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Students' changing accounts of chemical engineering: a longitudinal study in three countries.

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Title: Students' changing accounts of chemical engineering: a longitudinal study in three countries.
Authors: Ashwin, Paul1 (AUTHOR) paul.ashwin@lancaster.ac.uk, Agrawal, Ashish2 (AUTHOR), Blackie, Margaret3 (AUTHOR), McArthur, Jan1 (AUTHOR), Pitterson, Nicole4 (AUTHOR), Smit, Reneé5 (AUTHOR)
Source: European Journal of Engineering Education. Jun2026, Vol. 51 Issue 3, p521-536. 16p.
Subjects: Chemical engineering, Undergraduate programs, Curriculum planning, Psychology of students, Education research, Educational objectives, Longitudinal method, Chemical engineering education
Abstract: In this article we examine how students' accounts of chemical engineering change during their undergraduate degrees and whether these changes were related to the educational intentions of their degree programs in two English, two South African and two US universities. Based on interviews with forty-five students over the course of their undergraduate chemical engineering degree, we found that initially most students did not know what chemical engineering was or thought it was about undertaking chemistry on a large scale. By the end of their degrees, most students had reached a watershed account of chemical engineering and saw it as about the design of large-scale processes of production. The changes in students' accounts of chemical engineering appeared to be related to the educational intentions of their degree programs. We explore the implications of these outcomes for curriculum development in chemical engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Engineering Source
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Abstract:In this article we examine how students' accounts of chemical engineering change during their undergraduate degrees and whether these changes were related to the educational intentions of their degree programs in two English, two South African and two US universities. Based on interviews with forty-five students over the course of their undergraduate chemical engineering degree, we found that initially most students did not know what chemical engineering was or thought it was about undertaking chemistry on a large scale. By the end of their degrees, most students had reached a watershed account of chemical engineering and saw it as about the design of large-scale processes of production. The changes in students' accounts of chemical engineering appeared to be related to the educational intentions of their degree programs. We explore the implications of these outcomes for curriculum development in chemical engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:03043797
DOI:10.1080/03043797.2025.2509633