicated that
some level of integration between the units of study of the
students value the linking between the units of study and
CE curriculum. Students generally found that the links
see the timing of topics as important in the delivery of the cur-
between units is more prevailing in the final years, particularly
riculum. The responses to the open-ended questions varied
in the final year course of design, which integrates a large
and provided some insight about the current status of the
number of concepts learnt in earlier years. Deficiencies
links between specific units of study and also what links
were identified with a number of units of study, which may
can be made in the future. The later years were praised for
be viewed as discretely taught units where the students indi-
having links present among their units of study. A number
cated they saw no relevance in or no integration with other
of students indicated that the links between the computing
units. What was strikingly apparent in this questionnaire is
subjects exist. Emphasis was laid on the final year subject
the lack of integration between the mathematical courses
of design as it brought together many concepts learnt in the
and the CE ones. In the questionnaire, students showed frus-
earlier years of study.
tration with this lack of integration as a number of them indi-
The future recommendations made by the students pro-
cated they could not see the relevance of learning such
vided a healthy feedback with one student suggesting the
courses. They felt they were a waste of time and should at
timing of topics be examined. A number of students called
least be made more engineering relevant.
for links to be made between science subjects, mathematics,
The questionnaire demonstrates empirically that the same
chemistry and the main CE subjects. Other responses recog-
concerns mentioned by educationalists are revealed by CE
nised the importance of process control in design and
students. It also corroborates, to an extent, our hypothesis
suggested that these two units become integrated. Another
that the current integration in the department lacks systema-
response stated that linking is very important and perhaps
tic organisation. Furthermore it identified that linking of
at the end of each year there ought to be an assignment
subjects is regarded by students as an important element
relating all subjects together. The following quotes were
in the curriculum and this suggests that a more articulate
selected from the responses to the final question:
integration is needed.
‘Greater linking would be beneficial as it would show how
knowledge from one course is applied in another and MODELS OF CURRICULUM INTEGRATION
thus the real world . . . Linking would also allow continued
use of knowledge, instead of storing and not using again.’ The theoretical framework of many integrated models has
been established and there are various models of integration
Other responses to the final question suggested the removal presented in the literature. There are models that describe
of a number of units of study, as students could not see their integration within single disciplines such as the fragmented,
relevance, particularly some mathematics subjects. Others connected and nested models. Terms such as sequenced,
called for more applicable (i.e., integrated) mathematics shared, webbed, integrated and threaded are used to
courses. Another quote relating the integration to the describe models that integrate across disciplines. Other
approach to learning a student may take stated that ‘if sub- models such as the immersed and the networked models
jects are continually linked throughout the course, students are models that operate within learners and across networks
would perhaps remember what they have learnt’. While of learners, respectively. For a detailed description of each of
another response suggested that the linking of subjects will these models, the reader is referred to Fogarty (1991). The
reduce the workload of students. nested, webbed and integrated models (Figure 2) are

Figure 2. Different models of curriculum integration.

