An ontological approach to chemical engineering curriculum development

- An ontology (ChEEdO) was developed to model the chemical engineering curriculum.
- ChEEdO models taught modules, learning outcomes and topics in the curriculum.
- The object, context and levels of the learning outcomes specified learning.
- The functionality of semantic reasoning via the ontology was demonstrated.
- The ontology was used for curriculum development and learning integration.

Continuous reflection and evolution of curricula in chemical engineering is beneficial for adaptation to evolving industries and technologies and for improving student experience. To this end it was necessary to develop a method to enable a holistic reflection on the curriculum and to examine potential areas of improvement and change. The curriculum was modelled using knowledge modelling through the development of an ontology, Chemical Engineering Education Ontology (ChEEdO) in the Protégé 3.5 environment. ChEEdO models topics, taught modules and the learning outcomes of the modules within the domain of chemical engineering. The learning outcomes were related to the topics using verb properties from Bloom's taxonomy and the context of each learning outcome. The functionality of semantic reasoning via the ontology was demonstrated with a case study. The modelling results showed that the ontology could be successfully utilised for curriculum development, horizontal and vertical integration and to identify appropriate pre-requisite learning.