Industry-Driven Dual Mentorship for Progressive Competency Development in the Principles of Chemical Engineering Course

Abstract Principles of Chemical Engineering, as a core professional course in chemical engineering education, faces several challenges, including insufficient student motivation for deep learning, limited capability for engineering application, and inadequate awareness of engineering ethics. Guided by the OBE (Outcome-Based Education) concept, a university–enterprise dual-mentor team systematically integrated the ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction) motivation model, the CDIO (Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate) engineering education framework, and constructivist learning theory to implement comprehensive teaching reforms. These reforms involved reorganizing course content around chemical production processes, developing diverse teaching resources, establishing a three-stage teaching model, implementing a progressive and immersive engineering ethics education pathway, and constructing a multidimensional evaluation mechanism. Based on these initiatives, a new teaching paradigm characterized by “Industry-Driven Dual Mentorship for Progressive Competency Development” was established. The observed reform outcomes were associated with improvements in students’ learning motivation, engineering application capability, and engineering ethics awareness, indicating a potentially transferable approach for cultivating professionals in green chemical engineering.