Craft brewing as an innovative learning activity for chemical engineering students in Universidad de La Laguna

Abstract

This paper describes an educational innovation initiative that focuses on improving student engagement in the discipline of Chemical Engineering through the implementation of a Craft Brewing Pilot Plant, in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Pharmaceutical Technology of Universidad de La Laguna. The project is aimed at the 4th (senior) year students of the bachelor program of Chemical Engineering.Students will perform all stages related to the brewing process: mashing, boiling, fermentation, conditioning, carbonation and packaging. In the framework of this project, students will put into practice the knowledge previously acquired in the classroom, learning to solve problems with initiative, to make decisions, and to work as a team. Finally, sustainable practices within Chemical Engineering will be promoted, enhancing student engagement and collaborative spirit, and also fostering entrepreneurship.To carry out the project, it has been possible to count with the collaboration of Compañía Cervecera de Canarias (CCC), a brewery based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife which was founded in 1939 when it started to make a beer that is today called Dorada.The project is performed through a Craft Brewing Pilot Plant workshop where a mixed management committee will be created, formed by a group of senior students and a Chemical Engineering professor, whose main mission will be the preparation of the equipment usage manuals, organizing a craft brewing training course, and preparation of the plant management manual and a website for the project documentation. Whereas, the rest of the participating students will be organized in brewing groups that will be trained and allocated for working according to a shift brewing schedule. Management team and brewing groups have different duties that give each student the opportunity to lead and perform functions of a real-world chemical engineering plant.The teaching-learning methodology used within the project includes different techniques, such as flipped classroom and problem-based learning. The completion of the project allows students to work and deepen different engineering and science principles such as fluid flow, heat transfer, stoichiometry and material balances, and chemical reaction kinetics. In addition, topics such as engineering economics, automation, and environmental issues are incorporated as well. And finally, through the project, other educational objectives met are the development of creative and critical thinking, as well as teamwork and communication skills, and the stimulation of enthusiasm for engineering.