With many courses now being offered online, there must be a measure of effectiveness in comparison to the traditional, face-to-face format. This is especially important when classes incorporate hands-on laboratory exercises. The format of laboratory assignments - whether online or in-person - is just as important. Both of these topics were recently examined by Montana State University (MSU) electrical engineering professors.
As reported in the MSU News, two separate articles from the electrical and computer engineering department appear in the May issue of IEEE Transactions on Education. The fact that two professors from the same department are featured in one issue is impressive (there are only six feature articles, total), but the fact they are addressing similar challenges in such different formats emphasizes the importance of continually assessing learning.
Jim Becker, the lead author of the first article, entitled, “Project Circuits in a Basic Electric Circuits Course,” sought to determine the best way to deliver laboratory content on circuit design. The course already incorporated hands-on lab, but the content was largely based on constructing simple circuits to verify theory. The new lab is based on a more realistic challenge involving open-ended challenges.
The new project has a real-life circuit problem to solve, but no hard-and-fast rule for approaching the situation. This problem-based learning approach, however, can be a problem in itself if not done right. If the problem becomes too complex, the project will lead to frustration, not learning. The switch was well-received by students, who were provided with adequate guidance to keep them moving and motivated, but without relegating the project to a type of instruction manual for completing “canned” tasks.
So with this problem-based laboratory learning approach in mind, we consider what this means for online learning. At least that is what Brock LaMeres considered. He is lead author of the second article, “Comparing Online to Face-to-Face Delivery of Undergraduate Digital Circuits Content.” The article discusses learning outcomes for in-person and online formats.
The in-person laboratory activities were converted to entirely online versions without requiring any custom technology, and student performance was analyzed identically for the live and online versions of the course. The performance metrics showed little variation between the live and online versions, and graded performance was actually slightly better for the online group, possibly due to the ability to access lectures repeatedly and at will.
Online laboratories cannot work for all classes, but through innovative approaches, they can be made comparable to their in-person counterparts. The labs, whether online or live, should go farther than simple replication of theoretical concepts. They should allow for flexibility in learning and address real situations.
Do online engineering labs work? Do problem-based laboratory projects help solidify theory? The answer lies in the approach. There is a strong dependence on the creativity and methods the instructor incorporates, but there is good evidence the answer to both can be a definite “yes.”
Image courtesy of electronicsandyou.com