UT Arlington, edX to offer engineering introduction for high school students
The University of Texas at Arlington is one of the first institutions in the United States to take part in a new edX initiative to offer free, introductory-level online courses to help high schools students succeed in higher education.
At UT Arlington, more than 15 faculty members are developing a two-part, 12-week “Introduction to Engineering and Engineering Mathematics” course as part of the edX program announced this week. EdX partners with institutions around the world to deliver Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, to millions of learners. The new course is set to begin in late Spring 2015.
“UT Arlington is committed to supporting excellence, increasing global access and providing pathways to student success. The engineering course being developed with edX for high school students furthers all of those goals,” said Ronald E. Elsenbaumer, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “This innovative partnership fits our mission to attract and prepare the next generation of engineers who are ready to meet the challenges of their generation,”
The College of Engineering and the UT Arlington Center for Distance Education’s Learning Innovation and Networked Knowledge, or LINK, Research Lab will lead the introductory engineering course development. EdX is also providing $25,000 in grant support for the project.
Late last year, the University of Texas System’s Task Force on Engineering Education for Texas in the 21st Century identified an urgent need to increase the number of engineering graduates entering the workforce. The new program will help address that challenge by leveraging UT Arlington’s strengths in K-12 outreach, online education delivery and overall teaching excellence.
“With the establishment of the LINK Lab, UT Arlington has asserted its role as a global leader in high-quality online education and a go-to institution for research on what works best in digital learning environments,” said Samuel “Pete” Smith, UT Arlington’s vice provost for digital teaching and learning.
More than 50 percent of freshmen engineering majors at urban public universities either do not finish a degree or switch to a different degree field during college, research shows. Studies have pointed to difficulty of curriculum, lack of guidance and an inability to connect math courses with engineering as reasons for that attrition.
UT Arlington students face similar obstacles. But outreach to students who are preparing to enter an engineering degree program could help, said Pranesh B. Aswath, an associate dean of the UT Arlington College of Engineering who is leading development of the edX course.
“One of the big challenges in engineering is getting high school students excited about engineering and to take away the intimidation factor,” Aswath said. “If you have better prepared students, the likelihood is better that they will finish their degrees.”
Through 30 modules, or lessons, the edX course will familiarize students with engineering as a career and introduce them to the various disciplines of engineering - aerospace, mechanical, electrical, chemical and more. The second part of the course will focus on mathematical problem-based learning and engineering solutions.
Others involved in spearheading the edX class are Lynn Peterson, senior associate dean in the College of Engineering; and George Siemens, executive director of the LINK lab.
The course is intended for high school students or college students interested in starting an engineering major, but is open to any learner. As with other edX classes, learners can audit the course or sign up to receive a certificate. Enroll online here: https://www.edx.org/course/high-school-affiliatesutarlingtonx/high-school-affiliates-utarlingtonx-3411#.VBBwBkhDRgg.
UT Austin also received funding from edX to develop an introductory course through the new program.
UT Arlington also is currently enrolling students for its first-ever edX MOOC, a course on learning analytics that begins in October.
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