A design software to facilitate learning via repeated practice by Chemical Engineering students

A design software was developed within the paradigm of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) to facilitate learning via a repeated practice approach by Chemical Engineering students reading a core module called Fluid-Solid Systems. The software was developed to be able to generate detailed solution steps to typical engineering design problems encountered within this core module. Students were able to utilize the software to generate complete solutions to such problems for comparisons with their own hand calculations and thereby apply a repeated practice approach towards their learning of engineering design calculations. Highly favorable responses were received from students with regards to the utility of the software towards enhancing their abilities to apply the knowledge they had acquired in the module, engage in independent learning of the subject outside of formal classroom hours and understand concepts that were discussed during lectures and tutorials. Students who utilized the software more frequently throughout the semester performed better in the final examination. Interestingly, a minimum threshold in usage frequency of the software seemed to be necessary for the positive effect on performance in the final examination to be significant. As a TEL intervention to enhance students' learning via a repeated practice approach, this pedagogical intervention was deemed highly scalable to large class sizes and effective in overcoming constraints relating to limited classroom hours.