COLLABORATION FOR NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING
EDUCATION - EXTENDING THE REACH
Brian Larson and Lester Schmerr
Center for NDE, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 5001 1 USA
ABSTRACT. The development of NDT related educational materials has been the focus of the
North Central Collaboration for NDT Education for the past four years. The Collaboration was
started as a National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technology Education (ATE) program
and united a number of community colleges and Iowa State University. The Collaboration
developed advanced teaching methods and new materials that have allowed students to learn NDT
concepts better and in less time. These materials have been made available over the Internet and
have been well received. The Collaboration has recently received a second NSF ATE grant to
develop an Internet site that will serve as a national focal point for NDT. In this phase of activities,
the collaboration will develop a coordinated, multi-level approach that 1) promotes NDT as a career
field to students, teachers and counselors in junior and senior high schools, 2) serves as an
educational resource for students and instructors of two-year NDT programs and their graduates who
are working in the industry, and 3) supplies educational materials that will allow educators in other
technology programs (such as manufacturing and welding) to introduce their students to NDT
methods. This paper will review the current activities of the Collaboration.
INTRODUCTION
The Needs of Industry
The training of qualified technicians and engineers to serve the needs of industry in
the area of NDTNDE is a growing problem. Shortages of human resources and the rapidly
evolving nature of the field and the supporting technology base are stressing the
educational system. Recent studies of the NDT workforce in the nuclear industry, for
example, suggest that only 25% of the current workforce is expected to be available in the
year 2010. The Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) to the Center for Nondestructive
Evaluation (CNDE) at Iowa State University has also emphasized this need. CNDE is a
member of the NSF IndustryNniversity Cooperative Research Centers program and its
IAB members consisting of representative of 22 major industries and government agencies.
In a recent action of the IAB, enhancing education of technicians was identified as the
highest educational priority. The IAB also stressed that future employees must
increasingly become knowledge-based workers that are more comfortable with a broader
range of problems.
Because of its great breadth and because the field has primarily grown out of a
needs-driven industrial base, NDT/NDE does not have a traditional, recognized place in the
educational spectrum. For example, no university departments of NDT/NDE exist and
CP657, Review of Quantitative Nondestvuctive Evalziation Vol. 22, ed. by D. 0. Thompson and D. E. Chimenti
0 2003 American Institute of Physics 0-7354-0117-9/03/S20.00
1899
only a few universities offer a significant set of NDE-related courses. In addition, NDT
community college programs are geographically scattered throughout the country, often
arising out of the specific NDT needs of local industry. Professional society support of
NDT/NDE is also diffuse. The American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) is
the primary contact for the field and is the natural professional affiliation for technicians.
However, due to the highly interdisciplinary nature of the field, new technologies and
applications are often reported and debated in a number of other professional societies,
including AWS, ASME, IEEE, ASM, TMS, ASCE, and AIAA. Each has a legitimate
interest in the development and/or utilization of NDT/NDE techniques. However, this
multiplicity diffuses and fragments the overall NDT/NDE field.
This fragmented nature of NDT activities in education institutions and the
professional societies is closely related to another problem, the lack of awareness of career
opportunities and the corresponding shortage of sufficient students entering the NDT/NDE
educational pipeline. There are many attractive jobs in this field, but these often go to
individuals who are less qualified than desired because a sufficient number of students do
not enter college NDT/NDE programs. A contributing cause is a basic lack of information.
It is not an exaggeration to say that virtually all middle and high school students and their
counselors are totally unaware of the important, satisfying careers possible with a technical
education in the NDT/NDE field.
There is an additional unfilled need that goes beyond the need for NDT technical
staff. NDT is often conducted as part of manufacturing operations. Therefore, it is
important that individuals in manufacturing have a general knowledge of NDT so that they
can understand when and how it can be used. By knowing the ways NDT can positively
affect the reliability and cost-effectiveness of manufactured goods, manufacturing technical
staff will know when to involve an NDT/NDE specialist in a project. Thus, there is a
strong need for science-based NDT/NDE materials for curricula such as those found in
manufacturing programs like welding. There are currently no readily available, sciencebased course materials for teaching NDT fundamentals in such technology programs.
Responding to the Needs of Industry
In 1996, four Midwest community colleges (Cowley County, KS, Northeast Iowa,
IA, Ridgewater, MN, Southeast, NE) and Iowa State University joined to form the North
Central Collaboration for Education in Nondestructive Testing. This collaboration was
started as a National Science Foundation ATE program to enhance the quality of NDT
technician education and strengthen the ties between these Midwest institutions. This
program has successfully developed advanced teaching methods, new science-based
materials at the junior/senior high school and community college levels, and conducted
professional development through summer programs for both community college students
and faculty.
A major part of the Collaboration's efforts has been the development of new,
science-based course materials for community college students.
