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The article focuses on the material and energy balances course in the chemical engineering curriculum. Techniques for the delivery of the course are explored including the use of multiple instructors, active learning techniques including just-in-time teaching (JITT) exercises, and a move away from textbook-based homework. The need for more active and self-directed tools that provide immediate feedback is discussed.

The article discusses a project for the development of new, quality, course content through a practice called YouTube Fridays, for students to produce textbook-quality homework problems based on YouTube videos in Material and Energy Balances and Transport Phenomena courses. The project involves the identification of a YouTube video and the creation of textbook-quality homework problem based on the content of the video by small groups.

The article scrutinizes how personalized online-based homework can be used to heighten the work of Chemical Engineering (ChE) students undergoing a course in Material and Energy Balances. It explains how the scheme was used in undergraduate ChE classes in the Department of Chemical Engineering of the Colorado School of Mines. It discusses how online homework systems were employed in lieu of ordinary testing plans. It also describes how students fared better under the new system.

The article presents an active learning activity called YouTube Fridays in which a professor shows his students his area of research into the rheology of complex fluids. It is part of a pilot program which included Introduction to Engineering Thermodynamics and other engineering fields. YouTube Fridays is not just an active learning strategy, it is also meant to encourage student interest and participation. Discussions on the implementation, origins and a video presentation on chemical engineering are also presented.

The article offers step-by-step instructions for a practical approach to teaching introductory thermodynamics.