Establishing Online Degree Programs in Engineering Technology The Ninth Sloan-C International Conference on Asynchronous Learning Network (ALN) November 15, 2003

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Establishing Online Degree Programs in
Engineering TechnologyThe Ninth Sloan-C
International Conference on Asynchronous Learning
Network (ALN)November 15, 2003
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Presenters From the University of Toledo
Karen Rhoda, Ph.D.Director, Distance
LearningDan Solarek, M.S.E.E.
Chair/ProfessorEngineering TechnologyElla
Fridman, Ph.D.Associate ProfessorEngineering
Technology
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Karen Rhoda, Ph.D.Director, Distance Learning
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The Mainstreaming of Distance Learning at UT
The evolution

• Centralized structure
• Cost effectiveness
• Comprehensive faculty support and technical
  services
• Comprehensive Student Services
• Adherence to NCA Best Practices
• Network Infrastructure
• Marketing Strategic plan
• DL Advisory Committee
• Change of reporting line

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The Importance of Collaborations with UT Colleges
and other Institutions

• Faculty control of curricula, quality control
• Fellowships 129,000 since 1999
• Fellows 8 since 1995
• Ohio Learning Network (OLN)
• USDLA
• Conferences
• WebCT
• UT Offices - support

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DL Grant Funding Collaborated with UT's Colleges
and Other Colleges 3.03 million
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The DL Team
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Undergraduate Graduate Programs

• Online Programs and Degrees
• Associate degrees in Business Management
  Technology, Marketing Sales Technology, and
  Technical Studies
• B.A. in Adult Liberal Studies
• CSET Program (Computer Science and Engineering
  Technology degree completion)
• Masters in Liberal Studies
• M.S. in Engineering
• M. Ed., Curriculum Instruction
• B.S. in Pharmacy and Pharm D Programs
• B.S. in Health Information Management
• Certificate Programs

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UT Distance Learning Course Enrollment by Year
Enrollment as of 10/10/2003
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UT Distance eLearning Course Enrollment by
Year
Enrollment as of 10/10/2003
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UT Distance Learning Number of Courses by Year
Number of courses as of 10/10/2003
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Distance Learning at UT serving the goals of
students in an urban, metropolitan university

• DL meets the needs of all students
• 50 of DL students work full-time
• 36 have children
• 69 are female
• As is typical of urban universities serving
  students of all ages and those who cannot engage
  in a traditional academic program or whose
  schedules must be flexible in order to pursue
  higher education

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Dan Solarek, M.S.E.E. Chair/ProfessorEngineering
Technology
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Engineering Technology at UT

• 1,100 Undergraduates Fall 2002

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Collaboration

• University, community college, state agency
  collaboration.

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Degree Completion Partners

• Central Ohio
• Cincinnati State
• Columbus State
• Cuyahoga
• Jefferson
• Lakeland
• Rhodes
• Lorain County
• Northwest State
• Sinclair
• Stark State

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Program Structure
On-Site
BS Degree Requires 128 Semester Hours
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2/3rds of the coursework for the BS degree is
taken at community college tuition rates.
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Web
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Associate Degree
Core
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Current Enrollment

• The distribution of these students between upper
  division and lower division is shown below.

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Some Realities

• Dual admission helps to connect students with
  both UT and the partner community college.
• Students can confused about which institution to
  ask for advice about a particular problem.
• Students need advising on a continuing basis
• Advising should begin at the partner CC but be
  coordinated between the institutions
• Clearly identified points of contact for both
  institutions need to be available to students.

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Some Realities

• Despite careful articulation agreements, students
  may find that they need to take additional
  bridge courses because of the differences
  between programs.
• Programs at both institutions change constantly,
  forcing frequent review and revision of
  articulation agreements.

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Some Realities

• Financial aid needs to be coordinated with a
  consortium agreement between the institutions.
• Scholarships should be available for students in
  this program at both institutions.
• All partners need to invest in the program

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Some Realities

• From a faculty perspective, the immediacy and
  limitations of email can be a problem.
• Students come to expect instant responses to
  messages that they send at all hours of the day
  or night. Students complain about lack of
  responsiveness.
• Students/faculty can easily read a message in a
  negative light when nothing negative was
  intended.
• Need for Teaching Assistants, especially in
  larger classes

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Marketing

• Obviously, to be successful the program must be
  marketed.
• Partner institutions must take the lead in their
  own service areas
• Direct mailings need to come from a familiar
  institution
• Program should be advertised in the local media
• Information sessions with UT and CC participants
  for parents and high school students have proven
  effective

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Building Partnerships

• To state the obvious
• There is a correlation between effort extended in
  nurturing the partnership and the enrollment in
  the program.
• Our desire is to maintain real partnerships.
• Appointed a faculty member to pay attention to
  partner relationships.
• Sponsor an annual meeting.
• Need to see each partner at their location 1-2
  times per academic year as a minimum.

