Johnson, P., Jack, H., “Impact Of The WWW on Engineering Education”, Proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society, South Bend, IN, June, 1998.
The Impact of the WWW on Engineering Education
Paul Johnson and Hugh Jack, Padnos School of Engineering, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI
Presentation Overview
Student Research on the Web
Student Created Web Materials
Faculty Created Web Materials
Conclusion
Student Research on the Web
Students create pages of engineering resource materials
Their results are available to others on the Internet
Students can search for resources that were not accessible before
University web sites often provide extensive resources and links appropriate to class work
Commercial search engines provide resources for engineering searches of technical data
The World Wide Web Virtual Library provides access to engineering information at sites throughout the world
Much of the most complete engineering information requires a paid subscription for access
Student Created Web Materials
Students create their own home pages
There is a high level of ownership
They create content using HTML and proprietary packages
When using application files the content remains “live”
Faculty Created Web Materials
Faculty add structured resources that help guide the students’ learning experience
Class homepages provide easy access to course information and resources
Resource lists can be provided for students to go beyond the material in their textbook and as starting points for class assignments
The course content becomes more accessible
We can add pictures and other items that are hard to add with traditional printed media
Virtual Laboratories
A laboratory can become a much more accessible resource
The student can explore in ways not previously possible
Conclusion
The Web provides new access to information
But the access does not necessarily increase quality
If we are aware of what is available and possible
we can make the web useful to students
