Design and Implementation of a Chemical Engineering Experiment That Combines Online Teaching with Laboratory Practice for Undergraduates Affected by COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 epidemic adversely impacted chemical engineering experiments (CEEs). Students underwent online learning, i.e., software simulation of the CEE course, instead of laboratory learning. A questionnaire survey revealed that students exhibited low enthusiasm for online learning, showing that online courses cannot ensure learning quality. Thus, herein, a novel CEE was designed based on the melt-spinning principle of the pitch-based carbon fiber preparation process. The feasibility of the experiment was demonstrated by inviting 12 teams of 60 students to participate in the trial experiment. The results indicate that the designed experiment improved the students’ ability to conduct literature reviews, computer simulations, apparatus designs, and experiments. The novel experiment was well received by the students. Although the students encountered difficulties in the experimentation process, they were highly interested in participating in this novel experiment and, thus, were successful in solving all of the problems with the supervisor’s help. The experiment helped to improve the comprehension abilities of the students.