**3. Open-ended laboratory in undergraduate program in the School of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia**

A case study of OEL practiced in the School of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia is presented in this section. OEL initiative has been introduced to the laboratory courses offered by the School since academic session 2013/2014 and has been the standard practice until now. The implementation of OEL has been adapted from the OEL approach reported in [3, 4]. The laboratory courses involved three courses: EKC291, EKC394, and EKC493 that would be taken by students at their second, third to fourth year, respectively. Each laboratory course is a two credit hours course which means about 4 h of laboratory session per teaching week. The level of laboratory openness in OEL approach is made increasing with the students' incremental years of study. The laboratory courses are a mix between OEL and TL approaches. The students were divided into groups of three/four, and each team is given one OEL project during the semester, while another eight laboratory works are meant for TL. Prior to the introduction of OEL in the laboratory courses, students would have been required to conduct about 12 experiments in TL approach. The School believes that 1 OEL + 8 TL format in three laboratory courses would be best compromise to both develop generic laboratory skills by the students and give students opportunity to delve into a wide variety of experimental topics.

The OEL were running for 4 weeks with one supervisor to craft the question or the problem statement, monitor and marking the group and individual performance of the student. Each group was given 3 h duration of in-lab sessions and 2 h duration of out-lab sessions in each week. The distributions of in-lab and out-lab sessions were shown in **Tables 3**–**6**. In-lab and out-lab sessions were spread between week 1 and week 4 where the student can have a mixture of session in each week. In-lab session means the students can carry the laboratory work during laboratory session where it normally starts in week 3 after the students have familiarized with the experimental rig and came up with the appropriate standard operating procedure (SOP) of the experiment, while an out-lab session is the discussion handled outside or during the laboratory session which do not involved directly with the laboratory experiment.

In addition, students were briefed on the safety on the laboratory prior to the OEL Lab in the first week. This safety briefing is carried out by the school safety officer. In week 1, the supervisor will hand in in-lab and out-lab activity to the student as shown in **Table 3** and the

exposed to OEL and only used to participate in TL, it is going to be a steep learning curve for the side of learners to be able to do a full laboratory research project in a later stage. In this

0 In laboratory demonstrations, learners are given all information pertaining to the experiment including the

**Experimental methodology**

 Given Given Given Given Given Given Given Given Given Open Given Given Given Open Open Given Given Open Open Open Given Open Open Open Open Open Open Open Open Open

**Expected results**

**Expected discussion**

1 In traditional laboratory courses, learners are supplied with the laboratory manual containing all relevant information such as operating procedures and learners needed to digest before conducting the laboratory experiment. There are questions left for the learners for discussion or it is left open but hints of theory involved is given so that the expected results from experiment can be anticipated by the learners. Learners

2 In traditional laboratory courses, learners are supplied with the laboratory manual containing many relevant information such as operating procedures and learners needed to digest before conducting the laboratory experiment. Learners need to plan and arrange the format for data collection as the data sheets to guide in data collection not given. Discussion on the experiment is left open for learners to evaluate based on the

3 In open-ended laboratory courses, learners are supplied with the clear objectives and problem statement of the experiment. However, the laboratory procedures to achieve the objectives are not given or coarsely given. Learners need to develop the procedures through literature or operating manual of the equipment. Learners also need to identify the various parameters and data that need to be collected. Discussion on the experiment

4 In open-ended laboratory courses, learners are supplied only with the clear objectives of the experiment. Learners to analyze the ill-defined problem with the help from literature review and come up with the problem statement. Learners develop the methodology and laboratory procedures to achieve the objectives through literature or operating manual of the equipment. Learners also need to identify the various parameters and data that need to be collected. Discussion on the experiment is left open for learners to

5 In free laboratory research project, learners decided to carry out from an ill-defined experimental theme usually in the form of final year research project that takes at least the whole semester to complete.

the blanks statements to emphasis the theory to the learners.

**statement**

26 Laboratory Unit Operations and Experimental Methods in Chemical Engineering

also supplied with the data sheets to guide them in data collection.

is left open for learners to evaluate based on the results.

**Table 2.** Typical profile based on level of openness of the laboratory.

evaluate based on the results.

objectives, procedures, results, and its corresponding discussion which sometimes some of it in a form a fill in

perspective, OEL act as the scaffolding for the full research project.

**Level Typical profile**

**Level Experimental theme Problem** 

**Table 1.** Level of openness in laboratory.

results.


supervisor where the supervisor will then evaluate and assess the proposed solution and ensure that the propose solution and SOP able to guide the team to get the expected outcome of the problem as shown in **Table 4**. In weeks 3 and 4 (see **Tables 5** and **6**), the team will

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**Figure 1.** Sample of role-playing memos as task given in OEL.

**Figure 2.** Sample of problem scenario given as task in OEL.

**Table 3.** In-lab and out-lab activity for week 1.


**Table 4.** In-lab and out-lab activity for week 2.


**Table 5.** In-lab and out-lab activity for week 3.


**Table 6.** In-lab and out-lab activity for week 4.

examples of the scenario/problem statement in **Figures 1** and **2**. The tasks can be given out as a role-playing case study or as in a problem scenario case study.

The supervisor will act as the facilitator to guide the student in understanding the given problem, propose the SOP and run the experiment accordingly to get the expected experimental outcomes. In week 2, the students need to propose the solution and the SOP to the supervisor where the supervisor will then evaluate and assess the proposed solution and ensure that the propose solution and SOP able to guide the team to get the expected outcome of the problem as shown in **Table 4**. In weeks 3 and 4 (see **Tables 5** and **6**), the team will

**Figure 1.** Sample of role-playing memos as task given in OEL.

**Figure 2.** Sample of problem scenario given as task in OEL.

examples of the scenario/problem statement in **Figures 1** and **2**. The tasks can be given out as

Thursday of the week.