Trans IChemE, Part D, Education for Chemical Engineers, 2007, 2: 46–55

50 ABBAS and ROMAGNOLI

described here to give some insight about the variations In his book, Biggs attempts to answer the question of how we
between the different models. learn. This is seen as an important preliminary question in
First, the nested model takes advantage of natural combi- education research because once our learning approaches
nations existing between topics within a single unit of study. are understood, we may move on to design solutions that
An example might be a lesson teaching a certain software address the problems in teaching and learning. The 3P
package that targets the learning of the package itself in model of teaching and learning (Figure 3) developed by
the first dimension, then in another dimension and once stu- Biggs highlights the key factors and their interrelations in
dents learn the workings of the software, the teacher may the process of learning. These include Student Factors
target the subject matter by presenting the concepts of the such as prior knowledge and motivation, teaching context
scientific/engineering problem to be solved by the software, such as what to be taught and how it will be assessed, teach-
while a further learning dimension in this model targets the ing and learning activities (TLAs) such as tutorials and finally
thinking skills of the student by presenting exploratory and learning outcomes such as skills gained.
practical problems to be solved using the software. This The 3P model suggests that learning is a product of var-
model is useful and integrates knowledge, concepts and ious factors that are related to each other in a complete
skills within a single unit of study. system. It is essential that the lecturer/course coordinator/
Second, the webbed model uses a fertile theme to integrate tutor/facilitator is aware of these factors. This need to be
a number of concepts in various units of study. Academics acquainted with these factors arises from the progression
select a theme and use it as an overlay to their different units towards the alignment of TLAs with assessment and learning
of study. The environment, for example, leads to the ability in outcomes in such a manner that facilitates the construction of
drawing upon relevant literature resources, creating math- knowledge and thus moves towards deep approaches in
ematical models that describe environmental phenomena, learning. This systemic approach that brings together the
use various environmental software, design chemical plants constructivism theory of learning and the teaching design
that are environmentally efficient, appreciate social and politi- has been coined as ‘constructive alignment’. In this way,
cal impacts, understand economics of environmental alignment revolves around the subject’s learning outcomes.
considerations. So it can be seen that the theme ‘The Environ- It can be argued that assessments and teaching techniques
ment’ integrates the learning in various units of study. often encourage surface learning. According to Biggs
Third, the integrated model is where various topics across (1999) the main reason behind this is the lack of alignment
units of study are rearranged around overlapping concepts between the methods of teaching and assessment and the
and emergent patterns and designs. Academics sift through subject’s aims. Ramsden (1992) states that the assessment
related ideas out of subject matter content and make of students is, above all, about understanding the processes
matches among them as commonalities emerge. For and outcomes of student learning and understanding the stu-
example, a complete design of a chemical reactor leads to dents who have done the learning. From this it is seen that if
students learning about reaction kinetics, numerical solution we place more emphasis on the planning of the assessment
methods for solving kinetic equations, design of reaction methods, or if we better align the assessment methods with
vessels, materials science, process control synthesis and the learning aims and outcomes, then we will certainly
design, optimisation theory, familiarisation with relevant soft- move towards deeper engagement and competent knowl-
ware, report writing and presentation skills, all in different edge construction, because it is then that we are assessing
but integrated units of study. Fogarty (1991) states that the the learning within a highly consistent curriculum. Units of
various integrating models do not represent set prescriptions study need to attempt to develop bonds between TLAs,
for various curricula but in fact a department can easily work assessment tasks and curriculum objectives. Higher levels
with a number of models over time to develop an integrated of engagement with the subject’s content are aimed at. The
curriculum within and across units of study. students are prompted with verbs such as ‘appreciate’ and
‘develop’ illustrating the kind of expectations from the course.
So how does curriculum integration fit in constructive align-
CONSTRUCTIVE INTEGRATION AND ment and thus in the teaching and learning? In the teaching
MECHANISMS FOR IMPLEMENTATION context component of the 3P model, would perhaps suffice
Irrespective of the integration model a curriculum adopts, as a quick answer to this question. This is because this
the implementation must be based on a coherent and collec- component deals with what is to be taught and how it will
tive approach. The integration goals need to be defined early be taught. Alignment discussed here refers to the alignment
on and should strongly relate to the overall learning outcomes
as well as to learning outcomes at the semester level. Inte-
gration goals need to be incorporated within the teaching
and learning model.
To begin this discussion the following quote from the book
‘Teaching for quality learning at university’ by Biggs (1999) is
presented:
‘Learning is thus a way of interacting with the world. As we
learn, our conceptions of phenomena change, and we see
the world differently. The acquisition of information in itself
does not bring about such change, but the way we struc-
ture that information and think with it does. Thus, education
is about conceptual change, not just the acquisition of
information.’ Figure 3. The 3P model of teaching and learning (Biggs, 1999).

