The Virginia partnership for nanotechnology education and workforce development

The University of Virginia (UVA) has partnered with universities in Virginia for the sharing of graduate nanotechnology courses by distance learning technology. With the other schools, UVA has developed a four semester sequence of shared courses. The program provides students at the schools and at companies with access to a broader set of nanotechnology course offerings than previously available. The program shares several types of courses. Some courses were previously available only to students at one institution because the only faculty expert was resident there. Some courses were previously common at all institutions but consuming significant faculty resources, with faculty teaching just a few students at their institution. Now, new courses are being developed, team-taught courses are being offered, and fully on-line courses are becoming available. While opening educational opportunities, this program has challenged the participants. Faculty are being asked to alternate teaching assignments with colleagues at other institutions. Departments are being asked to accept instruction from faculty at neighboring institutions. On-campus students are being asked to take classes offered over the commodity Internet. Working engineers are grappling with the challenge of taking graduate courses while working full time jobs. These challenges and some proposed solutions will be discussed.