Dissemination of IT for the Promotion of Materials Science (DoITPoMS) is a web-based

educational software Educational software is a term used for any computer software which is made for an educational purpose. It encompasses different ranges from language learning software to classroom management software to reference software. The purpose of all t ...

resource designed to facilitate the teaching and learning of Materials science, at the tertiary level for free.

History

The DoITPoMS project originated in the early 1990s, incorporating customized online sources into the curriculum of the Materials Science courses in the

Natural Sciences Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...

Tripos At the University of Cambridge, a Tripos (, plural 'Triposes') is any of the examinations that qualify an undergraduate for a bachelor's degree or the courses taken by a student to prepare for these. For example, an undergraduate studying mathe ...

of the University Cambridge. The initiative became formalized in 2000, with the start of a project supported by the UK national Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning (FDTL). This was led by the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy in Cambridge, with five partner institutions, including the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

London Metropolitan University London Metropolitan University, commonly known as London Met, is a public university, public research university in London, England. The University of North London (formerly the Polytechnic of North London) and London Guildhall University (f ...

, the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University (formerly known as Oxford Polytechnic (United Kingdom), Polytechnic) is a public university, public university in Oxford, England. It is a new university, having received university status through the Further and High ...

and the

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

. This period of cooperation lasted for about 10 years. The FDTL project was aimed at building on expertise concerning the use of

Information Technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system (I ...

(IT) to enhance the student learning experience and to disseminate these techniques within the Materials Education community in the UK and globally. This was done by creating an archive of background information, such as video clips, micrographs, simulations, etc, and libraries of teaching and learning packages (TLPs) that covers a particular topic, which were designed both for independent usage by students and as a teaching aid for educators. A vital feature of these packages is a high level of user interactivity. DoITPoMS has no commercial sponsors and no advertising is permitted on the site. The background science to the resources within DoITPoMS has all been input by unpaid volunteers, most of whom have been academics based in universities. A single person retains responsibility for a particular resource, and these people are credited to the site. While the logo of

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

does appear on the site, is content is available freely and licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 UK.

Format and usage

The set of resources currently available on the site comprises ''Libraries'' of TLPs (~75), Micrographs (~900), Video clips (~150), Lecture demonstration packages (5), and Stand-alone simulations (2). These all have slightly different purposes, and the modes of usage cover a wide range. In each TLP, several simulations typically allow the user to input data to visualise the characteristics of particular effects or phenomena. This to enable students to explore areas in their way and facilitates the creation of exercises by educators. Each TLP has a set of questions at the end, designed to test whether the main points of the TLP have been understood. The TLPs cover many diverse topics within the broad field of Materials science, ranging from basics, such as

crystal structures A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macrosc ...

and

thermal conduction Conduction is the process by which heat is transferred from the hotter end to the colder end of an object. The ability of the object to conduct heat is known as its ''thermal conductivity'', and is denoted . Heat spontaneously flows along a tem ...

, to more applied areas, such as the design and functioning of batteries and

fuel cells A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen fuel, hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most bat ...

. Tools such as

X-ray diffraction X-ray crystallography is the experimental science determining the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal, in which the crystalline structure causes a beam of incident X-rays to diffract into many specific directions. By measuring the angles ...

and the

finite element method The finite element method (FEM) is a popular method for numerically solving differential equations arising in engineering and mathematical modeling. Typical problem areas of interest include the traditional fields of structural analysis, heat ...

are also included. Many, although not all, of these topics, go into greater depth and are designed explicitly as educational resources. Approximately half a million users accessed the site in 2021.

References

External link

DoITPoMS
on Flicker.
DoITPoMS
on YouTube. {{Authority control Educational websites Educational materials Virtual learning environments Science communication Open educational resources University of Cambridge Organisations associated with the University of Cambridge