Application of Chemical Simulation to Enhance Chemical Process Experience of Undergraduates

Abstract

Undergraduate chemical process courses traditionally rely on lectures and pen-and-paper problem sets to teach mass and energy balances, unit operations, and process flow analysis, an approach that can leave students with limited felt experience of how these principles operate in a dynamic, interconnected plant-scale process. This study evaluated the effect of integrating Aspen HYSYS-based process simulation exercises into a Chemical Process Technology course on undergraduates' conceptual understanding and subjective process learning experience. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was used with 90 third-year Chemical Engineering and Industrial Chemistry students from two intact class sections. The experimental group (n = 45) completed weekly simulation exercises modeling distillation, heat exchange, and reactor unit operations alongside conventional lectures across a 13-week module, while the control group (n = 45) received identical lecture content and problem sets without simulation exercises. Conceptual understanding was assessed with a Process Conceptual Understanding Test (PCUT) administered pre- and post-intervention, and subjective process learning experience was assessed post-intervention with the Chemical Process Learning Experience Scale (CPLES), covering engagement, self-efficacy, perceived relevance, and depth of understanding. Analysis of covariance on PCUT composite scores, controlling for pretest, showed a significant effect favoring the experimental group, F(1, 87) = 73.36, p < .001, partial η² = .46. Independent-samples t-tests showed the experimental group scored significantly higher than the control group on all four CPLES dimensions (all p < .001, d > 1.5). These findings suggest that integrating process simulation software into chemical process instruction meaningfully strengthens both conceptual mastery and the subjective experience of engaging with plant-scale chemical processes.