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 CURRICULUM INTENSIFICATION THROUGH INTEGRATION OF UNITS OF STUDY 51

of TLAs and assessment to learning outcomes. We can such as equilibrium and Gibb’s free energy. The analysis of
readily argue that design of aligned teaching material is the reaction system is achievable with a mathematical pro-
itself an integration development process, and so we need cess model that describes mass and energy conservation
to make considerations for coherent and consistent inte- as well as conversion. After completing such a project that
gration across the degree program. Students should observe is integrated across the units of study, the student has contin-
this integration easily as they are put into situations and con- ual enthusiasm as he or she begins to see the application of
texts that show them the links between the contents of differ- knowledge and skills of one unit in another. Furthermore, the
ent units of study. The alignment, clearly, will reinforce the student’s workload is lessened.
integration and vice versa.
The next question posed is what mechanism can be used
Example 2: Vertical Integration
to implement such integration? Let’s take the example of the
CE Department at Pennsylvania State University, USA, which In developing this semester integration model, the seme-
has dealt with the integration of units of study by utilising a ster teaching team keeps in mind the continuation of knowl-
key unit, namely Thermodynamics, as the integrating factor. edge and the advancement of skill and attributes from one
This integration recognizes the commonality between the semester or year to the next. A number of examples of verti-
first law of thermodynamics and material balance in the first cal integration may be presented and to illustrate this kind of
level. The Department then taught the second law and its integration the following stream of units is used. In first year,
application concurrently with study of fluid mechanics and students are taught Computers for Chemical Engineers, with
heat transfer. This allowed the application of the laws to be emphasis on data manipulation, numerical calculations and
seen immediately. Other integrations were recognised and data visualization. This basic computations course is inte-
implemented between other units of study. Feedback has grated with a second year computers course, CE compu-
found that such integrations have improved the student tations, the latter being a progression of the former. CE
acceptance of concepts (Daubert, 1983). computations focuses on solving equations, principles of
Another mechanism is proposed by Huckaba (1983) who optimisation, curve-fitting and interpolation. A third year unit
called for an urgent curriculum reform intended at composing of study, namely Flowsheeting and Optimisation is integrated
a genuinely interdisciplinary approach to engineering vertically with the previous two. This unit is also a computer-
education with the aim at creating professionalism in the based course with knowledge of concepts and software skills
students through the use of real social engineering problems. required. Finally this continuum of knowledge becomes a
This reform would integrate humanities courses with engin- big asset to the student in fourth year where it is integrated
eering courses in a ‘horizontal’ manner. For instance, the with the final year Design course. This is a simple example
design courses are integrated with humanities/social science and many Departments already have this stream of courses
courses to convey to the student that when a ‘professional’ allocated vertically across semesters with varying levels of
chemical engineer is considering the design of a chemical integration. Other streams of courses can in the same
plant, he or she needs to understand and address the manner be defined.
design from the technical, social, environmental and econ-
omic perspectives. This technico-socio-enviro-economic
Mechanisms for Implementation
integration in real life problems is what Huckaba (1983) and
Beane (1995) are suggesting should be reflected upon There have been quite a large number of theoretical propo-
in the undergraduate experience in the form of integrated sals on curriculum integration but very few (Grigg et al., 1996)
curriculum. deal with the methods to be adopted in the implementation of
By examining the implementation issue carefully, we can the integrated curriculum. This is because the implemen-
see that integration of the CE units of study can be made tation represents quite a challenge. It is also difficult to
in two directions, horizontal and vertical. In horizontal inte- persuade academics to change the way they have been
gration, the units of study in a semester are integrated with teaching their courses adding the personal dimension to
each other such that the timing of topics during a semester the problem. On one hand, academics realise that curriculum
and their delivery are coordinated and the content is also inte- integration may involve more work than just rearranging
grated. While in the case of vertical integration which occurs lesson plans, and on the other hand, there is always a fear
across semesters timing of topics is not essential. The follow- that the academic’s unit may lose identity and thus dissolve
ing two examples illustrate the way horizontal and vertical and be phased out. Despite these human factors, the inte-
integration may be devised. gration of units of study in the CE curriculum is vital and
the following represents a skeleton of an execution plan for
the implementation. The time frame is longer than one year
Example 1: Horizontal Integration
and a refined integrated applied model may not come to
Thermodynamics, Reaction Engineering, Process Model- place before 5 years. To develop an integrated curriculum,
ling are three courses currently taught in third year and a number of mechanisms need to be defined. This includes
may be delivered in Semester 1 of that year. They have a the use of real life multi-disciplinary process engineering situ-
number of commonalities and exhibit areas where the inte- ations to deliver the objectives of the CE degree program. In
gration between these units of study is appropriate. For light of our discussion on constructive integration we see it fit
instance, a project that requires students to design a reaction to create a systematic framework to act as basis for the CE
system can be used to integrate the three units coherently. curriculum and its execution. This framework in its abstract
The student is required to understand the concepts of reac- format is presented in Figure 4. Here we use the integrated
tions and reaction kinetics, catalysis and chemical reactor model presented in the section on models of curriculum
design, as well as the thermodynamic aspects of reactivity integration to organise topics within a semester. This is

