Course Syllabus
Contact Information
Course Details
For a list of course activities, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Course Delivery
This course is asynchronous, so you will find instructional materials, assignments, etc. in Canvas.
Course Prerequisites
This course does not have prerequisites other than being a good-standing student enrolled in the MS in Sustainability. Some knowledge on the following topics will be beneficial, but not essential:
- Material balances and energy balances (First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics) on unit operations and chemical processes
- Excel or other computational software for calculations
- Aspen Plus (process simulation software) to design chemical processes and specify unit operations (equipment sizing, cost, energy requirements)
Course Materials
- Sustainable Engineering Principles and Practices, Bhavik R. Bakshi, Cambridge University Press, 2019.
In addition, we will use selected material from three other texts (these will be provided):
- Analysis, Synthesis, and Design of Chemical Processes, Richard Turton et al., 4th edition, Pearson, 2012; or 5th edition, Pearson, 2018.
- Green Engineering: Environmentally Conscious Design of Chemical Processes, David T. Allen and David R. Shonnard, Prentice-Hall, 2002.
- Engineering for Sustainability: A Practical Guide for Sustainable Design, Gerald Jonker and Jan Harmsen, Elsevier, 2012
Other readings will be selected from the current literature.
We will use the OpenLCA Modeling Suite software for some calculations and demonstrations.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLO)
By the end of this program, the student will be able to…
- Science, technologies and assessment methods (3)
- Explain cutting edge scientific approaches relevant to assess the sustainability of human operations
- Apply fundamental science to develop solutions for energy and environmental problems
- Quantify the performance of new technologies from a sustainability perspective
- Interdisciplinary and systems-level approach (2)
- Explain how local solutions could have a global impact in terms of sustainability
- Apply systems thinking to address the challenges related to sustainability
- Critical thinking: problem-solving and decision-making under uncertainty (4)
- Identify and quantify how future uncertainties can impact the sustainability of a project economically, environmentally and socially
- Make decisions and solve problems based on quantitative assessment
- Propose practical solutions to technological problems in energy and materials management and to develop sustainable solutions for long-term goals
- Management, leadership and effective communication (4)
- Effectively communicate to a variety of stakeholder groups in different settings via a variety of media, including written, verbal and visual forms
- Apply effective approaches to teamwork
- Use advanced tools and techniques of project management to deliver quality projects
- Differentiate between management and leadership, and identify effective leadership skills
Course Learning Outcomes (CLO) Alignment
| CLO | Description | PLO |
|---|---|---|
| A | Identify and quantify sustainability issues related to energy usage and GHG emissions in existing chemical processes; and specify process alternatives with quantifiably improved sustainability. | |
| B |
Identify and quantify sustainability issues related to materials (feedstocks, solvents, etc.) required in the chemical process and identify from the literature alternatives with improved sustainability. |
|
| C | Analyze chemical process flowsheets for opportunities for energy optimization, pollution prevention, and safety in individual unit operations and whole processes. | |
| D | Identify potentially hazardous situations in the chemical industry and propose alternative design options to prevent environmental and safety risks. |
In addition to accomplishing these course learning objectives, the class activities, homework assignments and project will help you develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, improve your communication skills, improve your abilities to search and use literature sources, and improve your skills with Excel and life cycle analysis.
Grades
Breakdown
| Activity | Description | Points/Percentage |
|---|---|---|
|
Participation |
Join Live Session in real-time or watch the recording and do the makeup assignment |
10% |
|
Quizzes |
Short quizzes over the reading assignments |
10% |
|
Homework |
Eight homework assignments (lowest score dropped), each worth 4% |
28% |
|
Midterms |
Two Midterms. Each midterm is worth 16% |
32% |
|
Group Project |
The project is meant to bring together various aspects of the material learned during the course. |
20% |
| Total | 100 |
Your final course letter grade is based on the calculated numerical score. The final course grade assignment will be no stricter than the standard 90/80/70/60 cutoffs for A/B/C/D grades. That is, if your final overall numerical score is 90% or higher, you will receive an A, regardless of how many other students receive As and regardless of what the overall class average is. Similarly, if your final overall numerical score is 70% or higher, you will receive a C or better, regardless of what the overall class average is.
Scale
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 90–100% | A |
| 80–89% | B |
| 70–79% | C |
| 60–69% | D |
| Below 60% | F |
Additional Grading Information
The final grade will be a weighted average of the results from quizzes over the reading assignments and graded in-class exercises; homework and project (literature) assignments; tests; and the final exam.
Quizzes: The closed-book, closed-note quizzes will be given at the first of the period on which a reading assignment is due. The quizzes consist of qualitative, information-type or very simple calculation questions. Their purpose is primarily to establish a common basis for learning, i.e., the quiz is over vocabulary and 'big picture' concepts. The students should carefully read any reading assignments prior to the quiz. The students will have 15 minutes to complete the quiz and upload the answers to Canvas.
There will be up to 10 quizzes throughout the course. Each quiz will include up to 5 questions, which the students will answer conceptually with short sentences (no more than 100 words per each question). The assessment will be conducted following this rubric:
Course Components
- Quizzes: The required timed quizzes will be available during a time window prior to the live session for the course. The quizzes consist of qualitative, information-type or very simple calculation questions over the assigned reading materials for that week. Their purpose is primarily to establish a common basis for learning, i.e., the quiz is over vocabulary and 'big picture' concepts. The students should carefully read any reading assignments prior to taking the quiz.
- There will be up to 10 quizzes throughout the course, which may consist of multiple choice, true-false, or short answer questions.
- Homework: We will have (anticipated) eight homework assignments during the semester, each worth 4% of the class grade with the lowest score dropped.
- Midterm tests: We will have two midterm tests during the semester.
- Group project: The project will bring together the various aspects of the course involved in analysis and synthesis of a process.
Course Policies
Communication
If you need to contact me throughout the course, please do so through Canvas. I intend to respond within 24 hours, M-F.
I expect all participants to exhibit respectful and professional behavior in our communications and time together throughout our 16 weeks together.
Please communicate with me if unexpected adversities arise. We cannot plan everything, and we all need a little grace every now and then. So please do not hesitate to contact me if something comes up.
Feedback
Weekly Work: Feedback will be provided within 7 days
Major Writing Assignments: Feedback will be provided within 14 days
Late Policy
Late submissions will be considered up to one week after the deadline. This extension applies to both written weekly work and assignments. However, assignments will generally not be accepted if they are more than a week late unless the student faces extenuating circumstances beyond their control, such as a medical emergency. In such cases, the student should contact the instructor to discuss potential arrangements for submitting the work after the deadline.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is basically no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU's basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student's own understanding in the student's own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found or prompted from generative AI) by the student, except where words written by someone (or something) else are specifically marked as such with proper citation. Including other people's (or generative AI) words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don't, it's plagiarism.
University Academic Policies and Student Support
Access the University Academic Policies Document.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|