Graduate bridging and continuing education in ChE via the web

Abstract

The cross-disciplinary nature of chemical engineering principles makes education in this field increasingly relevant for working professionals. In addition, students with bachelors' degrees in other disciplines are progressively more interested in obtaining advanced degrees in chemical engineering. To address these multiple purposes, Michigan State University provides two three-credit semester Internet courses that deliver foundational concepts in chemical engineering principles to multiple audiences. "Foundations in Chemical Engineering I and II" (http://www.egr.msu. edu/che/cont.ed) offer content that has been developed at MSU over the last 20 years to "bridge" students from other disciplines into the chemical engineering graduate curriculum. The course purpose has expanded to include the continuing education needs of technical professionals; therefore, the Internet courses are delivered with options for lifelong learning or for advancement into graduate studies. Our presentation will discuss the strategies used to select course content and the delivery techniques used in these web-based courses. We will present perspectives and recommendations from our experiences in using this medium for effective instruction of students.