Distance Education to Startup Full Engineering Programs at Other Schools and Establish Pre-Engineering Programs at Two-Year Colleges

University Of North Dakota Main Campus, Grand Forks ND

Investigators

Abstract

Engineering-Other (59) The goals of this project are to use distance education to establish (1) accredited bachelor's programs in chemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering at four-year colleges and (2) pre-engineering programs in these four disciplines at two-year colleges. The project builds on the University of North Dakota's (UND) twenty years of experience providing undergraduate engineering distance education that is ABET-accredited in all four of its disciplines. The project expands existing relationships between UND and other four- and two-year institutions in a collaborative effort to increase the number of qualified engineers that enter the workforce. Specifically, the project partners with North Dakota State College of Science and Benedictine College, in addition to the tribal colleges of Fort Berthold Community College, Turtle Mountain Community College, and Cankdeska Cikana Community College in order to stimulate interest in STEM fields among Native American students. The project implements and evaluates the use of distance engineering education as a means to establish pre-engineering programs at two-year institutions and to enhance full engineering programs at four-year colleges.