Chemical Product Engineering Using CDIO Enhanced With Design Thinking

Chemical Product Engineering Using CDIO Enhanced With Design Thinking

C. Huiting, S. CHEAH (2012).  Chemical Product Engineering Using CDIO Enhanced With Design Thinking. 9.

The Diploma in Chemical Engineering (DCHE) of Singapore Polytechnic (SP) adopted the CDIO framework as the basis for its curriculum since 2007. In an earlier paper (presented at the 6th International CDIO Conference in 2010), the authors shared on the inclusion of a module Product Design and Development in Year 2 of the DCHE curriculum as a response to the emergence of chemical product engineering in the chemical engineering discipline.

This present paper is an update of work done since then. It briefly explains what design thinking (DT) is, and how it fits into the CDIO framework. It then explains the coverage of the new module Introduction to Chemical Product Design and how we customized the teaching of DT to meet the needs of chemical engineering. It shares the general outline of the syllabus and how it guides our approach in designing the various learning tasks in an integrated curriculum, including the use of reverse engineering.

It shares how we integrate the new module with existing modules Product Design and Development and Final Year Project to provide a seamless coverage of C-D-I-O skills across the diploma’s 3-year curriculum; as well as important revisions made to the original Product Design and Development module.

The paper then discusses some challenges faced by the team and some approaches that we have taken to overcome these difficulties.

Lastly, we shares some learning points from this initiative, which at the time of this submission, had just completed its first pilot run. Ideas for furthering improving the teaching of this exciting subject in chemical engineering will also be presented.

(NOTE: Singapore Polytechnic uses the word "course" to describe its education "programs". A "course" in the Diploma in Chemical Engineering consists of many subjects that are termed "modules"; which in the universities contexts are often called “courses”.)

 

Authors (New): 
Claire Ng Huiting
Sin-Moh CHEAH
Pages: 
9
Affiliations: 
Singapore Polytechnic, Singapore
Keywords: 
Chemical product engineering
CDIO
Curriculum integration
design thinking
Year: 
2012
Reference: 
Cheah, S.M., “Using CDIO to Revamp the Chemical Engineering Curriculum”, 5th International CDIO Conference, June 7-11, 2009; Singapore. : 
Cheah, S.M. and Ng H.T., “Design-Build Experience: Product Design and Development for Chemical Engineering”, 6th International CDIO Conference, June 15-18, 2010; Canada : 
Cheah, S.M., “Chemical Product Design and Development: Learning from Student Experience”, 4 th International Symposium on Advances in Technology Education, 28-30 September, 2010; Japan.: 
Cussler, E.L. and Moggridge, G.D. Chemical Product Design, Cambridge University Press, 2001. : 
Ting, K.E. and Cheah, S.M., “Assessment of CDIO Skills for Student Final Year (Capstone) Projects of Different Genres”, 6th International CDIO Conference, June 15-18, 2010; Canada.: 
Brown, T., Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation, HarperBusiness, 2009. : 
ESC Report of the Economic Strategies Committee, February 2010.: 
Kumar, V. and Whitney, P., “Daily Lives, Not Markets: Customer-centered Design”, Journal of Business Strategy, Vol.28, no. 4, 2007; pp 46-58. : 
SP, “Towards SP@60 (2014) – Opening Minds, Shaping Lives: The Strategic Plan of Singapore Polytechnic”, 2009/2010 Edition. Singapore Polytechnic. : 
Rittel, H.W. and Webber, M.M., “Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning”, Policy Sciences, Vol.4, 1973; pp.155-169. : 
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