Development, Implementation, and Effectiveness Analysis of an Online Course With Intensive Technical Contents

Abstract

Industries' demand for sufficiently trained engineers and technologists is increasing in order to remain competitive in manufacturing globalization. The development of educational technologies powered by high-speed computers and networks has enabled many universities to offer online and hybrid courses/programs to accommodate the educational needs. However, there is still a challenge to provide quality teaching and effectiveness when courses containing intensive technical contents are offered online. With support from different departments at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), the course TECH 3142 Statistical Quality Control (TECH 3142), which intensively involves statistical calculation, reasoning, and software demonstration, was developed and delivered online by applying Quality Matters' (QM) online course quality assurance principles. Analyzing the qualitative and quantitative data collected, this paper presents a case study on the development, implementation, and student learning effectiveness evaluation for TECH 3142 online course with comparison to the face-to-face instruction. The experience shared in the paper may bring references to the distance learning community to improve the quality of online courses.