These materials
supplement the materials already in use and help student learn important concepts with
visual and interactive tools. These materials are made available to the students, as well as
the general public, over the Internet. Community College instructors use the materials in a
variety of ways. Some instructors use the materials in the lectures by projecting them and
using the interactive applets to visually demonstrate difficult to grasp concepts. Other
instructors provide homework assignments that make use of the Internet materials. Since
1900
the materials are always available to the students, they also serve as a quick reference
resource.
Another Internet-based project of the North Central Collaboration was to develop
science-based materials for both middle/high school and community college students.
These materials have been very well received and are being used by individuals and groups
across the nation. These materials discuss the basic scientific principles used in NDT.
While learning about electricity, magnetism, sound and X-rays, students are also
introduced to the field of NDT. It is hoped that these materials will serve as a resource to
junior and senior high science teachers and there use will heighten awareness of NDT as a
career field.
The Collaboration also took advantage of the unique capabilities of the Center for
NDE at Iowa State University for conducting computer-based simulations of X-ray
inspections. A set of X-ray course materials were developed that allowed students to
perform simulated X-ray procedures with a computer before actually performing
inspections in the X-ray inspection laboratory. This approach is both cost-effective and
learning-effective. It engages the students in a highly graphical way that maintains their
interest while teaching them about the variables that must be addressed when making a
radiograph.
Extending the Reach
The feedback received from industry and lessons learned from previous efforts to
develop and distribute educational materials is that there is a very receptive audience for
information and materials concerning NDT technical education. This audience is spread
across the middle/high schools, community colleges, industry and other organizations
interested in NDT. However, it has been learned that it is difficult to make users aware of
the materials. Therefore, to meet the needs previously outlined and to build on lessons
learned, a new project has been undertaken with funding from the National Science
Foundation to develop a highly visible Internet-based national focal point for NDT. This
Internet site will provide information, materials, and opportunities for interactions of
students, educators, counselors, and NDT employers.
PROJECT PLANS AND ACTIVITIES
The previous group of collaborators has been expanded by one and is now simply
titled the Collaboration for NDT Education. The collaborating institutions include; Cowley
County Community College, Arkansas City, KS, Iowa State University, Ames, IA,
Northeast Iowa Community College, Peosta, IA, Ridgewater College, Hutchinson, MN,
Salt Lake Community College, Salt Lake City, UT and Southeast Community College,
Milford, NE. This expanded team along with contributions from industry has work to
produce the Internet site. Each team member has been given responsibility for a portion of
the development efforts. Additional details on the efforts of the Collaboration are provided
in the following sections.
Project 1: Web-based NDT/NDE Focal Point
The development of a Web-based national focal point for NDT is the primary focus
of an effort lead by Cowley County Community College and Iowa State University. This
project is building on a set of existing web-based materials developed under our previous
1901
ATE program. The content of the site is partially summarized in Table I. For middle and
senior high school students and their teachers and counselors, the Internet materials provide
information about careers in NDT, backgrounds required and education options. The
materials contain pages dedicated to explaining how NDT is used for certain applications
such as inspecting railroad rail, welds, and aircraft. It is hoped that contributions from
industry experts will help to complete more sections on NDT applications. Materials also
derived from industry contacts, will describe special challenges, opportunities and unique
features about working in the field of NDT. Information for community college students
regarding important issues such as professional certification and pathways that exist for
them to further their education at the university level have been added to the site. The site
also provides links to other NDT areas of importance, such as inspection codes and
standards, and to on-going NDT activities at many different levels. It is hoped that the
NDT community will adopt the site, and that the site will continue to grow and increase in
value based on their recommendations and contributions. Two URLs have been
established for the site: www.ndt-ed.org and www.nde-ed.org. Site usage has increased
TABLE I. Major Elements of the Internet Focal Point Site for NDT.
The community college/university interface
For community college facultyRecommended core courses for a
community college NDT program
Background, knowledge, skills
About NDT
Rail Inspection
Aircraft Inspection
Welding Inspection
Opportunities in NDT/NDE
For High School StudentsThe NDT Educational Spectrum community college, university
opportunities
What to study
What do "NDTers" do?
Job opportunities in the field
Who to contact
For Community College students The NDT Educational Spectrum Community college, university
Opportunities
What to study
Job opportunities in the field
Who to contact
Professional Certification
Certification - what is it and why is it
important?
How do I get certified?
Standards
What are standards and how do they affect
me?
NDT Standards and Practices
Who sets standards?
Where do I get information on standards and
recommended practices?
Available Materials and References
Books, manuals, on-line resources, etc.
NDT in Other Technology Areas
Manufacturing, Metallurgy, Welding
Machining, Airframes and Power plants
NDT Careers
Personal profiles of NDT personnel
Job descriptions
Links to Industrial, Organizational Sites
Links of Interest
Links to NDT/NDE around the world
Links to Centers, Educational Institutions
Science and Math in NDT
The physics of NDT methods
NDT and Math
How much math and physics do
I need?
