CMMS Initiative for Course Module Development and Implementation Projects

To facilitate future workforce training for the midstream industry, the Center for Midstream Management and Science is soliciting course modules on technical and business issues relevant to the midstream industry. These course modules can be seamlessly integrated into the existing curriculum. This initiative will fund development and implementation of up to 10 course modules for 10 courses during academic year 2023-2024.

SUBMIT COURSE MODULE PROPOSAL

The deadline for project implementation in Spring 2024 is February 2, 2024. 

Rationale

Midstream companies hire graduates from a variety of educational disciplinaries. New hires usually go through training to familiarize themselves with industry assets, design, and operations. To better prepare the students for a career in the midstream industry and make LU graduates more attractive to the midstream industry, a cost-effective approach is to integrate midstream industry’s technical issues into various courses in the existing curriculum. Faculty members are encouraged to develop a 3-hour module to wrap coursework around midstream industry applications to bring coursework midstream relevance to students. Through a series of course modules, students learn how to apply fundamentals in traditional curriculum to solve real world problems.

Objective

This initiative aims to enhance future workforce training for students seeking potential employment in the midstream industry and provide Lamar University students a competitive advantage. This initiative will be beneficial to the midstream industry, students, and faculty members.

Teaching Time

The course modules would be integrated into undergraduate and graduate courses. Each module can be taught within one week in a regular class during a standard semester, or within two days during a summer semester. In another words, each module can be taught in 3 hours.

Compensation

Each instructor will receive an $800 one-time payment upon implementation and completion of a course module in a course, as well as a $200 payment each time the module is included in that course in future. For a team of instructors, the team members will split the $800 one-time payments equally.

Course Module Requirements

 A course module will consist of the following:

  • A mini syllabus for the module
  • Lecture materials

Lecture materials must include the following:

  • Lecture PPT
  • Lecture reference material
  • Lecture video for online course or hybrid course
  • Student exercise (project/homework directly related to an application in midstream) problem statement and solution

A mini syllabus should also include the following components:

  • Objective
  • Content
  • Expected skills
  • Target learners (e.g., Juniors in Industrial Engineering)
  • References

Topics of Course Modules

Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • fundamentals of different oil & gas facilities and equipment
  • applied gas processing
  • corrosion management
  • pipeline maintenance and reliability
  • predictive maintenance
  • PLC programming
  • process automation
  • SIS/SIL rated instruments
  • data analysis
  • data mining
  • machine learning
  • optimization
  • digital transformation
  • process simulation
  • PHA/HAZOP/LOPA/Root cause analysis
  • safety and security
  • cyber security
  • oil spill prevention and management
  • carbon mitigation
  • storage tank construction and tank farms
  • pipeline engineering
  • pipeline hydraulics
  • compressor design/maintenance/troubleshooting
  • vibration
  • gas turbine design/maintenance/troubleshooting
  • oil and gas marine terminals
  • project management
  • project cost-benefit and risk-reward analysis
  • interpersonal skills during task development

High-Impact Learning Practices

We encourage the use of high-impact learning practices in the creation of midstream course modules. High-impact learning happens when students are actively engaged in the educational process, when their learning goes beyond the classroom to be applied in their personal and work lives (see https://www.aacu.org/trending-topics/high-impact).

Students engaged in high-impact learning often see improvement in grade point averages, graduate early, and are more engaged in their education. In a high-impact learning experience, students actively pose and solve problems, work in a collaborative environment, experience real-world applications of knowledge, and reflect on learning processes. Some examples of educational experiences identified as high-impact learning include:

  • Learning communities
  • Writing-intensive courses (applying course learning to non-academic settings)
  • Collaborative assignments and projects
  • Undergraduate research
  • Service or community-based learning

Application Mechanism

This initiative is being announced on CMMS website
https://www.lamar.edu/midstreamcenter/education.html

Click the button “APPLY NOW” to submit the application package, which includes:

  • The Cover Sheet (to be completed online)
  • A PDF file for application package attachment. This PDF file should include the following components:
    • The draft mini syllabus for the module
    • The outline of the student exercise problem
    • The development and implementation schedule
    • The estimation of enrollment number based on historic data
    • The commitment of teaching these modules in two consecutive academic years if applicable
    • The syllabus of the course

The maximum length for the application package attachment is two single-spaced pages (excluding the syllabus of the course) with a minimum font size of 11 pt. All tables and figures must be included within the application. Margins are to remain at one inch. The allowable font is Times New Roman.

Report Mechanism

Each module needs to be implemented in an engineering class during academic year Fall 2023 - Summer 2024. The instructor needs to deliver the following documents to CMMS at the end of the class:

  • The completed course module
  • A list of the names of students who completed modules and the grades/scores they received correspondingly
  • Two samples of student exercise graded, one with the highest grade/score and another with the lowest grade/score
  • Distribution of the students’ grade/score in the exercise


For any questions, please contact:

Helen H. Lou
Faculty Advisor
Center for Midstream Management and Science
Email: helen.lou@lamar.edu

Timothy Roden
Faculty Advisor
Center for Midstream Management and Science
Email: troden@lamar.edu