Enhancing Electrical Engineering Education by Developing Online Courses

Enhancing Electrical Engineering Education by Developing Online Courses M. Mohandes, M. Dawoud, A. Hussain, M. Deriche, A. Balghonaim Electrical Engineering Department King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals

Enhancing Electrical Engineering Education by Developing Online Courses M. Mohandes, M. Dawoud, A. Hussain, M. Deriche, A. Balghonaim: EE Department, KFUPM, Saudi Arabia Topics Covered n n n Introduction e-Learning Activities at KFUPM – Courses in the EE department – Development process – Interactivity & Animations – Web. CT Learning Platform Course Delivery & Implementation Samples from online courses Student Survey Results Conclusion International Conference on Engineering Education 2006, Qassim University

Enhancing Electrical Engineering Education by Developing Online Courses M. Mohandes, M. Dawoud, A. Hussain, M. Deriche, A. Balghonaim: EE Department, KFUPM, Saudi Arabia Introduction e-Learning is becoming very popular giving one the ability to learn new information or new skills whenever and wherever desired. International Conference on Engineering Education 2006, Qassim University

Enhancing Electrical Engineering Education by Developing Online Courses M. Mohandes, M. Dawoud, A. Hussain, M. Deriche, A. Balghonaim: EE Department, KFUPM, Saudi Arabia e-Learning Activities at KFUPM The objectives of developing online courses at KFUPM are: to provide interactive, convenient, and self-paced e-learning tools to exploit the potential of technology to enhance teaching and learning. to promote quality self-paced, learner-centered education to enhance teaching through interactive web-based supplementary material to traditional courses International Conference on Engineering Education 2006, Qassim University

Enhancing Electrical Engineering Education by Developing Online Courses M. Mohandes, M. Dawoud, A. Hussain, M. Deriche, A. Balghonaim: EE Department, KFUPM, Saudi Arabia e-Learning Activities at KFUPM Some of the courses developed in the EE Department at KFUPM : n EE 200 Digital Circuit Design n EE 201 Electric Circuit Analysis n EE 203 Electronic Circuits I n EE 207 Signal & Systems n EE 303 Electronic Circuits II n EE 315 Probabilistic Methods in EE 380 Control Systems International Conference on Engineering Education 2006, Qassim University

Enhancing Electrical Engineering Education by Developing Online Courses M. Mohandes, M. Dawoud, A. Hussain, M. Deriche, A. Balghonaim: EE Department, KFUPM, Saudi Arabia Online Course Development Process Course development phases: n Preparation of course contents n Creation of e-material using Macromedia n n Authorware Generation of audio speech files using Text-tospeech software Embedding of animations and interactive examples Review and refinement of e-material Publishing of e-material for delivery on Web. CT platform International Conference on Engineering Education 2006, Qassim University

Enhancing Electrical Engineering Education by Developing Online Courses M. Mohandes, M. Dawoud, A. Hussain, M. Deriche, A. Balghonaim: EE Department, KFUPM, Saudi Arabia Interactivity & Animations Very important elements of a good online course Interactive examples allow a student to interact with a circuit, change input values and watch how the output is affected Intelligence of the technology is used in place of the instructor Help in better understanding of concepts and ideas Arouse students’ interest and encourage active participation in learning online International Conference on Engineering Education 2006, Qassim University

Enhancing Electrical Engineering Education by Developing Online Courses M. Mohandes, M. Dawoud, A. Hussain, M. Deriche, A. Balghonaim: EE Department, KFUPM, Saudi Arabia Web. CT Learning Platform Web. CT provides a robust set of tools, functions, and features for teaching and learning. n Upload and download easily all course documents, announcements, calendar schedules, links and assignments n Timed online examinations n Grading and tracking of student quizzes with immediate feedback n Communications tools like discussion boards, email, chat and whiteboard International Conference on Engineering Education 2006, Qassim University

Enhancing Electrical Engineering Education by Developing Online Courses M. Mohandes, M. Dawoud, A. Hussain, M. Deriche, A. Balghonaim: EE Department, KFUPM, Saudi Arabia Course Delivery & Implementation Developed online courses are hosted on the Web. CT platform and are utilized in the following ways: Supplemental – online course material is used only as supplementary material Blended – only a part of the online course material is taught completely online without F 2 F class instruction. Class meets weekly for discussion and quiz Fully on-line – no F 2 F classes are offered. Course material is delivered fully online International Conference on Engineering Education 2006, Qassim University

Enhancing Electrical Engineering Education by Developing Online Courses M. Mohandes, M. Dawoud, A. Hussain, M. Deriche, A. Balghonaim: EE Department, KFUPM, Saudi Arabia Course Delivery & Implementation After the completion of the course development, the online courses are offered initially as supplementary material. Following this supplementary phase, the courses are offered in a blended mode to allow parts of the course to be taught completely online. Surveys are conducted to get students’ feedback on the use of the online material. International Conference on Engineering Education 2006, Qassim University

Enhancing Electrical Engineering Education by Developing Online Courses M. Mohandes, M. Dawoud, A. Hussain, M. Deriche, A. Balghonaim: EE Department, KFUPM, Saudi Arabia Statistics About EE 200 Access by Students n Total number of students registered in (051): 180 n Number of students who accessed the online course web page: 177 n Number of students who filled the course survey: 82 n Number of hits Number of students – > 650 1 – > 500 4 – > 400 9 – > 300 17 – > 200 37 – > 100 – > 50 132 – >3 177 International Conference on Engineering Education 2006, Qassim University

Enhancing Electrical Engineering Education by Developing Online Courses M. Mohandes, M. Dawoud, A. Hussain, M. Deriche, A. Balghonaim: EE Department, KFUPM, Saudi Arabia Students Survey Results International Conference on Engineering Education 2006, Qassim University

Enhancing Electrical Engineering Education by Developing Online Courses M. Mohandes, M. Dawoud, A. Hussain, M. Deriche, A. Balghonaim: EE Department, KFUPM, Saudi Arabia Students Survey Questions 1 The clarity of graphics for illustration. 2 The clarity of voice. 3 The clarity of video, animations and/or simulations used in the course for illustration. 4 The number of video, animations and/or simulations used in the course for illustration. 5 Accessing the online material without technical problems. (If you faced any technical problems or problems in downloading content. ) 6 The ease of navigation through the course. 7 The effectiveness of the use of communications methods (e. g. discussion, chat, e-mail) for learning. 8 The effectiveness of the exercises. (Practice problems, Assignments, Homework, quizzes and self evaluation) 9 You are in favor of this method of web-based instruction to replace the traditional face-to-face education. International Conference on Engineering Education 2006, Qassim University

Enhancing Electrical Engineering Education by Developing Online Courses M. Mohandes, M. Dawoud, A. Hussain, M. Deriche, A. Balghonaim: EE Department, KFUPM, Saudi Arabia Conclusions n Students appreciated the following: – The use of graphics and animation – The use of online communication methods – The organization of the online lectures n They also showed some dissatisfaction with: – The number of examples used within the courses – The technical reliability of some courses that use slide shows with voice, developed in Macromedia Authorware – Using the online lectures from computers at home n A highly successful online course delivery scheme, is the one which includes the traditional F 2 F phase n Technical reliability issues have to be addressed, so that online material can be accessed without difficulty from the different locations of the learners International Conference on Engineering Education 2006, Qassim University

Enhancing Electrical Engineering Education by Developing Online Courses M. Mohandes, M. Dawoud, A. Hussain, M. Deriche, A. Balghonaim: EE Department, KFUPM, Saudi Arabia Thank You Comments, Q & A International Conference on Engineering Education 2006, Qassim University