Effects of gallery-walk in process simulation course

Abstract

• Integration of gallery-walk in Process Simulation for Chemical Engineering • Gallery-walk promotes student participation through movement and collaboration • Notable improvements in student satisfaction and engagement • Enhanced performance in simpler problems; challenges in complex analytical issues This study examines the integration of the gallery-walk active learning strategy into a third-year Process Simulation course. Using a quasi-experimental design, student performance was compared across two traditional lecture cohorts (n=157) and two gallery-walk cohorts (n=158). Direct analysis revealed the gallery-walk was associated with improved performance on simple simulation problems, with the average percentage of correct answers rising from 63% to 70%. However, a performance decline on complex problems was observed in the initial implementation; this was mitigated in the second iteration by adding an instructor-led summarization phase. Notably, the intervention did not increase the number of top-performing students (scores >90%), a finding potentially explained by the expertise reversal effect. Anonymous surveys indicated a significant increase in student satisfaction and engagement. This study demonstrates the gallery-walk's potential in engineering education but underscores the necessity of iterative refinement to address complex problem-solving and support learners at all proficiency levels.