A Comparative Analysis Of Online And In Class Versions Of Engineering Cultures
- Conference
- Location
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Chicago, Illinois
- Publication Date
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June 18, 2006
- Start Date
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June 18, 2006
- End Date
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June 21, 2006
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Page Count
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10
- Page Numbers
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11.20.1 - 11.20.10
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--672
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/672
- Download Count
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362
Paper Authors
Rosamond Parkhurst Colorado School of Mines
Rosamond S. Parkhurst (rshaffer@mines.edu ) is a graduate student in the Mathematical and Computer Sciences Department at the Colorado School of Mines. She received her B.S. in Mathematical and Computer Sciences with an area of special interest in Engineering from CSM. In 2002 she received the Boettcher Scholarship, a prestigious scholarship awarded to forty students in Colorado each year. Selection criteria include scholastic achievement, leadership and involvement, service to community and school, and outstanding character. Currently she is involved in an outreach program to integrate engineering into the middle school classroom.
Barbara Moskal Colorado School of Mines
Barbara M. Moskal (bmoskal@mines.edu ) received her Ed.D. in Mathematics Education with a minor in Quantitative Research Methodology and her M.A. in Mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh. She is an Associate Professor in the Mathematical and Computer Sciences Department at the Colorado School of Mines. Her research interests include student assessment, K-12 outreach and equity issues.
Gary Downey Virginia Tech
Gary Downey (downeyg@vt.edu ) is Professor of Science and Technology Studies and affiliated faculty member in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. Trained as a mechanical engineer (B.S. Lehigh U 1974) and cultural anthropologist (Ph.D. U Chicago 1981), he is winner of Virginia Tech's 1997 Diggs Teaching Scholar Award for scholarship in teaching, 2003 XCaliber Award for instructional technology, and 2004 William E. Wine Award for career excellence in teaching.
Juan Lucena Colorado School of Mines
Juan Lucena (jlucena@mines.edu ) is Associate Professor in Liberal Arts and International Studies and affiliated faculty member in the Center for Engineering Education at the Colorado School of Mines. Trained in mechanical and aeronautical engineering (B.S. Rensselaer 1987, 1988) and in Science and Technology Studies (Ph.D. Virginia Tech 1996), he is Principal Investigator of the NSF-funded project Enhancing Engineering Education through Humanitarian Ethics, which is developing a graduate curriculum in humanitarian engineering at CSM.
Thomas Bigley Virginia Tech
Thomas Bigley (tbigley@vt.edu ), a Ph.D. candidate in Science and Technology Studies at Virginia Tech, is currently researching technology, identity, and Occidentalism in East/West relations. He teaches courses in Science and Technology Studies, including Engineering Cultures. He received B.S./B.L.A./B.E.D. degrees from the University of Minnesota, M.B.A. from Fordham University, J.D. from the William Mitchell College of Law, M.Eng. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of
California, Berkeley, with an MA in International and Area Studies from the
University of California, Berkeley pending.
Sharon Ruff Virginia Tech
Sharon Ruff (sruff@vt.edu ), a Ph.D. student in Science and Technology Studies at Virginia Tech. She is currently researching gender and engineering and teaching Engineering Cultures. She received her B.S. in mathematics (2000) from Penn State University.
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
A Comparative Analysis of Online and In-class Versions of Engineering Cultures
Abstract:
At many institutions, online courses are becoming increasingly available. Yet, very little research has been completed on the effectiveness of online courses as compared to in class versions. “Online” is defined here to be a course in which all instructional and course materials are available via internet. At Virginia Polytechnic Institute and the Colorado School of Mines a course titled, Engineering Cultures, has been offered both online and in class. Based on the current Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology criteria, all engineering students should have some understanding of global issues, suggesting the importance of courses such as Engineering Cultures. If such a course can be delivered online, access can be provided to a broad range of engineering students. Online seems to be an excellent method to provide broad access to educational material, but is it as effective as in class versions of the same course? As part of this study, a multiple choice pretest and a posttest were administered to a treatment and control group. The treatment group completed the online version of the course and the control group completed the in class version of the course. Both groups also completed a survey at the end of the course. The results of this analysis were surprising: the treatment group displayed greater increases from pre to post test than did the control group. In other words, the online students displayed a greater increase in knowledge as measured by the test than did the in class students.
I. Introduction:
An online course is defined here to be a course in which all the instructional and course materials are available via internet. Often these sites are password protected and access is provided only to enrolled students. Materials can include papers, assigned readings, pre-recorded lectures, notes, exams and quizzes. Typically, software programs, such as Blackboard, allow the instructor to control when students view material and what material they view. This allows teachers to further determine when an exam is administered and the amount of time permitted to complete the exam. With the exception of face-to-face interaction, online has all of the elements of regular instruction.
Online learning, however, has yet to receive a great deal of research attention. Many questions remain concerning the appropriateness of online learning. For example, how effective is on-line learning? Is it possible to gain as much knowledge through computer interaction as with a professor in the room interacting with students? How does student learning differ in online or in class versions of a course?
A course titled Engineering Cultures was designed and first implemented by Drs. Gary Downey, Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VP), and Juan Lucena, Colorado School of Mines (CSM). Engineering Cultures is designed to teach future engineers how the culture of engineering differs across various countries. For example, there are large differences among the expectations and roles of engineers in France, United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States. This impacts the manner in which engineers interact and solve problems. Although these countries share many
Parkhurst, R., & Moskal, B., & Downey, G., & Lucena, J., & Bigley, T., & Ruff, S. (2006, June), A Comparative Analysis Of Online And In Class Versions Of Engineering Cultures Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--672
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