• Continuation of report writing and submission not later than

• Get more resources to help understand the

• Divide work among group members

• Group conducts some simulation work to reconfirm

• Group verifies availability of equipment and tools to

• Group prepares schematic or flow diagrams for

• Group starts preparing comprehensive report

• Planning for presentation session

• Report findings to group • Agree on a solution

problem

design (if necessary)

conduct experiment

experiment

The supervisor will act as the facilitator to guide the student in understanding the given problem, propose the SOP and run the experiment accordingly to get the expected experimental outcomes. In week 2, the students need to propose the solution and the SOP to the

a role-playing case study or as in a problem scenario case study.

**In-lab session (3 h) Out-lab session (2 h)**

**In-lab session (3 h) Out-lab session (2 h)**

28 Laboratory Unit Operations and Experimental Methods in Chemical Engineering

**In-lab session (3 h) Out-lab session (2 h)**

**In-lab session (3 h) Out-lab session (2 h)**

• Understanding the problem with facilitator's guidance

• Identifying what you know and what you need to know in

• Brainstorming, giving ideas to solve problem • Identifying available resources and tools

• Facilitator marks individual in-lab activities

**Table 3.** In-lab and out-lab activity for week 1.

• Facilitator comments on solution, making sure the

• Facilitator monitors and marks individual in-lab activities

• Facilitator monitors and marks individual in-lab activities

**Table 4.** In-lab and out-lab activity for week 2.

• Group begins to conduct experiment

• Group obtain results from experimental work

**Table 5.** In-lab and out-lab activity for week 3.

solving the problem

• Present solution to facilitator

group is on the right track • Group begins to design experiment • Group confirms the experiment layout

• Report writing

in-lab activities)

• (Facilitator monitors and marks individual

**Table 6.** In-lab and out-lab activity for week 4.

conduct the experiment and monitored by the supervisor and also laboratory technicians, analyze the result, preparing the comprehensive report, and also the viva voce session.

the School were adapted from references [5–7]. Based on the assessment, the students' teamwork, psychomotor/lab handling skill, and presentation skill were taken into account. In each assessment, for example, the comprehensive report, the rubrics are given based on the rating

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In OEL, the students will utilize their fundamental knowledge of chemical engineering that they had learned in Years 1 and 2 and apply in Year 3 in Chemical Engineering Laboratory III. The students need to set what are the objectives of that particular experiment and also what is the goal that they want to obtain or achieve in that particular given problem. In addition, they need to discuss and propose to their supervisor the design steps on the experiment, how to set up the procedures for the experiment and the most important thing is they need to present it to the supervisor to attain his agreement on the proposed procedures. In this activity, the students will cogitate and use their higher order thinking skill to design and propose the procedures to the supervisor. Thus, the data that need to be collected also need to be determined by the students. Some experiment like in TL, there a lot of data need to be taken into account; however in OEL, only data that related to the design of experiment or goal need to be collected. Skill of presenting the result like using graph or flowchart or how to organize the data are very important in this stage as well as skill to analyze the data using any statistical tool, if needed. The results and the goals of the experiment need to be justified whether it is achieved or the result deviated from the theory. In this stage, the student uses their own ability to propose the solution and set the goal for the experiment. However, if the student were not able to obtain or achieve the goals, the student can apply different strategies or methods, subject to supervisor's approval in the attempt to get the expected result. This activity indicates that the students have the capability to analyze the result properly and propose a new solu-

for each attribute. The contents of the comprehensive report are shown in **Table 8**.

tion that may solve the problem hence obtaining the goal of the experiment.

The feedbacks on OEL from the student were carried out as part of the question asked in the exit survey by the exiting students. The response obtained from the students are shown in **Figure 3** and summarized in **Table 9**. The students were asked the question how effective OEL in strengthening students' laboratory skills with 5-point Likert scale-type response with least effective, less effective, average, very effective, and highly effective. It is shown that the students' tendency is favorable toward OEL and has been improving from the first year of OEL's inception to the laboratory courses in 2014. This can be seen from mean rating scale of 3.50 out of 5.00 in 2014 and increasing to 4.00 and 4.08 in 2015 and 2016, respectively, before settling at rating scale of 3.75 in 2017 (see **Table 9**). The accepted minimum response as a performance indicator to indicate support on the OEL initiative was set at response at scale 4 (very effective) and above. Response started in 2014 with highly divided at 48:52 (yes:no) ratio and later improved in the subsequent years presumably by better supervision and guidance by the laboratory instructors on the students groups as the laboratory instructors gained more experience. In the qualitative response section in exit survey, most students generally comment that

**5. Reflections in open-ended laboratory initiatives**

## **4. Assessment methods for open-ended laboratory**

The assessment method covers not only the comprehensive report submitted but also other components of assessments as shown in **Table 7**. Many assessments methods employed by


**Table 7.** Assessment method in OEL.


**Table 8.** Format of comprehensive report for OEL.

the School were adapted from references [5–7]. Based on the assessment, the students' teamwork, psychomotor/lab handling skill, and presentation skill were taken into account. In each assessment, for example, the comprehensive report, the rubrics are given based on the rating for each attribute. The contents of the comprehensive report are shown in **Table 8**.
