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Session 1526

Initial Steps in Establishing a Community to Develop Engineering Courseware

Joseph G. Tront1 Brandon Muramatsu2 1 Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, VA 2 University of California, Berkeley, CA

Abstract

Educational courseware modules are beginning to find broader use supplementing traditional engineering lectures as well as distance learning classes. Developing high quality material requires a considerable amount of effort compelling faculty to share modules through digital libraries. Faculty members attempting to create materials for collections of engineering education content in a digital library face several challenges. Lack of training in sound pedagogical practices, a shortage of training in the effective use of educational technology, short supply of required development resources and time to produce completed and tested works, and a lack of emphasis on improving teaching in the university faculty rewards systems are the major obstacles to materials development. To remedy this situation, this project endeavors to create an active, engaged, and sustained virtual community of engineering educators who energetically contribute to and share materials from a common collection of courseware.

New members of the virtual community are first trained in sound pedagogical practices e.g., developing learning goals and assessment techniques. Next, participants are schooled in the effective use of technology in many different teaching/learning situations including: classroom presentation, self-study, distance and distributed learning, experiential learning, etc. Participants are encouraged to use a few existing courseware modules to experience the issues surrounding the adoption process. Finally, faculty begin developing a portion of a collection of courseware modules in their area of expertise. Guidelines are provided so that modules can be integrated with one another from both the standpoint of technology as well as the pedagogical approach being used. Members of the virtual community of contributors subsequently become the testers of the courseware modules with each of the contributors using a subset of modules to conduct courses at their home campuses. This paper describes the first year of this research effort including the challenges encountered in this difficult enterprise.

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

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Tront, J. (2004, June), Establishing A Community To Develop Engineering Courseware Paper presented at 2004 Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--13642