Discovery Learning Tools in Materials Science: Concept Visualization with Dynamic and Interactive Spreadsheets
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Discovery Learning Tools in Materials Science: Concept Visualization with Dynamic and Interactive Spreadsheets Scott A. Sinex1 and Joshua B. Halpern2 1
Department of Physical Sciences and Engineering, Prince George's Community College, Largo, MD 20774 and 2Department of Chemistry, Howard University, Washington, DC 20059
Abstract Many materials science concepts can be developed into animated, interactive spreadsheets to create engaging discovery learning tools. These Excel spreadsheets do not require programming expertise. Learning how to create and use these didactically useful spreadsheets is simple and new examples can be quickly created by instructors. Introduction Are the bond lengths in a metal or an ionic compound constant? How are bond lengths measured? These are examples of two rather simple questions that students can discover answers for themselves via dynamic and interactive spreadsheets or Excelets (Java-less appletlike). The MatSci Excelets collection [1] of over thirty dynamic and interactive spreadsheets offers instructors in introductory materials science or other courses such as general chemistry or physics, a way to create an engaging pedagogy in the classroom, whether for lecture, laboratory, or out-of-class assignments. The spreadsheets are all computationally-based (using formulae, not programming) and easily modified by instructors just being introduced to the technology and even by students interested in exploratory learning. This collection complements the Spreadsheet Applications for Materials Science, SAMS, by Meier [2]. This paper describes the pedagogical use of some of the MatSci Excelets in the classroom and student feedback. The Solid State – A Discovery-based Lecture-Discussion Here are a series of examples that could be presented in lectures, but allow students to discover the answers guided by the instructor posing questions. The first example, shown in Figure 1,
Figure 1. Vibrations in a metallic solid
deals with the question of whether bond lengths in a metal are constant. It starts with all the bond lengths at a distance of 100 pm. Instructors can create vibration at different levels using the scroll bar and hitting the F9 key multiple times, animating the atoms. By increasing the level of vibration, mimicking a temperature increase, the variation in bond lengths increases. This is a simple but nevertheless, a very powerful visualization of a microscopic (atomic) process for novice learners. Thermal expansion is another important concept in materials. This seemingly simple macroscopic concept can be confusing for students, but some of these issues can be addressed using Excelets. For example, as shown in Figure 2, what is the difference between an isotropic and anisotropic material? What happens if the temperature increases? Here an instructor increases the temperature to cause thermal expansion and students view how the material behaves. They can then deduce the difference between isotropic and anisotropic expansion, as opposed to an instructor just flat out t
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