Faculty and student perceptions of online learning in engineering education

Abstract

The number of distance education programs at the university level has been rapidly growing. Studies have shown that the penetration of online courses is generally equal in most disciplines except for engineering. In addition, research indicates that attitudes and perceptions are critical to the acceptance of new technology. Therefore, a mixed methods exploratory study was conducted to investigate faculty and student perceptions of the effectiveness of engineering courses delivered online and specific technologies used in online courses. A convenience sample of students and faculty involved in online engineering courses from three universities in the southern United States were surveyed and a subset participated in follow up interviews. Results show faculty and students agree effective communication is a key concern, technical subjects can be effectively delivered via online methods, and engineering labs are a hurdle to effectively delivering engineering education online. © 2012 American Society for Engineering Education.