Chemical Engineering Technology Program - Conversion to Asynchronous, Online Delivery

Chemical Engineering Technology Program

Conversion to Asynchronous, Online Delivery

Chester Little, Ph.D., P.E.

Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Austin Peay State University

Abstract

Faculty members at Austin Peay State University (APSU) have recently completed a 2+ year effort to convert the entire Chemical Engineering Technology (ChET) program to an asynchronous, online delivery mode.  The motivation for the conversion effort was the recognition that many individuals who might be interested in pursuing Chemical Engineering Technology are already working rotational shifts in isolated worksites.  Unfortunately these potential students are unable to attend the normal live delivery of these courses offered on a Monday-through-Friday (08:00 to 17:00) schedule.  An alternative course delivery mode would allow these individuals to progress their studies during off-shift/off-hitch periods.  This paper and presentation contains the methodology, techniques and work activities employed at APSU to accomplish the ChET program conversion.  Prior to and during the conversion effort, four sets of work activities were identified as crucial to a successful completion of the conversion campaign.  The four sets of work activities are:

1.             development of a protocol for conversion of the individual courses yielding a consistent format for lecture delivery and communications to the students recognizing the asynchronous nature of the delivery mode,

2.             identification of recitation opportunities (problem-solving sessions) with classification according to the appropriate method to demonstrate and communicate the problem solution,

3.             discovery of the loss of lecture and lab connectivity in the asynchronous environment with recommendations to recover the lecture/lab synergy and

4.             recognition that the benefit of the immediate feedback of in-class quizzes as a validation of conceptual understanding is lost by the time separation of lecture review and quiz attempts in the online course management system; a scheme was developed to address this situation with quiz questions imbedded in the lecture media.

The above work activities will be explained in detail in the full paper and presentation with several examples and suggestions.

In addition to the original motivation for this conversion effort, additional opportunities enabled by the converted material and conversion methodology were identified and developed.  Theses additional opportunities are:

1.             transfer of the ChET program (as a complete hybrid package) to another educational institution allowing the new program to start and progress while faculty members were being recruited,

2.             reduction of the 2-year ChET program to a 1-year certificate program that could be administered by an industrial training organization and

3.             expansion and elevation of the 2-year ChET program to become a concentration within a 4-year Manufacturing Engineering Technology program.

The above additional opportunities will be described in the full paper and presentation but detailed work activities and examples are not yet available.  A work plan for these additional opportunities will be proposed and presented.  Lastly resource and time estimates for a similar conversion effort and a complementary implementation effort will be suggested.