Innovative Instructional Strategies for Teaching Materials Science in Engineering

Description of Materials Science

Materials Science is a basic core course in most engineering disciplines. Materials types and their structure-property relations in macro- and micro-sizes, along with their strengthening mechanism are the main subject of Materials Science. It is usually taught as a one- or two-semester course depending upon the department’s curricular constraints. The course may involve a laboratory session, or alternatively, a separate Materials Science Laboratory course is offered. The course is generally designed to introduce the fundamental properties of materials and the relationship between the structure of materials at the atomic scale and their physical and mechanical properties identified by basic sciences.

A possible course syllabus includes topics such as: atomic structure and inter-atomic bonding; the structure of crystalline solids; imperfections in solids; diffusion mechanisms; mechanical properties of metals; dislocations and strengthening mechanisms; fracture mechanics, fatigue, and creep behavior; phase diagrams; phase transformations in metals; applications and processing of metal alloys; structure, properties, applications, and processing of ceramics; structure, properties, applications, and processing of polymers; and composites. Undergraduate and graduate materials science education provides four elements: structure, processing, properties, and performance (Flemings & Cahn, 2000). These are usually considered separately. Each element is extensive, with a huge amount of information that can be presented. As can be seen above, the topics are very broad and therefore teaching the course can be quite challenging, requiring both faculty and students to make substantial efforts and adopt various teaching and learning strategies.

Materials Science is an interdisciplinary course that is related to subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Metallurgy, and Mineralogy. A strong Physics and Chemistry background, in particular, can help students comprehend content more easily. This is because Materials Science uses basic science terms and knowledge to explain structure and properties of materials, although it is not basic science. Without this prerequisite knowledge, it would be very difficult to understand each content item in a short period of time. Traditionally, Materials Science subject content is taught in a classroom; however, initiatives to improve and teaching methods, to include laboratory experience, have also been taken.