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52 ABBAS and ROMAGNOLI

Figure 4. A framework for the integrated CE curriculum.

ideal because it relates to the multi-disciplinary nature of the CE the variety of problems available in real life but the disadvan-
curriculum. Topics within units of study stem from chemistry, tage is that vertically integrating course material will be diffi-
physics, mathematics, computation etc. and thus the CE cult to implement. The opposite is true in the latter case,
curriculum tends to exhibit overlapping across subjects that is vertical integration is easier to define but the project
making the Integrated model suitable for linking these. Further- is restricted to specific problems that extend across seme-
more, the framework uses an integrated project-based approach sters. The main objective of this project is to enhance the
to realise the teaching and learning goals and objectives. undergraduate CE learning experience by developing lin-
Within a semester, the modes of delivery of course content kages between the project and individual courses in the cur-
are varied and may consist of lectures, tutorials, assignments riculum. To show how integration using projects is executed,
and practical and computer laboratory work. Specific pro- example projects are presented in Appendices B and C as
blems in the form of case studies, major laboratory work and case studies for each of the third year CE semesters. Similar
design and research projects are defined within each seme- projects can be formulated for other semesters.
ster. These problems will be designed to act as the main inte- The use of projects to integrate concepts in the different
grating factor between units of study. As such they will be set units of study is an attractive approach to integration.
up by course coordinators who collaborate to define these pro- Deeper learning is anticipated in these learning situations.
blems to be as realistic as possible. The teaching team would This is because of the connection through the project material
rely on driving forces such as those coming from society, the to real-life situations so that students learn and appreciate the
environment, research, industry and politics to shape the pro- application of different units’ concepts in the solution of a real
blems. Where possible, current real cases of process engin- problem. The project may act as the curriculum moderniz-
eering coming directly from real life industrial projects would ation factor where, in the context of Figure 4, the system
be an advantage. This would ensure the curriculum remains chosen in project of semester i can vary to cater for advances
robust in staying in touch with new and emerging techno- in new technologies. The reaction used may be a chemical or
sociological problems. The problems are presented (a) to a biological one. Project of semester i þ k can offer a contem-
the students in such a way that the students are placed in a porary separation technology to examine and study.
realistic situation and they must make decisions as to which To be successful in integrating and linking topics across
CE principles must be applied (b). Before we move on to units of study, academics need to collaborate together and
discuss the projects, we should keep in mind that 100% must focus on making logical, natural and appropriate links.
integration should not be a target, since this may not represent Academics should address the goals of each unit of study
a perfect model for curriculum design. Students see the in the first instant before addressing other skills and attributes
need for a holistic curriculum that gives them freedom and that are to be gained from the integration. Generic attributes
opportunities to take non-linked or weakly linked subjects for are an important consideration when designing integrated
the purpose of all-round development. units of study. These attributes like research skills, working
in a team, problem solving and other attributes may be
gained in a separate-subject curriculum, but it is argued
Projects
that the integrated curriculum not only aids in the attainment
The designed projects may be varied across semesters or of generic attributes but also is an environment where
they may be extended for continuation across semesters (c). the enhancements of these attributes are made. Weekly
The advantage of the former mode is that the students feel for meetings are held between academics and student

