Strategies to Map Education 5.0 and Industry 5.0 in the Context of a Modernized Undergraduate Program in Chemical Engineering

Education 5.0 is the direct application of novel technologies to consciously create a humanized, holistic teaching experience, to directly target the requirements of Industry 5.0. This work describes the design and implementation of a set of pedagogical strategies systematically employed to comprehensively map Education 5.0 and Industry 5.0, within the context of modernization of the undergraduate Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry program, clustered by (i) core courses such as Heat & Mass Transfer, (ii) electives such as Petroleum Processing, and (iii) 500level (undergraduate/graduate) advanced courses, such as Data Based Modelling for Prediction and Control. Implementation strategies include consciously integrating sustainability and engineering safety practices for chemical process design, using Generative Artificial Intelligence (Generative AI) in class to augment student self-learning, data-driven causation and machine learning versus first-principle-based phenomena analysis by employing dynamic process simulation and computational fluid dynamics tools, industry standards, codes and recommended practices, to instill active learning among students, and circularity indicators for process design and description. Examples of active learning initiatives embedded within our strategies include (i) the Petroleum Processing Lab, where students combine chatbots use and Machine Learning (ML) and/or simulation tools to analyze oil price market trends, mass balances crude distillation units, and risk assessments in oil refineries; and (ii) the Heat and Mass Transfer Lab, where students combine data analysis, machine learning and first-principles to describe and analyze heat convection relationships during the lectures. Chatbots assisted activities are qualitatively assessed for accuracy via a novel APC-EPE approach (Assumptions, Process description, and Calculations, with Effective Prompt Engineering); and we have successfully employed the APC-EPE framework to enhance the chances of chatbots providing accurate and reliable results aligned with students' expectations. Vertical integration of such strategies, right from sophomore to final years of our undergraduate program is implemented in tandem with standalone 'practices' in courses; and dedicated process design / capstone courses which combine several of these practices are offered. Our strategies are currently being assessed via anonymized student surveys, thereby attesting towards their effectiveness and high receptivity, as the department gradually transitions to a more modernized curriculum in upcoming years. Student and faculty feedback is identified as critical towards iteratively improving the course/curriculum design process in future, to ensure that the department's teaching approach towards realizing Education 5.0 is perceived as valuable to Industry 5.0 requirements and demands that employers seek from undergraduates. Our efforts are thus impactful towards creating future generations of the industry workforce trained in Education 5.0 to match Industry 5.0's requirements.