Work in progress - student learning outcomes in an engineering distance education setting

Distance education provides an avenue for students not close to a university center to complete an ABET accredited electrical engineering or computer engineering degree in a timely fashion. This paper describes a nontraditional situation in which students at remote locations attend lectures with students at the university center. Interaction takes place between the instructor and students as well as between students at all locations via an interactive distance learning studio (IDLS). The IDLS supports two-way, real-time communication, which includes audio, video and lecture material, between multiple locations. The required facilities are presented, and the unique challenges faced by both students and faculty in this environment are discussed. Student learning outcomes will be investigated in order to validate the established lecture course delivery method.