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 CURRICULUM INTENSIFICATION THROUGH INTEGRATION OF UNITS OF STUDY 53

representatives to discuss the weekly progress and to identify REFERENCES

shortfalls. There would also be departmental meetings Beane, J.A., 1995, Curriculum integration and the disciplines of
focused on the curriculum on a monthly basis. Feedback is knowledge, Phi Delta Kappan, 616– 622.
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fully planned student questionnaires along with irregular Your Research Project. A Guide for First-Time Researchers in
externally audited evaluations. Finally, there would be a con- Education and Social Science, 3rd edition, 118–134 (Open Univer-
sity Press, Buckingham).
tinual reminder to the students of the links between the Biggs, J., 1999, Teaching for Quality Learning at University (Open
integrated units of study in an explicit manner. Once the inte- University Press Buckingham).
grated curriculum is in action it becomes time for students Crosthwaite, C., Cameron, I. and Lant, P., 2001, Curriculum design
and teachers to work on review and refinement and where for chemical engineering graduate attributes, 6th World Congress
on Chemical Engineering, CD-Rom, Melbourne, Australia.
possible work together to create new curriculum content Czerniak, C.M., Weber, W.B. and Ahern, A.S.J., 1999, A literature
that caters for the student’s individuality and learning pace. review of science and mathematics integration, School Science
This is termed by Vars (1991) as ‘unstructured core’ and and Mathematics, 99(8): 241.
he suggests it is the ultimate in student-centred integrative Daubert, T.E., 1983, An integrated approach, Chemical Engineering
Education, 108– 110.
curriculum. Here students may be required to develop their
De Leeuw, D., 1992, Examples of integrated academic and
own learning contracts. vocational curriculum from high school academies in the oakland
unified school district, ERIC Document 353472.
Fogarty, R., 1991, Ten ways to integrate curriculum, Educational
EXPECTED OUTCOMES AND BENEFITS OF Leadership, 49(2): 61–65.
CURRICULUM INTEGRATION Frary, R.B., 1996, Hints for designing effective questionnaires, ERIC
Document 410233.
Educational theorists have expressed concerns about Grigg, N.S., Criswell, M.E. and Siller, T.J., 1996, Integrated civil
curriculum integration and have identified various rationales engineering curriculum: implementation and management, Journal
for it. Wolf and Brandt (1998) explain that the brain develops of Professional Issues In Engineering Education and Practice,
122(4): 151– 155.
in an integrated fashion over time while Crosthwaite et al.
Huckaba, C.E., 1983, The infusion of socio-humanistic Concepts into
(2001) suggest that integration eliminates poorly coordinated Engineering courses, via horizontal integration of subject matter,
units of study and manages the semester’s workload. Chemical Engineering Education, 74–76.
Because integration provides an opportunity for students to Lederman, N.G. and Niess, M.L., 1998, 5 apples þ 4 oranges ¼ ?,
understand concepts in a larger context, it ought to improve School Science and Mathematics, 98(6): 281– 284.
Oppenheim, A.N., 1992, Questionnaire planning, in Questionnaire
their acceptance of concepts and thus facilitate understand- Design, Interviewing and Attitude Measurement, 100– 118 (Pinter
ing and improve their approach to learning. Beyond this Publishers, London).
rationale, key outcomes and benefits expected from this Pang, J. and Good, R., 2000, A review of the integration of science
framework of project-based curriculum integration include and mathematics: implications for further research, School Science
and Mathematics, 100(2): 73–82.
the development of student and staff interest and motivation,
Ramsden, P., 1992, Learning to Teach in Higher Education (Routle-
elimination of poorly coordinated units of study and manage- dge Publishers, London).
ment the semesters’ workloads. Furthermore, it is envisaged Rea, L.M. and Parker, R.A., 1997, Designing effective question-
that through project-based integration, students will develop naires, in Designing and Conducting Survey Research: A Compre-
generic attributes like teamwork skills. hensive Guide, (2nd edition), 27–64 (Jossey-Bass Publishers,
California).
A number of outstanding issues need to be addressed in TaPS, 2000, Attributes required by chemical engineering graduates,
the development of this integration model. They include the Curriculum Committee Report, Department of Chemical Engineer-
timing of topics, facilitators’ workload distribution, concurrent ing, The University of Sydney.
degree students and accommodation of failing students. Vars, G.F., 1991, Integrated curriculum in historical perspective,
Educational Leadership, 49(2): 14–15.
Venville, G., Wallace, J., Rennie, L.J. and Malone, J., 1998, The
CONCLUSIONS integration of science, mathematics, and technology in a disci-
pline-based culture, School Science and Mathematics, 98(6):
The need to improve the delivery of the CE curriculum has 294– 304.
been recognised. It is also recognised by many educators Wolf, P. and Brandt, R., 1998, What do we know from brain
research?, Educational Leadership, 56(3): 8–13.
that an integrated curriculum is best suited to learning Woodbury, S., 1998, Rhetoric, reality, and possibilities: interdisciplin-
concepts and skills. In CE, horizontal and vertical integration ary teaching and secondary mathematics, School Science and
are identified as ways of developing integrations in and Mathematics, 98(6): 303 –311.
across semesters. There is lack of documents evaluating
the level of and the effectiveness of current integration. Stu- The manuscript was received 31 October 2006 and accepted for
publication after revision 25 February 2007.
dents’ opinion is vital and the questionnaire presented here
represents a starting point in developing a more comprehen-
sive evaluation. It might be interesting to extend this empirical
aspect to balance/validate the more theoretical and litera-
ture-based discussion. A framework for integration was
APPENDIX A: FOURTH YEAR STUDENTS·
presented which is based on the use of semester projects
INTEGRATION QUESTIONNAIRE
to integrate concepts. The benefits of such integration are
numerous and advantageous to the student learning and Question 1: Did you find yourself learning something in a
attribute development and thus this calls to action for refor- subject that can be applied in another subject?
mist members of the CE academic community. Furthermore, A. Always. B. Often. C. Sometimes. D. Rarely. E. Never.
this framework may be applied to curricula of other engineer- Question 2(a): In your opinion, were there many links
ing disciplines. between subjects throughout the four years of the degree?

