Peer Review

Materials Science and Engineering

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Nov 18, 2021 by Engineering

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

This textbook, Materials Science and Engineering, provides a brief overview of some of the myriad of topics available for study in the field of Materials Science. This is by no means a comprehensive compilation of Materials Science and Engineering topics but is instead meant as an introduction to the topic for entry-level undergraduates who want to pursue a career studying materials.

Type of Material:

Open (Access) Textbook

Recommended Uses:

It could be recommended for introductory courses on engineering. Useful also for blended/hybrid teaching as a reference book

Technical Requirements:

Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers were used to access the material. It seems that all facilities are active for any browser.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

The major goal of this material is to serve as a reference book for first year University students of subjects such as engineering or sciences.

Target Student Population:

College Upper Division, Graduate School.

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

High school level of chemistry and physics is required.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: At a basic level, the concepts are clearly explained, and the structure of contents is correct. The book contains the basic core concepts in the discipline. Compact demonstrations and derivation of equations.
Concerns:: Lack of references in every chapter or, at least, at the end of the book, for interested readers. Solved exercises helping the understanding of theoretical explanations are highly recommended. Handmade drawings and text in some figures should be edited to improve the quality of the book.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: Though the material could not be used as a stand-alone reference textbook, it could be used as a supplementary material in traditional or blended/hybrid advanced courses. The learning objectives are clearly stated.
Concerns:: The book has not exercises as such. There are some questions, but not solved exercises or a set of proposed exercises at the end of each chapter.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: The book is very easy to access, can be downloaded as a pdf document, and is easy to use.
Concerns:: Visual design is not friendly, neither engaging. As in many other e-books, lack of interactivity. Need to finish the edition of some handmade figures.

Other Issues and Comments:: The open textbook is addressed to engineers and students of engineering degrees interested in learning about fundamentals of Materials Science. Contents are presented in a simple but rigorously form and requires foundations in chemistry. This book needs the lectures or instructor's notes for solved and proposed practical exercises in undergraduate classes for engineering/science students.
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