The University of Queensland’s (UQ) School of Chemical Engineering has received international recognition for its project-centred curriculum.
The Royal Academy of Engineering in London has profiled UQ’s Chemical Engineering curriculum as one of six exemplar case studies of sustained and successful educational change in engineering in its international report Achieving excellence in engineering education: the ingredients of successful change
UQ’s Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology’s (EAIT) Associate Dean (Academic) Professor Caroline Crosthwaite said this report highlighted the faculty’s commitment to undergraduate education and continuously improving and evolving its teaching and learning methods.
“As a faculty, we strive to provide our students with the best university education and experience possible,” Professor Crosthwaite said.
“We are committed to ensuring that the education we offer is informed by research into best practice and industry trends to ensure that our graduates are among the best in the nation.”
UQ’s School of Chemical Engineering’s Design Project Centred Curriculum was developed more than 10 years ago to address the full spectrum of ‘engineering graduate attributes needed for professional practice’.
The previous curriculum was acknowledged as providing students a strong theoretical framework, but needed revision to include more opportunities to develop professional skills, experiences and practices.
In response to these findings, the School of Chemical Engineering completely redesigned its curriculum, focusing on project work supported by and integrated with all core teaching and learning activities.
Now, approximately one quarter of UQ’s Chemical Engineering curriculum is devoted to team-based project-centred outcomes, which are designed to mirror professional workplace practices.
Adopted as part of the curriculum overhaul, a team-teaching approach ensures the coherent development of the graduate attributes throughout the four-year curriculum and provided improved communication between staff.
“The Project Centred Curriculum curricular approach is driven by program-level curriculum design principles, which ensures a shared understanding of the approach,” Professor Crosthwaite said.
UQ’s School of Chemical Engineering Project Centred Curriculum won an Australian Award for University Teaching in 2005 as a program that enhanced learning.
It has since been recognised as an international benchmark in engineering curriculum reform.
A copy of the report is available here.
Media: Madelene Flanagan (m.flanagan@uq.edu.au or 3365 8525)
