Validation by David J. Taylor E-mail: djtaylor@lineone.net Chairman of the BCA Industrial Group 1995-1997 Elected Member of the BCA Council 1999 Formerly at Pilkington Technology Centre, Ormskirk, Lancs

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Request for comments by JKC (14/12/99)
Dear Dave,
I am not sure whether Paul Barnes has already approached you on this subject, but we are looking for one or two people who would be willing to look at, and comment on, the new Web material that we are developing for teaching Powder Diffraction across the Internet to students who register for the course at Birkbeck College.
Sometime ago at one of our internal teaching meetings, I took the liberty of suggesting your name as someone who might be willing to review the course material from an industrial point-of-view. Also I was looking for someone who was already familiar with Web pages, etc., and who is a IG-BCA committee member, i.e. and industrial crystallographer.
If you are willing and are able to do this, please can you let me know so that I can make arrangements regarding access. I must point out that at this point in time, the work should not be too strenous since we have only released to the students the first 5 "lectures" of the course material.
With best regards,
Jeremy Karl Cockcroft.

1. The main homepage for the course is http://pd.cryst.bbk.ac.uk/pd/welcome.htm
2. The main course index for the academic year 1999/2000 is http://pd.cryst.bbk.ac.uk/pd/index99.htm which can be reached from any page by clicking on the course icon
3. It is important to view the material "as the student would see it" so you need to start from the bottom of the "Notice Board" http://pd.cryst.bbk.ac.uk/pd/enrol99/notice.htm and work up the list from the bottom of the board. The reason for this is that the guidance notes to the students are given here.
4. We get everyone to complete the license form (2nd item from bottom of the notice board), reviewers included - so this is not specifically aimed at you. This then triggers the mechanism for the generation of the password which you need to access the course material (and most of the items on the notice board).

Course: Advanced Certificate in Powder Diffraction on the Web

Review by: Mr. D J Taylor C Chem MRSC
35 Birchley Road, Billinge, Wigan, Lancs WN5 7QJ

Emeritus - Senior Research Scientist, Pilkington
British Crystallographic Association (BCA) - Council Member
International X-ray Analysis Society (IXAS) - Steering Committee Member
International Centre Diffraction Data - Member and BCA representative

I found the course material to be of a very high standard in terms of both presentation and content. The material is accurate and presented in a logical sequence to guide the student through the complexities of the subject matter. It takes complex mathematical expressions and explains them in a lucid and systematic manner that will be easily digested by students at all levels. The up to date course material is well designed and very simple to navigate. The excellent use of graphics in the many supporting diagrams makes the course a delight to follow. In fact I found myself sucked in to diligently following the course, the ease and consistency of the presentational style made it such a pleasure to explore the high quality course material.

The course material is well balanced, covering the essential topics for a thorough understanding of the principles and practice of powder diffraction, and I'm sure when complete will satisfy the aims and objectives set by the college. Interaction with discussion groups will iron out any lack of comprehension and the course work will reinforce the understanding of the theory. I am sure that this course will be of great benefit to the many material scientists in industry who increasingly become involved in powder diffraction and crystallography from unrelated fields and have had no previous training in the subject.

The use of the web with colour, motion and links at last puts a valuable learning resource at the fingertips of a world eager to be liberated from an isolated understanding gleaned from often outdated text books. The media also makes it very simple to make minor corrections and update the course material in future years to keep it current. This flexible approach is the best way of teaching this very specialised subject to a diverse population of students. Giving students the ability to follow the course at their own pace and time coupled with back up from skilled course tutors must be a successful formula. I have no reservations in recommending this course to all material scientists who practice powder diffraction regardless of their training or experience.

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