Abstract
This chapter discusses how the issue of microbial corrosion can be incorporated in the Materials Engineering curriculum. Research in this field contributes to knowledge building in microstructural effect of corrosion, and development of advanced corrosion protection techniques, which aligns with the essence of Materials Science and Engineering. This chapter suggests an instructional approach where students undertake a project in which they produce a database summarizing the relationship between corrosion rate and factors as types of bacteria, functional genes, types of alloys, and welding procedures. The benefit of such approach is two-fold. First, discussion of this topic in the curriculum provides an opportunity to introduce approaches for efficient management of the current issues encountered in industry. Second, there is currently no comprehensive database on the microbial corrosion conditions. Additionally, this chapter provides some insights into the best instructional strategies for the efficient management of an online engineering course in higher education.
TopBackground
Darwin is a small city situated in the Northern Territory of Australia which is about 3,500 km from any major cities of Australia. Nevertheless, the massive oil, gas and mining industry developments in the region sparked enormous interest in engineering education in this remote location, with particular interest in Materials Engineering.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Online Course/Delivery: A course of study in which the students access all instructional resources and assessment items via internet instead of the physical classroom.
Collaborative Learning: An active learning strategy where the students solve problems in groups and build social skills as well as theoretical knowledge.
Potentiodynamic: Imposition of external potential imposed upon material and studying its current output (amperes).
Open Circuit Corrosion Potential: The potential achieved by a material when exposed to an electrochemical environment and no external potential is imposed upon it.
Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy: A technique of studying the impedance of a coated material system in an electrolyte by imposing small alternating current (±10mV) at frequencies typically up to 1MHz from 1kHz.
Environment: The surrounding chemical and physical conditions.
Constructivist Approach: An educational philosophy by which all new knowledge is incorporated in and builds on the existing framework.
Anode/Cathode: An electrode at which oxidation/reduction is occurring.
Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion: A corrosion process which is caused or influenced by microorganisms.
Problem/Project Based Learning: A teaching strategy based on the ‘learn-by-doing’ approach. An authentic problem or project forms the centre of the curriculum, and the students attempt to solve it while working in groups.