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Abstract

The purpose of this project is to develop a distance education course, Electronic Control Systems (ECT 442), that is part of the Electronics Technology (ECT) Program. The ECT program is one of five DegreeLink programs authorized by the Indiana Commission of Higher Education to be delivered statewide through mediated technologies to address nontraditional students’ needs for continuous education, degree-completion programs, and industrial workforce development. The primary media technologies proposed for delivering this course will be a combination of Internet, videotape, and lab-in-a-box technology. Lab-in-a-box, a central concept to be developed, will enable distance learners to complete the critical, hands-on laboratory portions of this course. The accomplishment of this project will significantly enhance ISU's ability to serve nontraditional students, especially Indiana residents, through asynchronous learning, and expedite the process of developing an electronics technology program that can be completely delivered through distance education. It will also strengthen the program to help industries in workforce development.

1. Project Narrative
0. Introduction

Indiana State University has entered into partnerships with Ivy Tech State College and Vincennes University to develop seamless program articulations. This is more commonly known as DegreeLink. The main intention of DegreeLink is to provide access to baccalaureate degrees for Hoosiers who are time-bound, geographically-bound, and financially challenged. Students completing articulated programs can either transfer to ISU as on-campus students or as distance learners. Students selecting the latter will receive courses through a variety of distance education technologies. Presently, there are four approved programs (Electronics Technology, General Industrial Technology, Industrial Supervision, Human Resources Development, and Business Administration) being offered by Indiana State University.

The Electronics and Computer Technology (ECT) Department is a key part of the ISU partnerships with Ivy Tech State College and Vincennes University. The ECT department has identified eight courses that will be offered by distance education technologies to meet this obligation. One of the advanced courses to be offered by distance education technology is Electronic Control Systems (ECT 442). Since this course is an advanced, senior-level offering, it should be offered to all ECT DegreeLink students.

1. Target Audience

The students to be served with this program are people that elect to enroll in the DegreeLink program. Additional people that may be served include technical people who are currently working in industry but wish to upgrade their skills. Recent flexible offering of this course have attracted industrial workers who cannot attend regular classes. Finally, electronics students need this course because it provides advanced information on various types of electronic control systems.

 

3.3 The Instructional Design

During the past summer, the project director (PD) developed a course, Industrial Computer Systems Management (ECT 437), that is being piloted during the Fall 1998 semester. The goal was to offer a course completely on the Internet. The development of the course was accomplished, and the pilot test is presently ongoing. All indications from the students presently taking the class point to satisfaction with the method and material. The course design included the use of a software course development package called Interactive Learning Network (ILN). A regular textbook and supplementary materials were also included in the course design.

Electronic Control Systems (ECT 442): This is a three-semester-hour course that is taught by the PD, Dr. Gerald W. Cockrell. The course is being taught through traditional, in-class methods during the Fall 1998 semester. It is scheduled to be offered each fall semester. The next scheduled offering of ECT 442 will be during the Fall 1999 semester. This course is the focus of this proposal.

 

Electronic Control Systems (ECT 442) is an advanced course that covers all aspects of modern control technology, from the front-end sensor to the controller and final control element. A complete presentation of system automation and integration is covered in this course. Special emphasis is placed on process control systems that are found in many industrial settings including: pharmaceutical, power generation, wastewater treatment, environmental, food, and biomedical settings.

 

The instructional design for ECT 442 will be segmented into three areas: Internet presentations, videotape lectures, and the lab-in-a-box distance lab concept. A brief description of each follows.

 

1. Internet presentations for the class will include announcements, lectures, class assignments, exams, chat room discussions, and message board discussions. Each student will be required to log onto the course site at least three times per week to check announcements and e-mail from the professor. Lecture material will be presented each week to help guide the student’s learning. There will be at least three examinations given during the Internet session. Chat room discussions with the professor and fellow students will help reinforce student learning and retention of the concepts presented in the course.
2. Videotape lectures will be developed for each lesson of the course. It is estimated that 10 to 15 videotaped lectures will be developed. Each distance student will receive one videotape lesson per week. Students will be required to view the videotape lecture and to respond to questions presented on the Internet course site.
3. A rather unique development for this course will be the Lab-In-A-Box concept. A lab will be developed and packaged to send to the student for completion. All lab materials, including equipment and lab assignment sheets, will be included in the package. After the student completes the lab, he or she will re-pack all materials, including completed lab assignment sheets, and mail the lab back to ISU for evaluation.

 

3.4 Typical "Learning" Process

Students will be required to log onto the course Web site for complete information about the course including: syllabus, textbook (may be ordered by mail), professor information, and grading procedure. After students have read and absorbed this information, they will be required to e-mail the professor verifying that they completely understand all information about the course.

 

After students have become comfortable with the Web course technology, they will begin the first of 15 lessons in the course. Lecture information will be presented to prepare them to view the videotape lecture. Students will then be advised to view the video material.

