Title :
On-line laboratories for undergraduate distance engineering students
Author :
Watson, John L. ; Bibel, George ; Ebeling, Kenneth ; Erjavec, John ; Salehfar, Hossein ; Zahui, Marcellin
Author_Institution :
Sch. of Eng. & Mines, North Dakota Univ., Grand Forks, ND, USA
Abstract :
Undergraduate students enrolled in the accredited distance engineering degree program at the University of North Dakota (UND) are required to spend up to three weeks each summer on the UND campus taking condensed engineering laboratories. This imposes a significant financial and social burden on the students, who are typically married with families and full-time jobs. To reduce this time on campus, a three-year project funded by the Department of Educations´ FIPSE program was initiated in 2002 to design several 50% on-line laboratory courses. The on-line assignments that have been developed include simulations (packaged and developed programs), and real time operation of equipment located in UND and North Dakota State University (NDSU) engineering laboratories. Simulations include process analysis, electrical circuit analysis, materials selection, and programmable logic control. Real time assignments detailed in the paper include process dynamics and control, electrical circuit analysis, steam turbine electricity generation, vibration analysis and programmable logic control.
Keywords :
control engineering education; distance learning; educational courses; electrical engineering education; laboratories; network analysis; programmable controllers; steam turbines; FIPSE program; North Dakota State University; electrical circuit analysis; engineering laboratories; materials selection; online laboratory courses; process analysis; programmable logic control; steam turbine electricity generation; undergraduate distance engineering students; vibration analysis; Adders; Circuit analysis; Circuit simulation; Educational programs; Engineering students; Laboratories; Logic circuits; Programmable control; Programmable logic arrays; Programmable logic devices;
Conference_Titel :
Frontiers in Education, 2004. FIE 2004. 34th Annual
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-8552-7
DOI :
10.1109/FIE.2004.1408519