New methods of teaching and learning for industry-based professionals

It is no longer possible for the profession to assume that chemical engineers can be educated, trained and developed in the way that prevailed in the latter part of the 20^th century. A key challenge is the need for employment-based and part-time learning and continuing professional development that provides core chemical engineering knowledge and skills and also encourages a multi-disciplinary approach. Strathclyde University´s Department of Chemical and Process Engineering has pioneered several undergraduate and postgraduate distance learning courses for industry-based students that are unique in the UK and are attracting interest on a world-wide basis. The design an development of the courses was undertaken with a wide range of partners including industry, Professional Institutions and other Universities. The course deliver involves new methods of teaching, learning and communications that range from text-based to Internet-based. There is a strong emphasis on employment-based project work. The paper covers: the key features of course and curriculum development and the role of partnerships; the most effective methods of teaching, learning and communication; the most effective use of work-based projects; the methods of achieving team-work with widely dispersed students; the importance of mentoring and ´pastoral care´ for geographically isolated students; and case studies illustrating the diversity of students´ background, learning experiences and outcomes from the courses.