 

After viewing the videotape, students will be required to return to the Web course site to respond to a chat room discussion on the material presented in the lecture. Each student will then be required to complete an examination on the Web course site on the material presented in the lesson.

 

When the students are ready for the lab portion of the course, the professor will ship a lab-in-a-box to the students for completion. Students will complete the lab and all lab assignments, and then return the lab-in-a-box to the professor. The professor will evaluate each student’s lab performance and return the evaluation to the student via an e-mail evaluation message. Plans are to develop at least five lab-in-a-box labs.

3.5 Course Evaluation

The formative and summative evaluation procedures for this class will include several parts:

1. A comprehensive pre-test will be administered to all students. Tests will be administered on the course web site. This test will help establish their entry-level skill and knowledge levels as well as clearly define the course content for the students.
2. The class is divided into fifteen major units of instruction. Each unit has lectures and demonstrations and several laboratory activities. Evaluation instruments will be developed to get student feedback on the effectiveness of each of the units of instruction. Particular emphasis will be placed on the coordination of the written instructional materials, video lectures, and lab-in-a-box materials. In addition to the instructional unit evaluation instruments, feedback will be requested for each lab assignment. These instruments will be carefully studied to see if immediate corrections or changes need to be made. All of the instruments will emphasize the presentation of content rather than the actual content. The student's performance on the content will be evaluated through methods mentioned earlier.
3. Students will be interviewed about their perceptions of the effectiveness of the course and their suggestions for improvements at the conclusion of instruction. They will have the opportunity to give this feedback anonymously as well as in person.

 

3.6 Project Schedule

Once the proposal has been approved, the project director will follow the following schedule for course development.

1. Develop instructional design for ECT 442, including syllabus development, lesson design for videotape lectures, and lab design.
2. Develop lesson plans (scripts) for the 15 videotaped lectures.
3. Begin work on the Web course site design.
4. Begin video taping each of the 15 lectures.
5. Begin design for the four lab-in-a-box laboratory packages.
6. Begin acquiring materials for the lab-in-a-box.
7. Complete Web site development.
8. Complete all videotape lectures.
9. Complete lab-in-a-box packages.
10. Enroll students for the Fall 1999 offering of ECT 442.
11. Complete summative evaluation exercises.

3.7 Program Objectives

The major objectives of this proposal are: (1) to provide access for students who are time-bound, geographically-bound, and financially challenged; (2) to engage students in critical thinking, problem-solving, and writing skills; and (3) to assist students in gaining the competencies needed to continue in the Electronics Technology Program.

3.8 Institutional Support

Indiana State University provides its full cooperation and supports the development of programs and courses for distance education. Recently, DegreeLink has been established statewide to facilitate access to all education throughout Indiana. The College of Arts and Sciences is fully committed to distance education. The Office of Continuing Education and Instructional Services, Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), Media Technology Resource Services (MTR), Academic Computing and Network Services (ACNS), and Faculty Computing Resource Center (FCRS) of Indiana State University are committed to assist this project by various means including videotaping, audiotaping, providing graphic design support, designing Web sites, and providing hardware and software for Web course development. The PD is a graduate of the Course Transformation Academy (CTA) and the Teaching With Technology (TwiT) courses offered by the CTL. Both courses provided information on the development of distance education courses.

9. Key Course Development Personnel

Dr. Gerald W. Cockrell, Professor of Electronics and Computer Technology, will be the course creator, designer, and developer. He has the distance education technology experience necessary to develop this course. Dr. Cockrell, a faculty member for nearly twenty-two years at ISU, has taught this course 12 times over the years.

Dr. Cockrell also will serve as the project director for this project.

Additional personnel will include an instructional designer, copy editor, graphic designer, computer Web specialist, and video production specialists. The assistance of these support personnel are critical to the successful design of this proposed course.

4. Budget Narrative

The proposed project focuses on the development and delivery of distance education courses. The project budget request includes: project director's salary, travel expenses, digital camera equipment purchase, cost of studio time, videotape editing expenses, videotape production, graphic design work, Web page development, student workers, telephone, postage, and printing.

 

Appendix A - Project Director

Dr Gerald W. Cockrell has been on the faculty at ISU since the fall of 1977. Prior to coming to ISU, he was an engineer with Rockwell International-Collins Avionics Division. Dr. Cockrell is a past Vice President and Executive Board member of ISA, The International Society for Measurement and Control. He continues to be active in the society by holding a number of leadership positions.

Dr. Cockrell has taught a majority of the courses taught by the department over the 21+ years as a professor. He has taught courses by traditional means and through distance education methods including an Internet course (ECT437) and IHETS courses (ECT221, ECT321).

Dr. Cockrell's primary area of technical expertise is in control system computer integration. He was instrumental in developing a number of control courses and a major in Instrumentation and Control Technology.

Dr. Cockrell is active with outside activities related to his area of interest. He is developing a curriculum for the World Business Review with Caspar Weinberger and Buzz Aldrin. Dr. Cockrell conducts workshops and training seminars in the area of control and system integration.