  The lecture "Atomistic Materials Modeling" is a core qualification of the
master program "materials science" at the Hamburg University of Technology
(TUHH). Within the lecture, various modern methods for atomistic materials
modeling are presented. Originally, the course was conceived as a traditional
lecture. That didactic-methodical conception, however, does not seem to be
ideal to support the students in reaching the educational objectives and to
foster the students' interest in the covered topics. A new didactic concept
based on interactive engagement is designed to allow for a more individual and
research-oriented learning experience of the students. To this end, team-work
units involving worksheets and computer exercises are established replacing
traditional lectures. Additionally, the students get the possibility to sketch
research proposals in small teams during their individual study time. The
students are supposed to apply, discuss, and immerse themselves in selected
topics of the lecture via those new elements. The effects of these innovations
on the students' ability to reach the educational objectives and on their level
of interest in related research activities are investigated in this work using
several questionnaires, observations by the lectures, and the results of the
final exams as data sources. The analysis shows that the students are highly in
favor of the new, interactive elements. Those elements support the students in
reaching important educational objectives of the lecture. Moreover, the
interest in research is increased. The questionnaires and exams, however,
indicate some room for improvement. For example, the assessment of the
limitations of different methods is difficult for the students. Consequently,
an updated version of the presented concept including the findings of this work
is supposed to be implemented in the future.
