Development of Challenge-Based Educational Modules in the Biotechnology Domain GU È LNUR BI Â ROLy Biomedical Engineering Department, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Technological Institute, E 310, Evanston, IL 60208, USA. E-mail: birol@science.ubc.ca ANN F. MCKENNA Institute for Design Engineering and Applications, Northwestern University, 2133 Sheridan Road, G 319, Evanston, IL 60208, USA H. DAVID SMITH Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA TODD D. GIORGIO Biomedical Engineering Department and Chemical Engineering Department, Vanderbilt University, Box 351620 B, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA SEAN BROPHY Peabody School of Education, Vanderbilt University, Box 351620 B, Nashville, TN 37235, USA Biotechnology is one of the active domains in the NSF funded Engineering Research Center VaNTH (Vanderbilt, Northwestern, University of Texas, and Harvard/MIT) where educational modules have been developed. These modules cover a collection of challenges designed around bioreactors, mass and momentum transfer issues, microbial kinetics, and downstream processing, which are among core biotechnology topics. The aim of this study was to design educational modules centered on challenge-based education and to implement them in classroom settings. This paper focuses on the design and implementation of such educational modules and provides an overview of the challenges and learning activities that were developed for three specific topics that have been implemented at Northwestern and Vanderbilt Universities. Keywords: biotechnology education; mass transfer; microbial kinetics; bioreactors INTRODUCTION BIOENGINEERING lies within the intersection of biology with engineering, and the physical/chemi- cal sciences and mathematics. During the 1998±99 academic year, Northwestern's (NU) and Vander- bilt's (VU) Biomedical Engineering Departments became part of the Vanderbilt-Northwestern, Texas-Harvard/MIT (VaNTH) Engineering Research Center (ERC) in Bioengineering Educa- tional Technologies. The bioengineering faculty is currently working with learning scientists, learning technologists, assessment experts and bioengineer- ing students to develop educational modules for bioengineering education. Such educational tools are intended to enhance the learning experience of students, support collaborative and reflective learn- ing, and provide opportunities for students to practise skills expected in engineering practice. Aspects of learning science, learning technology and assessment are continuously being integrated into these modules [1]. In addition, new courses are being developed and integrated with new educa- tional modules to provide students with a better learning environment. Biotechnology continues to expand with the recent advancements in medicine, bioinformatics, proteomics, biomaterials, bioremediation and tissue engineering. Therefore, biotechnology is one of the first domains that the VaNTH ERC chose to develop using challenge based instruction. As the demand for biotechnology education continues to grow with these developments, the need for effective learning tools is also increasing. New approaches are being taken to teaching biotechnology and bioengineering to an interdisci- plinary audience. An example of such a course is presented elsewhere [2]. Stemming from this obser- vation, we developed three educational modules in the biotechnology domain. The focus of this paper is on the design process of these modules and related activities in the domain of biotechnology. It also addresses how the activities map to the learning goals of these modules. * Accepted 27 April 2006. y Current address: The University of British Columbia, Faculty of Science, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, BC, Canada. 171 Int. J. Engng Ed. Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 171±183, 2007 0949-149X/91 $3.00+0.00 Printed in Great Britain. # 2007 TEMPUS Publications.