Distance learning paradigms in electronics packaging: a national course on thermal design of electronic products

Electronics packaging education requires a multidisciplinary approach, integrating concepts in electrical engineering, materials, structural analysis, heat transfer, reliability and computational methods. The availability of advanced instructional technologies is allowing an unprecedented opportunity to incorporate several desirable attributes to courseware development in such areas. This paper describes an ongoing multi-university effort undertaken to develop a national course on thermal design of electronic products. The participating institutions provide a combination of faculty with expertise in various aspects of thermal design. Examples of course materials developed so far include: (i) videotaped lecture segments on specialized topics, (ii) case studies, and (iii) multi-media computational design simulations. At each institution, the modules are integrated with traditional classroom lectures. These materials will form a central online resource base, accessible through the world wide web (WWW). In addition to their possible use in courses dealing specifically with electronics cooling, it is anticipated that instructors of more comprehensive packaging courses, as well as more general heat transfer and thermal design courses, will find it possible to incorporate these modules in their syllabi and thus dramatically expand the number of engineering students exposed to these critical issues.