Redesigning the T7005T-Aerospace Materials course: a flipped learning approach

Abstract

The design of the course T7005T-Aerospace Materials is analyzed according to the pedagogical principles of constructive alignment [1, 2]. It is found that a design issue exists, particularly in the section of the course devoted to damage in composite materials. This view is supported by the feedback gathered from students who attended the course in the previous academic year. Upon consideration of examples available in the literature, the flipped learning approach is regarded as a good fit to correct the identified design issue. Based on the analysis of the signature pedagogy [3] and of the threshold concepts [4] of Materials Science & Engineering, a new flipped-classroom design is proposed for the Aerospace Materials course.

Full text

“La philo n’est pas mal non plus.
Malheureusement, elle est comme la Russie :
pleine de marécages et souvent envahie par
les Allemands.”*
*“Philosophy is not bad at all. Unfortunately, it’s
like Russia: full of swamps and often invaded by
the Germans.”
Roger Nimier

The T7005T-Aerospace Materials course
•2nd cycle (Master) level course
•7.5 credits
•SP 4
•Elective option of Master Programs in Materials
Engineering, Composite Materials, Materials
Science & Engineering (EEIGM)
•In English
•Afterwards: Project course + Master thesis

Students
•Master level
•Usually 10-15
•Highly motivated
•Interest in the topics treated
•International background

Program goal and learning outcomes
The student shall have demonstrated
•very good knowledge in materials science &
engineering
•a strong background in research and
development
•Very good skills in oral and written
presentations of scientific and technical
material in English
•Ability for collaboration
To educate only the very best where they
can either continue and get a PhD-degree
in a very short period of time or seek
prestigious anywhere in the world
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Poor
wording!
Qualification descriptor for Degree of Master of Science
- Materials Science and Engineering

Course goal and learning outcomes
After the end of this course the student is to supposed to
•have deep knowledge about structure and behavior of high
performance materials used in aerospace industry;
•be able to evaluate properties of composites, ceramic
materials and alloys to perform optimal material selection for
use in harsh environments and service conditions;
•know and understand the most important degradation
mechanisms that initiate and evolve due to thermal and
mechanical loads and lead to material fatigue and reduced
durability;
•be able to produce long fiber composites, to measure their
mechanical properties, to observe and to quantify damage
modes and to analyze their effect on properties;
•be able to apply composite material degradation models, to
perform fracture mechanics analysis in alloys and to predict
time dependent material behavior;
•be able to perform numerical simulations of structures using
commercial software to design optimized structures;
•have good skills in analyzing research papers and writing
reports.
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Aerospace Materials course syllabus

Course activities:
NOW
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Who What Where ICAP
1TPresents selected results from
literature
In class P+A
2TIntroduces the physical system In class P+A
3TIdentifies constraints and formulate
assumptions
In class P+A
4TIdentifies governing physical
principles with mathematical laws
In class P+A
5TApplies assumptions to principles
and derives predictive formulas
In class P+A
6SRead, understand and compare
suggested literature
Outside
class
A+C
7S Apply derived predictive formulas to
predict material behavior
Outside
class
C
8TExplain experimental procedure to
students
In class P+A
9SVerify models’ accuracy by
conducting experiments
Lab C
!
L. S. Shulman (2005), Signature pedagogies in the professions. D
aedalus 134(3) 52-59.

LET’S FLIP!
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Who What Where ICAP
1TIntroduces the research question
and its relevance in the field
In class P+A
2SSearch the literature, evaluate
relevance of the contribution,
produce state-of-the-art review
Outside
class
A+C
3T+S Discuss and agree on 3 models
to use for the investigation
In class I
MODEL MODEL
41 2 3 1 2 3
5T T T Introduces the physical system I I I P+A
6T T S Identifies constraints and
formulate assumptions
I I O P+A
↓
A+C
7T S S Identifies governing physical
principles with mathematical
laws
I O O P+A
↓
A+C
8S S S Applies assumptions and derives
predictive formulas
O O O A+C
9T+S Apply derived predictive formulas
to predict material behavior
In class C+I

LET’S FLIP!
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Who What Where ICAP
2SSearch the literature, evaluate
relevance of the contribution,
produce state-of-the-art review
Outside
class
A+C
10 T+S Discuss and agree on an
experimental procedure to gather
results relevant wrt the research
question
In class I
11 SConduct experiments Lab A+C
12 T+S Compare predicted material behavior
to experimental results
In class C+I
B. A. McCabe (2018). Experiences of flipped learning in a civil engineering
module,Irish Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning 4 (1) .
J. Kanelopoulos, K. A. Papanikolaou, P. Zalimidis
(2017). Flipping the classroom to increase students' engagement and interact
ion in a mechanical engineering course on machine design, International Journ
al of Engineering Pedagogy (
iJEP) 7 (4).

Risks
↘Class size (designed for max. 20)
↘Respect of deadlines and sequentiality of
learning activities
↘Workload- and evaluation-related stress
↘Technical issues related to Canvas usage
↘Design of virtual learning environment

Thank you for listening!