A Framework for an Online Undergraduate Engineering Program: Planning Study to Determine How Best to Develop, Implement and Assess

Project: Research project

Project Details

Description

The planning grant proposal presented by Stevens Institute of Technology is to determine how best to develop, implement, and assess an online undergraduate engineering program that can become a national model for other engineering schools. The objective is to create a plan for developing a fully online undergraduate mechanical engineering degree program based on results of a one-year study, which will identify: potential student populations, faculty requirements, discipline selections, curriculum requirements, admissions criteria, accreditation requirements, implementation resources (faculty, technical equipment, financial), collaboration with other institutions, laboratory requirements, etc.

Stevens believes that an online program will greatly benefit the many mid-career employees and non-traditional students who have yet to earn an undergraduate engineering degree, especially those in business and industry and at military installations. Online education provides working adults with an attractive alternative mode of study, since they often are unable to attend classes on campus because of distance, work schedules, and family obligations and demands. Online study eliminates geographic barriers, offers flexibility, and provides an egalitarian environment for under-represented populations of students.

The program will enable access to superior engineering education to under-represented populations, in remote locations or otherwise constrained due to family or employment obligations. If successful, it can become a model for other undergraduate engineering programs, thus migrating it to other schools around the country. The program collaboration with industry and the military is expected to have an enormous impact by raising the quality and level of performance of workers who will be able to attain full engineering degrees online.

StatusFinished
Effective start/end date1/09/0531/05/08

Funding

  • National Science Foundation

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