Development of a Framework for the Online Portaion of a Hybrid Engineering Course

The paper describes the development of a research-based framework that can be used to design the online component of a hybrid engineering course. This framework was tested in an undergraduate course entitled Construction Equipment and Heavy Construction Methods. The multimedia design decisions are grounded on evidence-based findings from cognitive theories and experimental evaluation studies. Instructional design decisions are matched with course objectives and supportive findings from the literature review. The online component is designed as a series of interactive modules that teach students how to solve engineering problems with definitive answers. Each module is a stand-alone unit that can be used as preparation for the onsite portion of the class, after the student has completed reading the related chapter in the text book. The modules are used to prepare students for solving open-ended questions in a face to face part of the course. Also, the module can serve as a study guide for review purposes. In the modules, students view the video demonstrations of how to solve problems and then practice problem solving step by step with verification (correct/incorrect) and explanatory program feedback presented for each step. The pilot development of the modules with six participants was conducted, and a plan for the refinement of the modules design was laid out. The educational design research methodology was used, which not only targets the problem of designing an online component for this specific course, but at the same time seeks new knowledge that can inform the work of others facing similar problems. The lessons learned from this experience and the future directions that the authors intend to take are presented in this paper.