What's New
Faculty, student opportunities
Meetings, activities
NDT/NDE items in the news
NDT/NDE Education
NDT/NDE On-Line
Demonstrations/simulations
Publications - NDT Basics
Interactive Tutorials
For students
Some community college NDT
educational pathways
Some university NDE educational
pathways
1902
^
^
&
FIGURE1.1. Screen
Screencapture
capture of
of the
the new
new NOT
NDT Resource
Resource Center,
Center, which
which will
will serve
serve as
as aa focal
focal point
point for
for NDT
NDT
FIGURE
educationon
onthe
theInternet.
Internet.
education
steadilysince
since going
going on-line
on-line in
in June
June 2002
2002 and
and now
now attracts
attracts over
over 4,000
4,000 visits
visits each
each month.
month.
steadily
Project2:
2: NDT
NDT Educational
Educational Materials
Materials for
for Other
Other Technology
Technology Programs
Programs
Project
Southeast Community
Community College
College with
with support
support from
from Northeast
Northeast Iowa
Iowa Community
Community
Southeast
College
is
working
on
a
project
to
develop
material
that
instructors
can
use
to
provide
their
College is working on a project to develop material that instructors can use to provide their
technology students
students with
with an
an "Introduction
“Introduction to
to NDT."
NDT.” There
There are
are many
many technical
technical programs
programs in
in
technology
areas such
such as
as welding,
welding, whose
whose students
students would
would benefit
benefit greatly
greatly from
from an
an introductory
introductory to
to NDT
NDT
areas
suitable materials
materials were
were available
available for
for both
both students
students and
and instructors.
instructors. This
This effort
effort is
is
ifif suitable
developing aa modern
modern introductory
introductory NDT
NDT course
course for
for technology
technology courses
courses such
such as
as welding,
welding,
developing
machining and
and mechanics.
mechanics. The
The new
new education
education materials
materials combine
combine text,
text, graphics,
graphics, audio
audio and
and
machining
video to
to address
address all
all modes
modes of
of learning.
learning. Guidance
Guidance and
and introductory
introductory presentation
presentation materials
materials
video
for instructors
instructors are
are being
being developed
developed to
to help
help them
them make
make effective
effective use
use of
of the
the course
course materials.
materials.
for
These course
course materials
materials are
are being
being developed
developed in
in electronic
electronic form
form using
using modern
modern computercomputerThese
based tools
tools so
so the
the materials
materials can
can be
be easily
easily revised
revised and
and updated.
updated. They
They also
also will
will be
be easily
easily
based
tailored to
to meet
meet area
area specific
specific educational
educational needs.
needs. Once
Once completed,
completed, the
the materials
materials will
will be
be
tailored
available
through
the
web-based
national
focal
point
and/or
through
distribution
on
CD.
available through the web-based national focal point and/or through distribution on CD.
Project 3:
3: Professional
Professional Development
Education
Project
Development and
and Continuing
Continuing Education
Iowa State
State University
effort to
to develop
develop materials
Iowa
University is
is leading
leading this
this third
third effort
materials suitable
suitable for
for
use by
by community
community college
for their
their professional
professional development
development and
and continuing
continuing
use
college instructors
instructors for
education. These
These materials
materials will
education.
will be
be delivered
delivered at
at an
an instructor's
instructor's home
home institution,
institution, using
using WebWebbased materials
materials placed
placed on
point Web
Web site
coupled with
with video
lectures on
based
on the
the focal
focal point
site coupled
video lectures
on tape
tape or
or
with streaming
streaming video
with
video over
over the
the Internet.
Internet. These
These materials
materials will
will provide
provide the
the instructors
instructors with
with aa
review of
of the
the physics
physics of
review
of NDT
NDT technology,
technology, training
training on
on instructional
instructional material
material development,
development,
and hands
hands on
and
on experience
experience with
with advanced
advanced inspection
inspection techniques.
techniques. This
This project
project will
will draw
draw on
on
other efforts
efforts in
other
in progress
progress at
at Iowa
Iowa State
State University
University to
to assemble
assemble videotape
videotape materials
materials of
of
various NDT
various
NDT methods.
methods.
1903
SUMMARY
The Collaboration for NDT Education has undertaken a new effort aimed at
improving NDT education. This effort is divided into three projects. Project one involves
the development of a major resource for NDT education related information on the
Internet. Project two involves the development of electronic materials that instructors of
technology courses such as welding can use to provide students with an "introduction to
NDT." The third project involves the development of materials that community college
instructors can use to continue their professional development. The primary goal of this
effort is to enhance learning in NDT technician training programs at community colleges
and to introduce primary school students and counselors to the field of NDT. In addition, it
is hoped that the material will prove useful to students in NDE programs at universities and
to the general NDT community at large.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Support for this work was provided by the National Science Foundation's Division of
Undergraduate Education through grant DUE 0101709.
1904