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Session 2509

Development of Essential Skills and Knowledge Using Process Education and Internet-Based Learning in an Introductory Biomedical Engineering Course Jack Wasserman, Richard Jendrucko University of Tennessee at Knoxville

Abstract

After many years of traditional teaching of an introductory biomedical engineering (BME) course, the shift of perspective to student learning has provided the most satisfying results. Student performance has exceeded all expectations based on past course offerings. In addition, it is now much easier to evaluate student progress in activities that do not require a quantitative result. The student response has been very positive as demonstrated by a 50% improvement in class attendance. The objectives of improved communication, problem solving, and teaming skills in addition to the acquisition of a background in BME applications have been successfully achieved as with projects, papers, and presentations.

This approach to learning has provided additional benefits for the supervision of graduate students and for research planning. Although initially challenging, the benefits to cost ratio is so high that the described method is planned for incorporation in all courses in an BME curriculum.

I. Introduction

This paper introduces the benefits of curriculum design using process education and the use of distance education tools to student learning outcomes in an introductory course for biomedical engineering students. The change in the concept for the conduct of this course was the result of preparing for an ABET 2000 program review and the development of an integrated BME curriculum described in a companion paper1.

Process Education (PE)2,3 involves many different concepts as described in detail. The PE curriculum design requires the separation of learning objectives into behaviors, processes, tools, and factual information. As a result, key behaviors of biomedical engineers that students needed to develop were identified and course themes were implemented to help develop these behaviors. With student learning being the focus, PE requires a much more active student participation than for traditional learning models. For this course, lecture time was reduced by 2/3 with this time being spent in the active participation of the student groups using the information developed in their reading assignments.

The broad nature of the field of biomedical engineering makes it difficult for small BME programs to provide all the needed expertise. Utilizing a combination of Course Info and video lecturing, a course segment on biomedical instrumentation was provided by a professional colleague who was located 500 miles from the students. The evaluation of the effectiveness of

Proceedings of the 2001 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition copyright  2001, American Society for Engineering Education

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Jendrucko, R., & Wasserman, J. (2001, June), Development Of Essential Skills And Knowledge Using Internet Based Learning In An Introductory Biomedical Engineering Course Paper presented at 2001 Annual Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 10.18260/1-2--9131