Enhanced Curriculum for Undergraduate Engineering Adult Learners in Industry

工程与矿业学院（SEM）于1988年与工业界合作建立了三个远程学习本科工程课程，与相应的传统校内学位平行提供。这一举措为那些由于地点和时间安排而无法接受工程教育的学生提供了接受工程教育的机会。远程学习的学生，由于他们的准专业经验，有需求，期望，动机，知识基础，和技能，不同于传统的学生。因此，必须修改课程，以有效满足学生的需要，纳入他们的经验知识库和技能清单，同时确保有效遵守ABET认证标准。教师制定在远程学习环境中实现最大教学效果的战略也至关重要。 “工业本科工程成人学习者增强课程”的利益相关者包括工程教育工作者，工业和本科成人学习者。方案目标包括：（a）完成对远程教育学生和传统学生基于认知和成绩的能力的广泛比较;（B）加强课程设置，以满足成人学习者的独特需要，同时遵守ABET标准;（c）发展教师加强非传统学习者教学所需的能力;（d）使用总结性和形成性技术评估方案成果; e）传播的结果，其中文件的ABET认证，本科远程学习计划在工程的演变。

The School of Engineering and Mines (SEM) in a partnership with industry in 1988 established three distance-learning undergraduate engineering programs, offered in parallel with corresponding traditional on-campus degrees. This initiative gave access to an engineering education to students who, because of locations and schedules, otherwise could not pursue an engineering education. The distance-learning students, by virtue of their paraprofessional experience, have needs, expectations, motivations, knowledge bases, and skills that differ from those of traditional students. Thus, the curricula must be modified to meet students' needs efficiently, incorporating their experiential knowledge base and skills inventory, while simultaneously ensuring validated compliance with ABET accreditation standards. It is also critical that faculty develop strategies for attaining maximum teaching effectiveness in the distance-learning environment. The stakeholders for the "Enhanced Curriculum for Undergraduate Engineering Adult Learners in Industry" include engineering educators, industry, and undergraduate adult learners. Program objectives include: (a) completing a comparison of a broad range of cognitive and performance based competencies of distance-education students and traditional students; (b) enhancing curricula to meet the unique needs of adult learners while adhering to ABET standards, (c) developing faculty members' competencies needed to enhance teaching of non-traditional learners; (d) evaluating program outcomes using summative and formative techniques; e) disseminating results which document the evolution of an ABET accredited, undergraduate distance-learning program in engineering.