Request for Proposals to Develop Educational Content in the Battery Field

The Electrochemical Society (ECS) is leading an effort to develop educational resources to address the battery industry’s critical workforce training needs. To that end, ECS is launching a request for proposals to assist the Society in creating training courses in the topical areas outlined below.

Review the information below and submit proposals to education@electrochem.org.

Proposals are due by February 15, 2023.

The Electrochemical Society

Since its inception in 1902, ECS has led the world in advancing the electrochemical and solid state sciences by publishing research, hosting technical meetings, fostering education, and collaborating with other organizations. ECS members include internationally recognized luminaries in battery research, from the Nobel Prize-winning inventors of the lithium ion battery, to the highest-cited authors in “beyond lithium ion” research. With over a century of experience in delivering superior programing for researchers and academics, as well as representing a global community of scientists, engineers, and educators, ECS is uniquely poised to address the identified workforce development gaps in the battery industry.

Course topics

Components for Lithium Ion Batteries: Electrolytes, Anodes, and Cathodes
Students learn about the structure and properties of common battery materials including anodes such as graphite, silicon, and lithium metal; cathodes including LiFePO4, NMC, LNMO, and LMR-NMC; and electrolytes; along with the interfacial reactions of the electrolyte with the electrode interfaces.

Learning outcomes: Develop a general understanding of the properties and challenges associated with different commercial electrode materials and electrolytes. Develop a general understanding of the materials characterization techniques for electrode materials and electrolytes. Develop a general understanding of trouble shooting methods that can be used to determine the sources of problems in commercial lithium ion batteries.

Electrochemical Techniques and Diagnostics for Batteries
Students learn basic electrochemical testing techniques and diagnostic methods for commercial lithium ion batteries.

Learning outcomes: Develop a general understanding of charge/discharge cycling, capacity vs voltage, dQ/dV, cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT), and be skilled in using these techniques to test and characterize lithium batteries.

Fabrication of Batteries and Pack Design
Students learn about the general methods for preparing laminate electrodes, electrode stacking/winding, and pack construction.

Learning outcomes: Develop a general understanding of commercial laminate electrode preparation. Develop a general understanding of the challenges associated with electrode stacking and winding processes. Understand the advantages of various separator materials. Develop a general understanding of lithium ion battery pack design testing and the battery management system.

Target audience

The initial courses should be targeted to professionals/students who have already earned an MS and/or PhD in a related technical field (physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, materials science) and are looking to develop skills to work in the battery industry.

Following the launch of these initial courses, the content will be repurposed/retooled to prepare undergraduate and pre-professional program students for skilled technical jobs not requiring MS or PhD degrees.

Course format

Courses follow a hybrid, online/in-person model. We envision each course encompassing 20-25 hours of online course instruction to teach the basic course material, and 5-10 hours of hands-on training providing real-world experience to provide for a more robust assessment of student learning.

Proposal

Each proposal must contain the following:

  • A detailed description of how each course’s stated outcomes are taught and assessed.
  • A course syllabus with topics broken out. Online lectures should be no longer than 60 minutes of content.
  • A list of texts used for the class and if that text is pre-existing or if educational content will be custom made.
  • A description of the course’s in-person portion, along with the type of facility and equipment needed to provide course-specific training.
  • Plans for student assessment.
Other important information
  • Instructor(s) must have a PhD in the relevant area and demonstrated teaching experience. Experience teaching in an online format is preferred, but not required.
  • Classes may be created/taught by a team of up to three instructors or by a single instructor.
  • Submit proposal, syllabus, statement of interest, and CV. If a proposal is being developed by a team of instructors, please select a lead instructor to submit all content and serve as the single point of contact with ECS.
  • Proposals must be received by February 15, 2023.
  • Submit proposals in PDF format via email to education@electrochem.org.
  • ECS determines the winning proposals and notifies the winners by the end of March 2023. Unsuccessful proposals will be notified in April 2023.
  • Once a proposal has been accepted, the authors have four months to develop all course materials.
  • If you have questions or need more information, please contact education@electrochem.org.
Remuneration
  • ECS will pay up to $25,000 per course developed, regardless of the number of instructors for each course.
  • Instructor fees for teaching the course and course assessment (if applicable) are negotiated separately.
Frequently asked questions

Who owns the copyright or the content once it is developed?
This is considered “work for hire” and The Electrochemical Society owns the copyright and content. Instructors’ contributions/development of the course material is recognized by the Society in all course materials. However, administration of the content, learning platform access, and/or recognition of completed course content is held and distributed solely by ECS.

Should the proposal cover all three courses?
The RFP requests one proposal per course topic listed. An individual or group (maximum team of three) may submit multiple proposals for different courses.

Who delivers the in-person portion of the course?
ECS works with the instructor(s) submitting the proposal for in-person course delivery.

Should the budget be itemized for each course?
Ideally, the proposal includes the cost of materials and any fees affiliated with use of the most appropriate facility for conducting the in-person coursework. The itemized budget for developing each course should not include remuneration for in-person course content delivery. Instructor costs associated with in-person delivery of course content are negotiated separately, if applicable.


Questions?

Please contact education@electrochem.org with questions or requests for more information.