Enhancing and Supporting Integrated Computational Material Science Engineering Education

In this paper we describe a novel approach for teaching a multi-disciplinary course “Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) for Metals” aimed to support the generation of future taskforce of engineers. By combining traditional teaching of the theoretical concepts of the ICME paradigm (based on a textbook) with in-class practical training sessions using the resources accessible online through ICME Cyberinfrastructure (CI), the students are motivated to work in dynamic, shared, and collaborative learning environment while learning and utilizing the state-of-art, high-performance computational tools. This course was taught as a part of Fall 2012 and 2013 graduate coursework of Mechanical Engineering Department at Mississippi State University. The paper discusses the rationale for the course, the course description, the grading procedures, and survey-based course assessments. The surveys showed that the students’ reaction to the class was very positive. The impact of this course was evident in students learning outcomes that were published online on ICME Wiki. The majority of the students were awarded the top grade for the class, reflecting their performance, interest and effort.