Structural Materials with CD ROM

About the Course

Rather than the common encyclopedic approach that starts with electrons, atoms, crystals, etc., this course (and textbook) uses a kind of case-study approach, in which the usual subject matter is arranged in a sequence that explains the materials found in a bicycle (including the rider). It was found that this provides a conceptual framework that enhances the student's understanding and retention compared with that achieved by the traditional approach. The aim is to give the student what is needed to function as a materials engineer and to provide a foundation for further study. The course is used both as the first course for majors in the field as well as a one-shot "service" course for other engineering majors. In general, the course is designed to provide enough depth in each topic to allow the student to function as an engineer, rather than to cover all the possible topics in materials science.

In order to achieve this goal in the time available, it was found necessary to develop animations that would improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the teaching. These and the interactive glossary included on CD ROM with the textbook were developed with support from the National Science Foundation. The animations are keyed to the text by means of a numerical code in the margins.

At Penn, the course has been taught in a kind of seminar format in which the formal lectures, which we term "tutorials," are given on a CD ROM (available separately), and the class time is reserved for elaboration of the more challenging concepts and for answering questions. Not only has this been highly successful from an educational standpoint, but it has been used for self-study of the course by students entering the Penn graduate materials science program from other disciplines.