CHEMICAL ENGINEERING CURRICULUM RENEWAL V. G. GOMES 1 , G. W. BARTON 1 , J. G. PETRIE 1 , J. ROMAGNOLI 2 , P. HOLT 3 , A. ABBAS 4 , B. COHEN 5 , A. T. HARRIS 1 , B. S. HAYNES 1 , T. A. G. LANGRISH 1 , J. ORELLANA 1 , H. T. SEE 1 , M. VALIX 1 and D.WHITE 1 1 School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, NSW,Australia 2 Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA 3 Ecological Engineering, Prahran, VIC, Australia 4 School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 5 Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa B ased on results of our own research and stakeholder surveys, the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at The University of Sydney has identified a number of imperatives for curriculum change, and has used this stimulus to embark on the task of curriculum renewal. First,the desired graduate attributes were determined, followed by the design of mechanisms needed to integrate these within the curriculum. The curriculum was designed to incorporate an integrated framework for teaching all core concepts, enabling technologies and engineering practice paradigms. The new curriculum was introduced in stages, commencing in 2004. Each unit of study comprises several modules, most supported by problem-based learning. Integration within, and between semesters is vitally important, and is enhanced by team teaching, which has also helped to provide a sense of peer-support. Assessment against sets of competencies rather than differentiated grading was introduced for core technical courses. Students progress between years of study with a greater understanding of the inter-relationship between the analytical, synthesis and practice components of the cur- riculum. There are a few issues to resolve, but several positive features have emerged so far. The positive reviews of the new curriculum by the Accreditation Panels of both Engineers Australia and the Institution of Chemical Engineers, as well as comments from student repre- sentatives, have been significant confirmations of our approach. Keywords:curriculum design; chemicalengineeringeducation;graduateattributes; accreditation; problem-based learning. INTRODUCTION Until recently, the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering curriculum at the University of Sydney could be described as a traditional, well-taught programme, representative of curriculum styles followed internationally—almost invari- ably based on unit operations with a petrochemical design capstone project, and all taught in a classical‘teacher/ student’ mode. Its style and content had remained largely unchanged since the 1970s. However,the engineering profession has been under- going change at a rapid pace. The 20th century saw our engineering discipline grow at a staggering rate and the fruits of that growth have permeated almost all aspects of people’s lives. The key drivers for change include social, economic, technical and geopolitical needs. A key factor to consideris thatemployersare demanding a greater level of competencies from engineers—versatility in a range of areas, not just the core technical domain. Hence, the urgency to design a curriculum to deliver well-educate engineers capable of contributing to all aspects of sustain- able development in an increasingly competitive world (Clift, 1998; Westerbergand Subrahmanian, 2000; Crosthwaite et al., 2001;Cusslerand Moggridge, 2001; Gomes et al., 2000; Gomes, 2002). STIMULI FOR CHANGE Chemical Engineering educators and professional bodies have been flagging a changed situation and recommendin remedial action for some considerable time (IEAust, 1996; Woods et al., 2000). These realizations have been slow to translate into practice.The recentcurriculum renewal processby the Schoolof Chemicaland Biomolecular Engineering, University ofSydney,marksan overdue initiative to engage with these challenges. A numberof tensionshave arisen in the educational sector recently due to professional and student imperative Correspondence to: Dr V.G. Gomes, School of Chemical and Biomolecu- lar Engineering, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. E-mail: vgomes@chem.eng.usyd.edu.au 116 1749–7728/06/$30.00+0.00 # 2006 Institution of Chemical Engineers www.icheme.org/ece Trans IChemE, Part D,2006 doi: 10.1205/ece.06020 Education for Chemical Engineers, 1: 116 – 125