Using Internet Sources To Solve Materials Homework Assignments

Materials professors commonly ask homework questions derived from textbook readings, only to have students find the answers faster using internet resources such as Wikipedia or GoogleTM. While we hope students will actually read their textbooks, we can take advantage of student internet use to teach materials concepts. After graduation, these engineers will use the internet as a resource in their jobs, so it makes sense to use the internet in classroom exercises too. This paper discusses several materials homework assignments requiring internet research, and a few which require the textbook. Students learn that some answers are very difficult to find, and that accuracy is not guaranteed. Students also learn how materials data affect design, economics, and public policy.