Results from the NSF-ATE distributed-hybrid instructional delivery project

Abstract

The National Center for Manufacturing Education (NCME) in partnership with the Quality Engineering Technology (QET) Department received a NSF-ATE project grant in August 2003 to develop and test a hybrid instructional delivery methodology. The design uses small group activity-based instructional materials developed under previous grants in conjunction with supportive web-based content and learning objects for the individual online component. This allows face-to-face interaction to occur despite the groups' working at different locations and times. Web-based supplemental instructional materials and learning objects created and under test include the following content modules encompassing approximately twenty quarter hours of materials: Basic Statistical Variation, Probability, Sampling and Hypothesis Testing, Statistical Experiments, Teamwork, Quality Foundations, Process Control, Financial Management, Performance Measures, Supply Chain Management, and Introduction to Just-in Time. A second deliverable is the creation and testing of a community of practice that supports all the students enrolled in the courses. Current on-line instructional components are accessible at the NCME resource center web site: http://www.ncmeresource.org/onsite/. Access to an extensive faculty facilitation-training guide for synchronous and asynchronous communications is also available at this site. This paper defines the current status related to meeting the project objectives, in particular research into student perceptions and the use of a hybrid delivery mode. Instructional examples will be presented at the poster session along with additional pilot results.