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A Novel Collaborative Program in Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Thamire, C., Ainane*, S., Hoffman, J., Pertmer, G.A.* Frostburg State University/University of Maryland, College Park*

Abstract

Over the past few years, the University of Maryland (UM) and Frostburg State University (FSU) have collaborated to develop a novel undergraduate mechanical engineering degree program in western Maryland. Designed to serve the students in the region and provide engineering graduates and further engineering educational opportunities for local industries, the program utilizes both live-instruction and distance-education as the delivery modes. Students in the program officially transfer to UM for the final two years but reside at the FSU campus in western Maryland throughout the duration of the program. Students receive about 80% of the courses from FSU faculty through live instruction and the remaining 20%, in the last two years, from the UM faculty via interactive television. The program was initiated in 1997 after a needs assessment prompted the two institutions to collaborate in establishing quality undergraduate programs in mechanical and electrical engineering, with UM designated as the degree-granting institution. After graduating our first students in 2001, the programs were reviewed by ABET in 2002 and consequently an accreditation status was awarded in 2003. In this paper, we present an overview of the development of mechanical engineering program, including a description of the concept and the role of distance learning, and discuss the evolution of the assessment philosophy developed for the purpose of accreditation.

I. Introduction.

The purpose of this paper is to describe our experience in developing and sustaining a novel program in mechanical engineering. The program described utilizes both live- and distance- education modes for delivery and is developed jointly by the University of Maryland (UM), College Park, and Frostburg State University (FSU).

The University of Maryland, in College Park, is a major public research university1 located on 1,500 acres of rolling land along the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. corridor, offering undergraduate and graduate academic programs of high quality2. Designated the flagship campus of the University System of Maryland, UM has a student population of more than 35,0001. The A. James Clark School of Engineering, one of the thirteen colleges and schools in the university, offers 13 graduate programs and 10 undergraduate degree programs. The Department of Mechanical Engineering is one of the seven departments within the School, offering B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees, and ranks highly in the discipline. FSU, on the other hand, is located in western Maryland and is a smaller, regional university. Founded in 1898, it is the University System of Maryland’s only four-year institution west of the Baltimore/ Washington metropolitan

Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright  2004, American Society for Engineering Education

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Ainane, S., & Hoffman, J., & Pertmer, G., & Thamire, C. (2004, June), A Novel Collaborative Program In Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Paper presented at 2004 Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--12996