Discussion On The Teaching of Metallic Mineral Pro
Discussion On The Teaching of Metallic Mineral Pro
Discussion On The Teaching of Metallic Mineral Pro
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Abstract: Social economic growth and the increasing demand for mineral resources have promoted the development of
metallic mineral processing technology. Therefore, in order to satisfy the demands for development in mining, cultivating
comprehensive mineral processing engineering professionals with strong innovative practical skills has become the top
priority in current education. We have established a new course, “Metallic Mineral Processing,” for students majoring in
mineral processing engineering in universities, with coal and other sources of energy as the main focus. This paper analyzes
the purpose and significance of setting up this course and the exploration of the reform of the teaching mode, with the aim of
improving the teaching quality and ensuring the cultivation of mineral processing engineering undergraduates.
Keywords: Mining engineering; Mineral processing engineering; Metallic Mineral Processing; Undergraduate students
Online publication: November 17, 2022
1. Introduction
With the rapid development of economy in China, as one of the important industrial countries in the world,
the construction of ecological civilization has shown to be successful. Consequently, the construction of a
resource-saving and environment-friendly society has put forward higher requirements for the development
and utilization of mineral resources. The demand for metallic mineral resources presents an increasing trend.
However, the valuable metals derived from China’s metal ores are of low grade and are difficult to recover.
Therefore, in order to improve the utilization of mineral resources, the development of the entire metallic
mineral industry is needed, which in turn requires a large number of professional and technical personnel
with good knowledge in “Metallic Mineral Processing” [1]. In addition, coal gangue contains valuable metal
elements, such as aluminum, gallium, germanium, indium, etc., so improving its comprehensive utilization
level is closely related to the knowledge of metal ore beneficiation and metallurgy [2]. Therefore, it is
necessary to set up a new “Metallic Mineral Processing” course for students majoring in mineral processing
engineering in universities, with coal and other energy sources as the main focus. How to solve the problems,
coordinate the teaching of minerals processing involving two different properties (coal and metallic
mineral), and stimulate students’ interest in learning are all important for improving the teaching quality
and ensure the cultivation of mineral processing engineering undergraduates. In this context, the reform
and exploration of the teaching of “Metallic Mineral Processing” were carried out.
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2. “Metallic Mineral Processing” course for mineral processing engineering majors in universities
with energy as their focus
Mineral processing engineering majors in universities, with coal and energy as their focus, emphasize on
building an elite education and teaching system for the energy industry. For example, the mineral
processing engineering major offered by China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing) (CUMTB),
founded in 1952, has a long history of development [3]. The undergraduate education is focused on
developing a strong foundation of natural science and professional understanding of mineral processing
engineering in the fields of coal processing, comprehensive mineral resource utilization, and deep mineral
resource processing. The core courses of the major are “Mineral Processing,” “Experimental Design and
Research Methods,” and “Engineering Design of Mineral Processing Plant.” Many undergraduates in
similar universities are interested in the field of metallic mineral processing, and there is a certain demand
for knowledge related to metal ore beneficiation. Furthermore, coal preparation and metal ore beneficiation
belong to the field of mineral processing engineering, and both have common or universal processing and
separation methods, such as crushing, gravity separation, magnetic separation, flotation, solid-liquid
separation, etc.
However, these two directions have differences. Metallic mineral processing generally involves
grinding, while it is less involved in coal preparation. Besides, in reality, metallic mineral processing is
often the separation of polymetallic minerals. It often involves the coexistence of copper, lead, zinc, gold,
silver, tin, and other metals, requiring a complex separation process, which is more complicated than the
coal preparation process. It is difficult to adapt coal preparation knowledge alone to the knowledge and
skill needs of the metal ore beneficiation industry [4]. Therefore, it is necessary for universities that focus
on coal or energy to offer this special course, which is conducive to the expansion of students’ knowledge
and the improvement of undergraduate employment rate.