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54 ABBAS and ROMAGNOLI

A. Yes, many links. B. Some Links were present. C. No links glucose have the potential to produce ethanol faster and in
were present at all. D. I did not pay attention to the links greater yields at similar concentrations.
between the subjects. Learning outcomes: Students should be able to:
Question 2(b): Did you come across subjects that had no
. Develop research skills and to cope with ambiguity
links to other subjects?
. Develop teamwork skills and inter-team collaboration
A. Yes, I always came across subjects that I saw were not
. Develop skill and knowledge in biological process
linked to other subjects.
technology
B. I often came across subjects that I saw were not linked to
. Appreciate the wider implications of the uses of alternative
other subjects.
fuels
C. I sometimes came across subjects that I saw were not
. Ability to communicate technical analyses effectively in
linked to other subjects.
both written and oral forms
D. I rarely came across subjects that I saw were not linked to
other subjects. Student’s task: You are a chemical engineer and a member
E. No, I never came across subjects that I could not see the of a leading biotechnology research team working for the
links between them. company BIOSYD. Management has requested your team
Question 3: Do you think linking subjects is important for to research into biofuel manufacture. Specifically, your team
your learning? has been asked to research the production of ethanol by
A. Extremely important. B. Very Important. C. Important. the process of fermentation.
D. Not Important. E. Not important at all. In tackling the problem, you are to work in a team to
Question 4: Do you think the timing of topics is important for develop a mathematical model to describe the biochemical
your learning? reaction, develop a set of experiments to be undertaken at
A. Yes, Definitely. B. Yes, sometimes it would. C. No, it would not. the laboratory scale, validate the model developed and sub-
Question 5: Please write a short paragraph stating what sequently use the model to understand the underlying mech-
linkages you saw during your four years of CE education? anisms taking place. Your team will be working with either
Question 6: Please write a short paragraph stating what the bacteria or the yeast and you will need to collaborate
linkages could be made? with other teams to develop analysis comparing the two
Question 7: Please add any other comments or your opinion micro-organisms efficiencies in ethanol production.
related to the linking of subjects in the CE degree: You have also been asked to make recommendations as to
how many fermentors would be needed to reach a production
goal of 2 million kg/year (Australia’s bio-ethanol market) and
APPENDIX B: THIRD YEAR SEMESTER 1 how many batches would each of these fermentors need to
PROJECT DESCRIPTION make?

