Active and collaborative learning approach in Unit Operations laboratory by Open-ended experiments using the concept of Design of Experiments (DOE)

Abstract

Unit Operations is the hallmark course of Chemical Engineering and allied disciplines. This involves the separation of products by physical means such as Distillation, Extraction, Gas absorption, Crystallization, Evaporation, Filtration, etc. Unit Operations course is usually offered in the second year of the undergraduate program in Biotechnology. The conventional pedagogy practiced to date was not so effective in the attainment of certain Program Outcomes (PO). To address this issue, categorization of the laboratory was done into four types: Demonstration, Exercise, Structural inquiry, and Open-ended experiments was made. The experiments were carefully designed to address some of the major Technical and Professional outcomes. Assessment criteria for each kind of experiment were mapped to Program outcomes, Outcome elements, and Performance Indicators. This helps in the evaluation of the attainment of Program Outcomes more accurately. The present study deals with an active and collaborative learning approach in the Unit Operations laboratory by framing Open-ended experiments using the concept of Design of Experiments (DoE). Full Factorial Design(FFD) and Response Surface Methodology(RSM) concepts were used to study the effect of various parameters on Liquid-Liquid Extraction operation. The study helped in addressing the Program Outcome-4 defined by the National Board of Accreditation, which is related to conducting investigations of complex problems. The evaluation of the students’ performance was done using rubrics-based methodology, and attainment of the graduate attributes addressed were documented. Quality students’s feedback was taken to identify scope for further improvement in the teaching-learning process. Keywords—Collaborative learning; Design of experiments; Open-ended experiment; Program outcome