This paper addresses the effectiveness of classroom discussion approaches used in the remote online delivery of graduate level systems engineering education at the Stevens Institute of Technology during the Fall 2009 semester. Twenty-two unique systems engineering graduate level core and elective courses, covering systems engineering curriculum content in three of the five levels of the evolved INCOSE graduate systems engineering reference curriculum, were offered in thirty-two course sections over the 15-week Stevens Webcampus semester. We measured effectiveness of the classroom discussion approaches used by analyzing the student's self-reported satisfaction with the learning experience, and categorizing the results by the frequency (how often) and type (asynchronous online text-based versus real-time live audio-based) of classroom discussion employed in each course. Findings indicated that Fall 2009 students were generally more satisfied with instructor quality versus course quality across the board. A best practice was evident in the use of asynchronous remote online discussions only (no real-time discussions) - whether faculty participated in those discussions or not; and results from the courses that leveraged real-time webconferences or the combination of real-time webconferences and asynchronous online discussions, were mixed.
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