Analysis of the Effectiveness of Online Learning in a Graduate Engineering Math Course
Charles L. Karr
Barry Weck
Dennis W. Sunal
Timothy M. Cook
University of Alabama
Abstract
This paper describes a collaborative effort between faculty in the College of Engineering and the College of Education at the University of Alabama. A graduate course in engineering mathematics called Partial Differential Equations was developed, then taught in the Spring 2002 term to 26 onsite students and 14 off-campus students. The students in the class were divided into three tests groups: (1) traditional mode of delivery only, (2) online delivery only, and (3) a mixture of traditional and online delivery. In addition, the performance of the students taking the class was compared to that of a previous semester’s students who took the class via the traditional mode of delivery. Results indicate that the mode of delivery had little effect on student performance.
About the Author(s)...
Charles L. Karr is the Head of the Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics Department at The University of Alabama. Dr. Karr’s research interests are in the area of computational intelligence. He can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Barry Weck is a computer consultant. He has several years experience in developing web-based computational and educational systems. He can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Dennis W. Sunal is a Professor in science education at The University of Alabama in the Department of Secondary Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning. Dr. Sunal is project co-director in several grants related to research in online interactive learning and in creating change in science, engineering, and mathematics courses in higher education. Dr. Sunal has conducted research on the impact of online and face-to-face teaching strategies on student learning and factors effecting university faculty professional development. He can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Tim Cook is a Ph.D. candidate in Mass Communication at The University of Alabama. He has extensive experience in distance education at the secondary level. His research interest is in the application of critical television studies to distance education videos. He can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
