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One of the UK Centre for Materials Education's key roles is to support change in the practice of learning and teaching Materials Science and Engineering. The Centre facilitates educational development activities amongst the community of materials lecturers in the UK through a number of funding schemes.

The Teaching Development Grant (TDG) scheme based at the UK Centre for Materials Education provides small-scale funding to institutions and organisations in order to initiate and develop innovative projects for Learning and Teaching.  Since its initiation in 2001, the Teaching Development Grants scheme has funded 59 projects at 26 institutions and organizations.

A number of projects initially funded through this scheme have developed further and have been incorporated under the more comprehensive Supported Change Programme aimed at implementing and consolidating large-scale educational development at the departmental level.

The Teaching Development Grants have addressed Learning and Teaching projects in four broad areas:

• Outreach
• Resource
• Curriculum
• Skills and Employability

  

Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning (FDTL) Projects

Alongside our own educational development projects, the Centre also supports (or has supported) three large consortium projects which are funded by the Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning (the FDTL):

• The Tutoring Materials project (Imperial College and UK Centre for Materials Education) provides support for lecturers and tutors to improve methods of tutoring. The project has awarded 4 grants for special projects on tutoring ranging from the use of video conferenceing to e-mail clubs.
  
• The DoITPoMS project (University of Cambridge) is developing a library of images for use in lecturing and tutoring materials and related subjects.
  
• The Keynote Project (Nottingham Trent University) looked at how best to encourage the development of key skills accross a range of courses from Art and Design to Materials Technology.

  

Engineering Knowledge Research Group

The Centre has a research group which is carrying out a number of projects looking into student learning, particularly in the area of materials science and engineering.

  

The Creative University Project

there is an increasing pressure being put upon universities to produce graduates who are also creative thinkers and innovators. The Creative University project aims to help enable HE to support and foster this type of learning.

  

Part-time and Vocational Education and Training in Materials Science and Engineering

Following a meeting held by the UK Centre for Materials Education in September 2002, a small working party has been formed to develop and co-ordinate a collaborative action plan for this very important sector. It will focus on activities designed to address the issues facing the sector, and the development of communications between those involved in the sector.