Session: 09-08-01: Distance/Online Engineering Education, Models and Enabling Technologies

Paper Number: 112320

112320 - Online Development Plan for an Applied Thermodynamics Course 

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a historic sudden worldwide transition to remote teaching. Numerous mechanical engineering classes were offered remotely between March 2020 and December 2021 due to the contagious virus. Authors wrote about their experience during this period, as the switch to online teaching gave faculty and instructional designers only a few days to develop home offices and teach students who suddenly became remote learners. While the world is still fighting the virus, in-person classrooms in many countries are open again. However, faculty and students remember “online education” as the lonely days when everyone lived in a small square on their computer screen.

The objective of this paper is to restate the fundamentals of online pedagogy before the pandemic (then) and to present a primer on how to develop new online courses (now). We will discuss best practices on how to design the course for presentation in a learning management system.  The paper is presented at an engineering conference because engineers appreciate the need for a complete design before manufacturing operations can start on the shop floor. Online teaching was never intended to be an exercise in haste. Instead, it is an exercise which requires careful planning, so materials are offered in a pre-meditated and thought-out way. This planned delivery taps into the professor’s passion for the subject and pours out materials that attract the attention of the students, as they learn the presented materials.

A specific example is presented for converting an applied thermodynamics course to an online class. Using the principles of backward design, a complete blueprint is developed for the course layout and content well ahead of starting the work on the course online materials or assessments. This blueprint includes a description of all the modules to be developed and deployed. An initial module for the online class is considered necessary to level the capabilities of the students who may have struggled with the prerequisite courses. This initial module includes a refresher on the required computer skills, math, chemistry, fluids, heat transfer, and thermodynamics. Subsequent modules are planned with the complete course materials, examples, and assessment. Recording with screen capture software, writing tablets and other hardware, and video streaming infrastructure are discussed. The plan also includes organizing short lecture videos, using discussion boards, developing the associated low stake assessments, and managing the homework and exams to ensure meeting the desired student learning outcomes, and improve student engagement. The course is developed during the Spring and Summer semesters of 2023. It will be deployed in the Fall of 2023.

Presenting Author: Dani Fadda The University of Texas at Dallas

Presenting Author Biography: Dr. Dani Fadda is a mechanical engineering Professor of Practice at the University of Texas at Dallas. His background includes two decades of professional engineering practice in the energy industry where he published numerous papers and developed patented products for chemical, petrochemical, and nuclear applications. He enjoys teaching in-person and online classes and is the recipient of prestigious teaching awards. Dr. Fadda is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Texas and an ASME fellow.

Authors:

Dani Fadda The University of Texas at Dallas
Roopa Vinay The University of Texas at Dallas
Oziel Rios The University of Texas at Dallas