The comprehensive deepening of education reform has advanced and developed towards quality education, and gradually formed the teaching concept which is employment-oriented, student-centered and based on innovation ability. The novelty of teaching philosophy and teaching mode is the core issue that many higher engineering colleges and universities with the characteristics of serving local regional economic development need to pay attention to in the process of teaching professional courses, and it is urgent to explore new initiatives to solve the traditional and single teaching mode and method.
Therefore, in view of the nature, characteristics and important status of material preparation technology in metal metallurgical engineering, we analyze the current situation and problems of the course teaching, and put forward key measures that can effectively reform the teaching content, teaching methods and means by combining with the newly established virtual simulation platform of our university.
1 Current situation and problems of teaching and practice
Material preparation technology is a professional foundation course in the direction of metal metallurgical engineering, which is to enable students to master the basic theory and professional skills, and to cultivate specialized technical talents and innovative talents. The course integrates theory, operation and application, involving material preparation principles, equipment and process. At present, it is mainly a single classroom lecture-based static teaching, students are in a passive state of acceptance, innovative thinking and ability can not be trained and improved.
The processing process involved in material preparation technology is complicated and full of factors such as unpleasant smelling pollutants and high-risk chemicals.
For the sake of students’ safety, the original knowledge application and practice in the factory internship become purely a walking observation process, and students can only see the simple process of the whole process, but cannot get close to some actual phenomena or experience the scientific problems involved, which restricts the improvement of students’ practical ability and innovative thinking. The current teaching methods and internship mode are not adapted to the requirements of the new situation, so reform and innovation are imperative.
2 Key measures of teaching reform
2.1 Reform the focus of course content
Material preparation technology involves the knowledge of both physics and chemistry, and also covers the knowledge of metallurgy, casting, plastic deformation, heat treatment and other material science, which is very unfavorable to the effective teaching of lecturers and the efficient digestion and absorption of students.
For such higher engineering colleges and universities with the characteristics of serving local regional economic development, we should combine the regional advantages of smelting, processing and industrialization of non-ferrous metal resources in Guangxi, and the curriculum reform should focus on the theory, method and technology of non-ferrous metal material preparation, highlighting the smelting, casting and deep processing of aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy and aluminum-based composite materials. The core of the course content should be closely around the industrialization application of large enterprises such as South-South aluminum with industry characteristics in the region, should be practically combined with the actual application of the plant process technology, teach some new knowledge, solve some new problems, to achieve the purpose of promoting the long-term development of the industry.
2.2 Reform teaching methods
Material preparation technology should be appropriately de-theorized, highlighting practicality, pursuing initiative, opening up space for independent thinking, and forming teaching concepts and methods that are oriented to improving students’ innovation ability. Integrate multimedia technologies such as 3D animation into traditional lecture methods, cross-use case, interactive and discussion-based teaching modes, and focus on solving teaching priorities and difficulties. Make full use of advanced computer simulation technology to realize “Internet + material preparation technology”. For the relatively complex casting, plastic processing and heat treatment, we simulate the microstructure evolution of metal components through modeling and simulation, and realize the optimization of organization, macroscopic dimensions and process parameters, so that students can have a deeper understanding and application of course knowledge.
2.3 Strengthen communication and cooperation
In order to highlight the application and practical ability and innovative thinking of students, a new idea of reforming teaching by strengthening scientific research and academic exchange should be formed. Lead students to participate in scientific research projects in smelting, casting, deformation processing or heat treatment of non-ferrous metal materials, and communicate and cooperate with lecturers or graduate students to deepen the application of knowledge involved. In practice, the knowledge content of the project is refined, and the project is declared as an “innovation and entrepreneurship training program for college students”, so as to have a deeper understanding of teamwork, scientific problem formulation, project writing and defense process, and to stimulate academic enthusiasm for materials preparation technology [2].
3 Virtual simulation-based innovative internship model
The virtual simulation-based internship mode refers to making full use of the technical advantages of information technology to simulate the actual processing process with three-dimensional modeling and numerical programming, and to achieve the internship purpose of numerical simulation + experimental verification by combining the existing laboratory conditions. This model should be used throughout the material preparation technology, and students should be instructed to take the initiative to use Python programming language, MatLab programming software, ProE 3D modeling software, and perform secondary development on virtual simulation platforms such as Procast and Deform to complete the processing processes involved in the course, and be good at discovering, analyzing and solving problems.
In the experimental verification link after the virtual simulation, taking the metal metallurgy material processing specialty of our school as an example, various types of equipment required for the internship link of aluminum, magnesium and other non-ferrous metals smelting, casting, rolling and annealing treatment are integrated. In the course of the internship process, six students are allowed to be a group, and the equipment, process routes and process parameters are determined and so on are completely left to the students to complete independently. The general experimental program of the internship was established: taking 5-series Al-Mg aluminum alloy as an example, after smelting at 730℃, casting slab at 620℃, intercepting cast specimens, homogenizing and rolling specimens after being cooled to room temperature, casting slab thickness of 10.3mm, homogenizing at 425℃, holding for 1h, hot rolling at 425℃, hot rolling 7 times specimen thickness of 6.5mm, cold rolling one time thickness of 6mm, rolling Speed of 17r/min, then intercept the sample, respectively, at 350 ℃ and 180 ℃ for annealing treatment, insulation 1h.
Through the students’ virtual simulation + independent type of internship, the samples after annealing are explored for recrystallization and reversion, which reflects the students’ application of professional knowledge. Combined with the results of casting, homogenization and annealing microstructure, the reverse inquiry of equipment selection and process parameters are set? whether they are reasonable.
4 Summary
The development of the new engineering construction under the new situation has put forward higher requirements for the teaching and practice mode of professional courses such as material preparation technology, in order to meet the cultivation goal of practicing autonomous and innovative talents. Through the analysis of the current situation of teaching and internship mode of material preparation technology course, the focus and core of reforming course content, the method of reforming course teaching, and the key reform measures such as scientific research exchange and cooperation should be strengthened are proposed; finally, it is pointed out that the teaching and internship mode of the course should be innovated by making full use of the virtual simulation-type platform to form a student-centered autonomous internship mode, so as to gradually Finally, it was pointed out that we should make full use of the virtual simulation platform to innovate the teaching and practice mode of the course, form an independent student-centered practice mode, and gradually adapt to the development direction of the new engineering construction.