A Successful Model For Web Based Engineering Technology Education

This is the question I first asked when the department of Engineering Technology, William States Lee College of Engineering, UNC Charlotte, made the commitment to make its upperdivision baccalaureate degree programs in Fire Safety Engineering Technology and Electrical Engineering Technology available to students via the Internet. As a card-carrying holder of the old-school “chalk-and-talk” lecture paradigm, the task of teaching the skills that are associated with these types of skill-based programs without face-to-face contact seemed initially daunting at best and impossible at worst. Is the Internet not a sound-, textand graphic-only medium? How does one address the different learning styles of students? How does one demonstrate mastered skills through such a narrow window of communication? How does one maintain academic integrity? Who is going to spend the tremendous amount of time developing materials? What format will the materials use? Can engineering skills be successfully learned over the Internet?