Better than free!

Tribology & Lubrication Technology, Aug 2007 by Salek, Edward P

A professional friend of mine recently shared a news clip which reported that The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has decided to put the content of the university's entire curriculum of 1,800 courses online for free!

These are not online courses, and no course credit is given. The posted material is just course content such as video and audio clips, syllabi, readings, etc. But MIT is not alone in this trend. Other universities also are participating in the movement to provide online global access to higher learning.

In a world where such amazing quantities of information are readily available over the Web, the issue in many cases becomes one of quality. As STLE President Ed Becker points out in this month's column, entering the words "tribology" and "lubricants" into the Google search engine results in more than 10 million hits. Some of the information is good, some is bad, and it's exceedingly difficult to separate one type of information from another.

This situation is driving STLE to become an arbiter of credible information about tribology and lubricants. Our Web site (www.stle.org) is the primary conduit for providing members with information that's better than free, because it meets the rigorous technical standards of an organization with STLE's reputation.

For example, and in keeping with this month's Lubrication Fundamentals theme, consider the four Lube-Learn online education courses in the Members Only portion of the STLE site. While not quite the equivalent of MIT's curriculum, this online training package offers a convenient way for companies to provide a technical foundation for lubrication professionals in a variety of job assignments.

Each of the four segments consists of a series of pages that describe and illustrate the fundamental concepts related to the topic. Segment topics include:

* Basics of Friction

Tribology is the science of rubbing. Generally, the subjects considered by tribology are friction, wear and lubrication. Both friction and wear are encountered when, for example, parts of a machine move past each other under load. Lubrication reduces friction and wear. This course is also available in Spanish.

* Basics of Lubrication

Without lubrication, the mechanical devices we use daily would not be economical to operate. \n this course, the three types of lubrication and their interconnection will be described and discussed.

* Basics of Wear

Wear is inevitable, and we know that many mechanical and hydraulic systems are replaced because a small amount of wear caused reliability problems. Modern research has shown 12 main types of wear. Wear can be prevented by recognizing the type of wear and making changes in the lubricant, design or operation.

* Basics of Rheology

Without lubrication, the mechanical devices we use daily would not be economical to operate. The single most important property of the lubricant is the viscosity of the oil. Basics of Rheology covers the nature of the factors that can cause viscosity to vary, resulting in friction and wear.

All LubeLearn courses were written and reviewed by recognized industry experts to provide an independent, third-party consensus on the material. Any current member can access the courses by using their last name and membership ID number to log into the Members Only portion of the STLE site. You will have free and continuing access to all four Lube-Learn courses.

Additional online courses from Lubrizol K2M and Chevron Lubricants University also are available through www.stle.org. These providers have met the "Education Partner" standards set by the STLE Education Committee, which is working to help members find additional sources of high-quality technical education on the Web.

All signs point to the need for such guidance, because the demand for online training is growing. In a survey of 1 50 STLE members conducted last fall, 64% said they currently use online training, and 75% characterize it as a valuable way to keep up with technical information.

How much online education will be used in the future is still a subject for debate. But there's no question that STLE's role will be to identify the best of what's on the Web so that members and their employers can put it to use with confidence in the quality and accuracy of the material.

By Edward P. Salek, CAE

Executive Director

You can reach Certified Association Executive Ed Salek at esalek@stle.org.