Teaching is not just a matter of providing factual information, exercises, and tests. Although hard to quantify, social issues can be very important for students, for example: personal interactions with instructors and fellow students, (both of which may provide benefits such as comfort, reassurance, and some feeling of control); the advantages and pressures of belonging to a group; humor and unexpected events that liven up the classroom experience. The recent explosion of the Internet has started to make it possible to offer a classroom experience to remote students at a level of interaction far beyond what could previously be done with correspondence courses.
Recognizing this opportunity, we have extended the M.S.M.E. degree program to be offered completely over the web. Distinguishing features of the program are: (a) Full integration of the online students as normal students in the existing classes; (b) Emphasis on encouraging personal relationships; (c) Reliability; (d) Simplicity; and (e) Better classes. Using these five key ideas, the program aims to provide a more structured and rewarding learning experience and hence to enhance life-long learning for online students located anywhere in the world.
The department also stands to benefit. As a result of the online program, there will be increase in enrollment for the M.S. degree program. The program can provide a great visibility for the department among other universities, private companies and funding agencies. When online students take our courses from private agencies and government facilities, the department establishes a permanent rapport in terms of student base and research opportunities.
During Fall 1999, the two required Fall core classes of the M.S.M.E. program were successfully offered over the web. The remaining three required core classes are being offered over the web as this is being written. Starting Fall 2000, the program will be available to eligible students at large. Some elective classes will also be available at that time.
Web delivery was found to be effective. During the past Fall semester, the two core classes were taken by 30 local M.S. students, of which only half fit in the small temporary distance education class room. The other 15 local students took the classes as online students on a rotating basis. They attended classes over the web from a computer lab elsewhere in the building.
A small fraction of the local students tends to take the classes regularly from their home or from their research labs. Attendance is required, but students can take the class remotely from any location where there is an Internet connection. Attendance is verified when the students sign in at the start of the lecture and when they fill out an electronic feedback form after class. Some local students having time conflicts between their classes are taking the classes using the archived lectures.
In addition to the local students, three true distance students also signed up for some of the classes. These students took the classes over the web from the FSU branch campus in Panama City. They enrolled in an existing distance learning program at the College of Engineering, the FEEDS program, that ordinarily uses a direct two-way video link between the campuses. In agreement with previous FEEDS practice, live attendance is not required for the Panama City students. However, these students do need to meet the same homework deadlines and test dates.
The hardware used during the Fall semester and most of the Spring was pieced together on a shoestring budget from existing and loaned equipment. Recently, we have moved the program into a newly-created college-owned dedicated distance education classroom.