Automating Excel Tasks with Generative AI: Supporting Innovation in Mass Transfer Separations Education

dc.contributor.authorGarcía Morales, Moisés
dc.date.accessioned2026-02-10T07:38:23Z
dc.date.available2026-02-10T07:38:23Z
dc.date.issued2026
dc.descriptionEl artículo presenta cómo el uso de macros en VBA asistidas por inteligencia artificial puede mejorar la enseñanza de las operaciones de transferencia de materia. Mediante la creación y refinamiento iterativo del código, se busca no solo aumentar la eficiencia y precisión de los cálculos, sino también incrementar la participación del alumnado. Para demostrar su potencial, se desarrolló en Excel un simulador con interfaz atractiva capaz de analizar condiciones óptimas y límites en una columna de destilación por etapas de equilibrio. Además, se empleó un ejercicio más sencillo en el aula para mostrar cómo la IA generativa puede integrarse de forma práctica en el proceso de aprendizaje. "This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Article that appeared in final form in Journal of Chemical Education, copyright © 2026 ACS Publications. All rights reserved. To access the final published article, see ACS Articles on Request."
dc.description.abstractVBA (Visual Basic for Applications) macro creation assisted by AI (Artificial Intelligence) can enhance the teaching of Mass Transfer Separations. The code can be iteratively refined until the desired functionality is achieved. This is not only intended to improve computational efficiency and accuracy but also to boost student engagement. To showcase the full potential of VBA scripting within spreadsheets, a simulator with an appealing interface was designed using Excel, such that optimal and limiting operating conditions were identified in an equilibrium-staged distillation column. Moreover, to underscore the pedagogical value of the approach at this exploratory stage of evaluating its educational scope, a much simpler classroom exercise was used to illustrate the hands-on integration of GenAI (Generative AI) into the learning process.
dc.description.departmentIngeniería Química, Química Física y Ciencias de los Materiales
dc.identifier.citationGarcía-Morales, M. (2026). Automating Excel Tasks with Generative AI: Supporting Innovation in Mass Transfer Separations Education. Journal of Chemical Education. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c01531. "This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Article that appeared in final form in Journal of Chemical Education, copyright © 2026 ACS Publications. All rights reserved. To access the final published article, see ACS Articles on Request."
dc.identifier.doi10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c01531
dc.identifier.issn0021-9584
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10272/27914
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherAmerican Chemical Society
dc.relation.publisherversionhttps://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c01531
dc.rights.accessRightsembargoed access
dc.subjectUpper-Division Undergraduate
dc.subjectChemical Engineering
dc.subjectComputer-Based Learning
dc.subjectMathematics/Symbolic Mathematics
dc.subjectSeparation Science
dc.titleAutomating Excel Tasks with Generative AI: Supporting Innovation in Mass Transfer Separations Education
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
relation.isAuthorOfPublicationb7a062b5-8a16-49f8-8fd1-78bbc5b423bd
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscoveryb7a062b5-8a16-49f8-8fd1-78bbc5b423bd

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