Converting A Traditional Lecture/Lab Programming Course To An Online Course

A traditional lecture/lab format computer-programming course can be converted to an online equivalent using the WebCT online course authoring software. Existing course materials that are in use with the traditional course can be used in the online course by converting the materials to the HTML format that is required by WebCT. The conversion can be accomplished with relative ease using Microsoft Word 2000 and a web page creation software tool such as Microsoft Frontpage. The HTML format course materials are made accessible to the WebCT software and a web browser interface to the materials is then designed using the WebCT course creation tools. An online programming course that accomplishes the educational objectives of a traditional course can be created without sacrificing rigor, altering course content or changing basic methodology. This has been evidenced by student exam scores and the analysis of evaluation instruments used in the development and teaching of an ANSI C online programming course. Introduction: The acquisition of the WebCT online course authoring software by the Institute for Technological Scholarship at Tennessee Technological University has made it possible for the faculty to implement fully online courses and courses with online components. The WebCT software is a course management system that enables the institution-wide delivery of online courses. WebCT includes a set of teaching and learning tools, supported by customization and personalization capabilities, student performance tracking features, and content management. The BE 1120 Programming for Engineers course taught in the Basic Engineering Program at Tennessee Tech has been made available to students as a fully online course. The traditional BE 1120 lecture/lab format course seemed appropriate for implementation as an online course for two major reasons. Programming is text based and thus lends itself to being taught in an online environment where students can read and study examples of program code. Also, extensive use of examples and exercises in the course text served as a basis for teaching the traditional lecture/lab format course.