Staged Solutions As A Means Of Learning Via The Internet

In engineering fundamentals courses such as Statics, Dynamics, and Fluid Mechanics, learning the process of analysis is as important as the answers. But, when learning over the Internet, teachers are restricted to simple interactions such as multiple choices, select an object, drop and drag, and key word answers. So, how does one teach the process of analysis with these very simple interactions? This paper presents a technique the author calls “Staged Solutions” that attempts to address the learning of higher-level analysis skills. Basically, the concept is to lead the learner through a series of low-level interaction questions that contain all the elements of the analytical process. An example of this approach to teaching problem-solving skills over the Internet as applied to Statics is presented in this paper.