Modelling, Validation and Analysis of an

Ethanol Reaction System APPENDIX C: THIRD YEAR SEMESTER 2
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Project Background: Ethanol has attracted international
attention as a clean renewable fuel that can be distilled Simulation, Optimization, Control and
from crops including grains and sugar cane. Ethanol is also Economics of an Ethanol Separation System
used to make other chemicals, and scientists and engineers Project background: Distillation is a well established
are working on ways to make it an economically feasible separation technology and can be applied for the separation
alternative to fossil fuels. The ability to produce ethanol of petroleum fractions from crude oil in an oil refinery or biofuel
from low-cost biomass will be key to making ethanol competi- ethanol from fermentation products. A number of fundamental
tive with gasoline. Ethanol can be produced by bacterial or physico-chemical phenomena and Chemical Engineering con-
yeast fermentation. cepts are considered in a distillation operation such as vapour-
During fermentation, bacteria such as Zymomonas mobilis liquid equilibrium, thermodynamics, heat transfer etc . . .
consume glucose and excrete ethanol. This reaction The separation of ethanol from fermentation media can be
(Equation 1) is usually carried out in a biological reactor. achieved by distillation. High separation efficiency is usually
sought maximizing economics of operation. Important factors
Glucose ! Ethanol þ CarbonDioxide (1) for consideration are column design and method of separation.
Several steps are taken to quantify optimal points of operation.
The bacterium Z. mobilis uses glucose to form ethanol and
These include process modelling, optimization and control.
carbon dioxide under anaerobic conditions. Small amounts
Learning outcomes: Students should be able to:
of acetate and glycerine are produced. Oxygen has large
influence over the reaction. High levels of oxygen favour . Develop research skills and to cope with ambiguity
the production of acetate and glycerine, thus decreasing . Develop teamwork skills and inter-team collaboration
the purity of the desired ethanol product. It is therefore . Develop skill and knowledge in distillation separation
necessary to minimise oxygen levels. There are other factors technology
influencing the reaction and these include feed levels and . Develop skill and knowledge in simulation, optimization
reaction temperature. and process control
Traditionally, the micro-organism used for the production of . understand the competitive nature of real work business
ethanol has been yeast. The reason is that yeast can feed environment
on inexpensive products such as molasses and corn syrup. . Ability to communicate technical analyses effectively in
Bacteria like Zymomonas which feed on the more expensive both written and oral forms

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 CURRICULUM INTENSIFICATION THROUGH INTEGRATION OF UNITS OF STUDY 55

Student’s task: Your company has been invited to place a optimization criteria and objectives as well as also use the
tender for the separation of ethanol from a fermentation simulation to solve the optimisation and quantify optimal oper-
plant. Your specific project is to design a plant to achieve ation. You will also design and implement a control scheme.
the necessary ethanol separation. Once simulated, optimized and controlled you will submit
In tackling the problem, you are to work in a team to use a your tender for evaluation remembering that your tender
previously developed and validated process model to simulate response must be financially and technically competitive.
and optimise the distillation operation. You will examine This means you must consider capital and operating cost
dynamic operation using simulation software. You will define objectives besides control and operation ones.

Trans IChemE, Part D, Education for Chemical Engineers, 2007, 2: 46–55