Pedagogical Approaches to Teach Fluid Mechanics and Mass Transfer to Nonengineers With a Biotechnology Focus

Cross-disciplinary fields such as biotechnology require chemical engineers and non-engineers to routinely work together, thus creating a need for non-engineers to learn chemical engineering. But limited knowledge on non-engineers’ learning preferences and the lack of pedagogical methods to teach non-engineers restricts the opportunities available for them to learn chemical engineering. Presented here is a fluid mechanics and mass transfer course developed specifically to meet the learning needs of non-engineers. Pedagogical methods such as active learning, low threshold high ceiling approach, and the newly developed four-tier method for progressive independence in quantitative problem solving were used in this course. Course assessment based on student performance in graduate level courses and future initiatives based on student feedback are discussed.