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Funding Model

• Distance learning courses offered in cooperation
  with UTs centralized Division of Distance
  Learning
• DL Division began as a self-supporting unit
• Tuition monies to Division as income source
• After expenses, profit is split between the
  Division and the College/Department offering the
  course
• University retains all subsidy
• Model is currently under revision

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Faculty Participation

• Faculty are encouraged to develop web assisted
  courses
• Putting syllabus on web
• Putting handouts on web
• Transition to web-based courses is easier
• Proceeds from departmental share go to support
  participating faculty

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Faculty Participation

• Faculty normally teach distance learning courses
  for extra compensation
• Courses can be taught as part of normal workload
• Compensation is based on enrollment
• ET department and College of Engineering view
  faculty efforts in distance learning as
  meritorious

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Ella Fridman, Ph.D.Associate ProfessorEngineerin
g Technology
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Professional Masters Degree in Engineering and
Engineering Technology
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Rationale for the Program

• Responds to the needs of corporations for a
  practical MS degree that better prepares students
  for the modern and future workforce
• New work environment requires to form
  cross-disciplinary programs that complement
  traditional engineering education with
• Business Management
• Leadership Education
• Entrepreneurship Education
• Alternative to traditional MBA or
  research-oriented technical MS degree

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Rationale for the Program

• The program fills a critical niche for
  intellectual growth for working professionals who
  seek advanced training
• Unlimited potential growth for the program given
  the pace of technological change and a trend in
  the higher education to make the first
  professional degree at Masters level

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Program Background

• Created in 1999 within the scope of the existing
  Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) degree
• The Project option of MSE degree is used as the
  template for the program
• Part time (PT MSE) program students normally
  take 2 courses per semester
• Can be started in Fall, Spring, or Summer
  semesters and follows the academic calendar
• Courses are taught by faculty

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Who are our students?

• 65 are UT graduates
• 12 other universities are represented
• 57 are from Engineering programs
• 36 are from Engineering Technology programs
• 7 from related programs
• BS degrees awarded from as far back as 1967
• 98 of current students are domestic
• Employed by
• Cooper Tire, Whirlpool, Eaton, GM, Ford, Daimler
  Chrysler, Sunoco, and many more

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Program Structure

• 30 semester hours required
• 6 semester hours Core Courses
• 9 semester hours Management of Technology
  Sequence
• 9 semester hours Engineering Electives Sequence
• 6 semester hours work-related project

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Curriculum

• Core Courses
• Applications of Engineering Analysis
• Applied Probability and Statistics in Engineering
  and Management Science
• Management of Technology Sequence
• Management of Projects and Technological
  Innovation
• Introduction to Financial and Managerial
  Accounting
• Business, Government and Society

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Engineering Electives Sequencein the Area of
Concentration

• The Engineering Elective Sequence designed to
  include 3 courses in a specific area of
  engineering (area of students concentration)
  such as Mechanical Engineering , Information
  Technology/Computer Science, Civil/Construction
  Engineering, Chemical/Environmental Engineering,
  etc.
• Currently graduate offerings in all departments
  of the College of Engineering are eligible for
  selection as engineering elective courses, not
  necessarily in a sequence

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Project Requirement

• The six-credit work-related project is
  accomplished under the College of Engineering
  faculty supervision and in coordination with the
  student's employer
• Recent projects completed by our graduates
• Reducing Variation in a Structural Support
  Assembly , M. Faught, Whirlpool Corp, Advisor
  Dr. Olson, Summer 2002
• Laundry Technologies and Innovations , S.
  Ahmed, Whirlpool Corp, Advisor Dr. Abraham,
  Summer 2002
• The Problems Customers Face with New Technology
  , A.Campbell, Monarch Labs, Advisor Dr. Dismukes,
  Spring 2002

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Challenges

• The program owned by the College of Engineering
  and only administered by the Engineering
  Technology department
• Currently the Engineering Technology department
  does not have its own Graduate program
• The PT MSE is only the Part time program
• There are not enough elective courses offered on
  line that can satisfy the Engineering Electives
  Sequence requirements

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Proposed Changes

• Expand the existing PT MSE program to create a
  full time online Professional Masters degree in
  Engineering Technology
• This program will not be just administered but
  also owned by the Department of Engineering
  Technology
• There is no similar program in the state of Ohio
  that awards Masters level degree in Engineering
  Technology and there are very few in the nation
• The program will have several options (areas of
  concentration)

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MET option

• Practical FEA
• Engineering Material Science
• Advanced CAD/CAM Systems
• Computerized Heat Transfer Analysis
• Computerized Machine Design
• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

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EET/IT option

• Unified Modeling Language
• Advanced Visual Basic. Net
• Wireless and Cellular Communication Systems
• Computer Vision/Digital Imaging
• Neural Network/Artificial Intelligence
• Advanced Programmable Logic Devices
• Testing Digital Circuits

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Civil/CET option

• Indoor Air Quality
• Outdoor Air Quality
• Green Engineering
• Dispersion and Risk Modeling
• Practical Structure Analysis
• Practical Traffic Analysis and Design
• Building Industry Regulation Mitigation
• Advanced Engineering Cost Decision Analysis

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Benefiting Groups

• Four population groups will benefit from the
  Professional Masters degree in Engineering
  Technology
• Professionals in the engineering workforce
• Recent graduates from engineering and
  technological degree-granting institutions
• Students from the Degree Completion program
• Faculty members in two-year institutions and
  technology education teachers

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Questions and Discussion
Q?
Your questions and comments are welcome.
A!
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The University of Toledo Contact Information
Karen Rhoda, Ph.D. Email karen.rhoda_at_utoledo.edu
Phone [phone] Dan Solarek,
M.S.E.E. Email daniel.solarek_at_utoledo.edu Phone
419.530.3377 Ella Fridman, Ph.D. Email
ella.fridman_at_utoledo.edu Phone [phone]