Undergraduate Materials Education Initiative: A New Paradigm for Teaching Undergraduate Materials Synthesis and Processing

现有的材料加工课程通常是过时的，缺乏跨学科的方法，并且在其范围和对本科生的可用性方面受到限制。爱荷华州立大学将通过开发11个灵活的课程模块来解决这些缺点，每个模块的持续时间为4到6周，重点是陶瓷粉末加工、金属粉末加工、玻璃和电子材料的加工。在设计模型实验和讨论基本概念之前，将介绍工业实践。每个模块还将与适当的结构和机械表征活动联系起来。这些模块既可以用来更新现有的课程，取代过时的材料，也可以用来形成一个全新的课程。每个模块将以小册子、录像带和计算机磁盘的形式呈现。在爱荷华州立大学开发和测试的模块将提供给其他机构使用和评估。将根据这些单元在解决目前本科材料课程的主要弱点方面的有效性，以及它们在吸引更多学生，特别是少数民族和妇女进入材料领域方面的有效性，进行评价。

Existing curricula in materials processing are generally outdated, lack an interdisciplinary approach, and are limited in their scope and availability to undergraduate students. Iowa State University will address these shortcomings by developing eleven flexible course modules, each of 4 to 6 weeks duration, which emphasize ceramic powder processing, metal powder processing, and the processing of glass and of electronic materials. Industrial practice will be introduced prior to designing model experiments and discussing fundamental concepts. Each module will also be linked to appropriate structural and mechanical characterization activities. The modules can be used either to update existing courses by inserting them in place of outdated materials or to form an entire new course. Each module will be in the form of a booklet, video tape, and computer disk. Modules will be made available for use and evaluation by other institutions as they are developed and tested at Iowa State. Evaluation will be carried out on the basis of the effectiveness of the modules in addressing the key weaknesses in current undergraduate materials curricula and in terms of their effectiveness in attracting more students, particularly minorities and women, into the materials field.