Development And Delivery Of Nuclear Engineering Technology On Line Courses: The Excelsior College Experience

Abstract

Excelsior College, located in Albany, New York, has been a pioneer institution in the distance learning. Numerous online courses have been recently developed by Excelsior College to serve the educational needs of its students. These courses cover a wide range of academic disciplines and can be delivered by a course management system known as WebCT, CD-ROM, or directly through the Web.This manuscript provides a detailed description of the WebCT-based courses in Nuclear Engineering Technology recently developed by the School of Business and Technology at the Excelsior College to fulfill the academic needs of students enrolled in ABET accredited baccalaureate Nuclear Engineering Technology degree program. The manuscript also provides information regarding the methods used in these courses to assess students' learning and presents a comprehensive review of the development, implementation, and evaluation of the online courses. Feedback from the students on teaching and learning in the online environment is also analyzed and discussed. Finally, this paper explores successful strategies and the best practices for online education.