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Curriculum Development

Implementation Grant: Transforming the Educational Experience of Transfer Students in Chemical Engineering using a Multi-Dimensional Spiral Curriculum

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is supporting curriculum reform at University of South Florida by awarding a $1 million grant for three-years (EEC-0530444).  The NSF project team of five faculty is led by Vinay Gupta, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, and consists of Babu Joseph, Aydin Sunol, Norma Alcantar, and Ryan Toomey.  This web page is dedicated to the philosophy, implementation, and progress of this project.

The objective of the curriculum reform project is to enhance engineering pedagogy for undergraduate students in Chemical Engineering by the development and implementation of a “multi-dimensional spiral curriculum”.  The specific goals of the project are to

·          transform the educational experience of students who transfer from two-year community colleges and encounter the predominant curriculum with its emphasis on a linear sequence of courses and gradual spacing over a four year program. 

·          adapt the iterative revisiting of concepts in a “spiral curriculum model for curricular integration in a structured, yet simple manner. 

·          implement three interlocking spiral paths to deliver a pedagogically sound, student-centered curriculum that allows integration of core chemical engineering courses, incorporation of traditional and new technological applications, and threading of process and product design concepts over the complete curriculum.

·          address some of the most important challenges facing engineering education: attracting and retaining a diverse student body and providing an educational experience that builds confidence and enthusiasm in the student towards learning engineering principles and applications.

·          develop broadly applicable methodology and tools that can be generalized, first to non-transfer students and then to other disciplines of engineering.

·          disseminate tools and methodology of the curricular and pedagogical changes to educators within and outside USF.