Professor Ariel Chan has been chosen as the 2023 recipient of the University of Toronto Northrop Frye Award. The award honours a faculty member who has undertaken a teaching and learning project within the last five years that has significantly enhanced the undergraduate learning experience.
Chan, who is cross-appointed to the Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education & Practice (ISTEP), is being recognized for creating new problem-based, industry-relevant lab projects and developing virtual-reality lab and training materials to facilitate individualized experiential learning for students.
As a teaching stream professor, Chan is the primary instructor for two key courses that consolidate lab components from all third-year ChemE core courses. Since joining U of T Engineering in 2017, she has completely redeveloped these courses so that the labs integrate concepts that students have learned in the classroom to date. She also pivoted from traditional ‘recipe-driven’ lab exercises to open-ended, problem-based projects.
Chan has created more than 40 inquiry-based lab projects covering five major chemical engineering concepts. These are based on real-world consulting assignments, projects co-developed with industrial partners and field trips. She also incorporates computer-aided design and drafting software, familiarizing students with engineering tools they are likely to use in their future careers. Read the full U of T Engineering News story.