We have established the “Metallic Mineral Processing” course and set a systematic syllabus for
undergraduate students majoring in mineral processing engineering in CUMTB.
This course, on the basis of introducing the basic theory of mineral processing and the common
processing technology of metallic minerals, systematically introduces the mineral resource status, ore types,
mineral composition, mineral processing methods, technological processes, production practices of mineral
processing plants, etc.
Through these teaching contents, students would be able to master basic theoretical knowledge, the
basic methods, and the development trend of metallic mineral processing. Moreover, the reform and
practice of the teaching mode in terms of teaching methods and assessment forms have been carried out.
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online interaction is taken as the auxiliary. This teaching mode combines theoretical teaching by teachers
with independent discussions among students. Besides, it is a student-centered teaching mode that
encourages students to communicate and share, with constructive feedback given based on their sharing.
At the same time, with the help of modern teaching resources, this teaching mode provides students a
platform for independent learning with the addition of micro-lesson videos and other online learning
resources. The diversified teaching methods and rich teaching resources would enhance students’
recognition of the curriculum and enrich the professional knowledge content and system for students’
learning.
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(4) Module 4
This module focuses on literature research reports and case analysis as well as solving practical problems
with professional knowledge. After students are taught on the significance and methods of literature
research, they are required to collect literature data based on specific topics and keywords. During this
process, students would not only understand the industry dynamics and expand their professional
knowledge, but also cultivate their skills in information search, problem analysis, and idea summary.
Through the analysis of professional examples, such as copper mineral processing plant, iron mineral
processing plant, etc., students would be able to sort out what they have learned in classroom, transform
this classroom knowledge into tools to solve practical production problems, and gain a deeper
understanding of the industry dynamics. Through the introduction of actual production cases, targeted
discussions can also be carried out to help students improve their ability to solve on-site problems.
5. Conclusion
The “Metallic Mineral Processing” course serves as an important part of the systematic professional
knowledge of undergraduate students majoring in mineral processing engineering. This course is also an
innovative course for mineral processing engineering majors in universities that focus on coal or energy.
This course aims to improve the teaching quality and ensure the cultivation of mineral processing
engineering undergraduates, while focusing on the reform and exploration of the teaching mode from the
aspects of innovation of teaching measures and curriculum assessment and evaluation system reform. This
course also employs the student-centered teaching model and adopts the small private online course (SPOC)
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mode [6]. With the help of modern teaching resources, this course would be able to renew students’
understanding of the major and its courses, enrich their professional knowledge, expand their horizons, and
cultivate patriotism and an innovative spirit in students.
Funding
This study was financially supported by the Undergraduate Education and Teaching Research and Reform
Project of CUMTB (J20ZD08, 202112) and the Yueqi Outstanding Scholar Award of CUMTB.
Disclosure statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
References
[1] Zhang Y, Wang ZM, 2019, Research on Characteristics and Sustainable Development of Mineral
Resources in China. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, IOP Publishing, 300(2):
022155.
[2] Dai SF, Yan XY, Ward CR, et al., 2018, Valuable Elements in Chinese Coals: A Review. International
Geology Review, 60(5–6): 590–620.
[3] Zhang ZJ, Huang G, 2013, Discussion of Establishing Metallic Mineral Processing Courses in the
Major of Coal Preparation. China Electric Power Education, 2013(29): 76–77.
[4] Chen WS, Fu JH, Han HS, et al., 2020, Advance in the Separation of Ultrafine Minerals. Conservation
and Utilization of Mineral Resources, 40(4): 134–145.
[5] Lei HJ, Wang HJ, Wu L, 2020, Practice and Exploration of Innovation on Assessment Methods of
Engineering Professional Courses in University – Taking “Hydraulic Structures” of KUST as an
Example. Advances in Education, 10(4): 477–481.
[6] Li X, 2022, Practical Research on SPOC+ILTM Teaching Mode Construction Based on the
Adaptability of Higher Vocational Education. Chinese Journal of ICT in Education, 28(10): 100–107.
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