Abstract:

This study has been developed within the framework of the Master's Degree in Industrial Engineering, in Chemical Process Design course, which belongs to Chemical Engineering knowledge area. It has been applied in four groups simultaneously, with 170 students in total. The students were asked to design a chemical industrial process by means of a chemical process simulator such as Aspen Plus. The proposed scenario might have multiple solutions (open project) and the students were arranged in groups of 3 to 4 members (determined by themselves), establishing different roles. The open project has been developed in a cooperative and collaborative way, which has favored its success and at the end, each group member was evaluated by his/her group mates in order to ensure/check the good behavior of the team. One of the objectives of this project has been the integration of sustainable development goals in the field of energy, tackling climate change, and working on it through flipped classroom methodologies and cooperative work.

For the preparation of the flipped classroom and the incorporation of the Sustainable Development Goals, audio-visual material has been prepared and links have been used so that students could prepare the lessons in advance and make good progress in the project. The material prepared has been well received by the students, as it has enabled them to prepare better the lessons and having the possibility to watch them again during the development of the project. This methodology allows students to learn on their own solving multiple doubts that may arise when they are working on the project. Although it is true that not everything is positive, and there are students who prefer a more traditional methodology, the general acceptance has been quite good. Around 75 % of the students surveyed found the flipped classroom methodology to be appropriate. The employed methodology has had a very high impact on the quality of the work done, which from a technical point of view has been very high. It should also be noted that the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals has been very well received by the students, who think about it as an added incentive in the project. Very positive comments have been received from the students in this regard.

The application of these methodologies and the SDG has generated a higher student motivation, improving the use of face-to-face classes and the quality of work compared to previous courses.

Therefore, after analyzing the academic results and the student surveys, several conclusions can be drawn:
a) The integration of sustainable development objectives in projects in the area of chemical engineering provides benefit from the point of view of student motivation.
b) The flipped classroom methodology enhances self-learning
c) It is important that the prepared audio-visual material is useful for them.
d) The integration of all the above factors makes the technical development of the work very good, improving the quality of the projects as compared to previous academic years

Keywords:

Flipped classroom, Sustainable Development Goals, Self-learning, Motivation.