Supporting Service Member Transition into Academia: MOOCs on Engineering Fundamentals

摘要

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are classes with open access to any individuals through the world-wide web. The term MOOC first appeared in the late 2000s. This large, unlimited participation in online courses became a popular educational delivery method in the early 2010s. The authors believe these learning materials have a place in education and are quite revolutionary. But the authors don't think MOOCs will replace the richness of the educational learning environment that student receive in an on-campus experience. The lead author, Wayne Whiteman, currently offers eight MOOC courses on the Coursera platform. They are offerings in the fundamental engineering topics of Statics, Dynamics, and Mechanics of Materials. The first course went live online in February of 2013. MOOCs provide access to quality learning material to large numbers of individuals who may not otherwise have the resources to receive this level of education. They also provide a valuable resource to individuals transitioning into the academic environment, such as high schoolers or military service members who are completing their time in service and want to attend higher level education institutions. While there is not yet any direct evidence that MOOCs are significantly affecting veterans transitioning to college, the authors believe that this resource will contribute to this military-to-civilian transition in the future. The MOOC courses studied in this paper are excellent preparation for future students in engineering disciplines such as civil engineering, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, and material engineering. This paper provides details on the MOOC course format. Statistics on course enrollments are included. Student demographics, such as age, gender, and educational background are provided. The country of origin for students and the percent participation for these countries are given. Survey feedback results offer insights into many of the issues associated with this type of distance learning. Observation and assessment tools are discussed. And finally, the authors' thoughts for the future with regard to massive open online courses are provided.