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Comparison of Engineering Graphics Courses Delivered via Face- to-Face, Online, Synchronous Distance Education, and Hybrid Formats

Abstract

With the increase of online instruction in higher education, questions arise as to whether students acquire the necessary knowledge from a given course. This paper investigates the efficacy of four modes of delivery for an engineering graphics course. The four delivery modes are traditional face-to-face instruction, synchronous distance education using audiographics technology, asynchronous online instruction, and hybrid of face-to-face with asynchronous and synchronous online instruction. In general, each section of the course was delivered by the same instructor to undergraduate engineering students in their first or second year. In order to assess the effectiveness of each delivery mode, this research considers the observations of the instructor and the commentary from the students. Also, a posttest was given to students to assess their knowledge in basic areas of engineering graphics, including projections, visualization, and dimensioning. The results of this work will compare the effectiveness of the different modes of teaching. It should also offer some insight as to the different ways students learn engineering graphics and to what extent online instruction is appropriate for an engineering graphics course.

Introduction

As new education delivery technologies are developed, discussions arise as to whether these technologies are an effective way to educate students. With more institutions of higher education moving toward online instruction, the case must be made that the education students are receiving online is equivalent to the education received in a traditional format on campus. The move to alternative education technologies is growing in the field of engineering education. The paper considers the efficacy of an engineering graphics course offered in four different delivery modes.

Previous work has been done considering distance education in engineering graphics. A few examples include the use of a combination of synchronous and asynchronous technologies to deliver an engineering graphics course via distance education.1 Totten and Branoff gave several strategies for a successful delivery of an online engineering graphics course.2 In addition, Branoff and Wiebe considered the differences in student performance in face-to-face, online, and hybrid formats.3 The work at hand considers four delivery methods of an engineering graphics course including face-to-face instruction, asynchronous online instruction, synchronous audiographics instruction, and a hybrid of online and face-to-face instruction. Student performance in each section will be compared to determine whether any delivery mode is better or worse than any other mode.

The paper will begin with a discussion of the course itself and a description the different modes in which it was delivered. That will be followed by an outline of the procedures used to acquire data. The analysis of this data will then be presented. Finally, some conclusions of the research will be offered.

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Holdhusen, M. (2009, June), A Comparison Of Engineering Graphics Courses Delivered Face To Face, On Line, Via Synchronous Distance Education, And In Hybrid Formats Paper presented at 2009 Annual Conference & Exposition, Austin, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--5157