Development of tutorial for an Introductory Course in Functional Materials

University Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

Engineering - Materials Science (57) Based on knowledge and skills developed in a previous CCLI grant we intend to develop CD-ROM based tutorials on functional materials. These CD-ROM based tutorials are designed, using a blackboard analogy, to support important classes of functional materials that are currently missing from introductory material science curricula. The tutorials will be contained on CD-ROMs that will receive international distribution. They, along with an included interactive Glossary and an Animation/Video player will be available for instructors who wish to use them to support traditional lecture courses. The tutorials, along with the textbook being written to accompany them, could be used in a number of other learning situations, including distance learning, continuing education, and courses at institutions that do not have an engineering curriculum. The topics covered will include dielectric, piezoelectric, ferroelectric, magnetostrictive, and optical properties of materials. In this project we plan to create a new set of interactive, self-paced, multimedia tutorials for a new sophomore engineering course being developed at the University of Pennsylvania. The subject matter will be structured using a case study approach. Our new tutorials are designed to enhance student learning before a lecture is given. The material in these tutorials will be used to introduce students to specific materials concepts that they will be tested on before the lecture. We plan to use these materials in conjunction with a textbook. Our long range goal is to create a collection of online instructional materials that serve as the core for a one semester freshman level course.