March 18, 2003

Engineering Online Opens New Doors for Earning a Master's Degree

Dr. Linda D. Krute directs the Engineering Online program at North Carolina State University. (Photo:  Sheri Thomas)

“Learning for life” is a phrase that means different things to different people. For some, their structured education ends with high school or college, and any further learning is informal. For others, though, earning an advanced degree is an important part of their scholastic life.

While these people value advanced education, not all of them can go to college or graduate school full time. Family obligations, financial considerations or military service can be obstacles to earning a degree.

Engineering Online, the newly redesigned College of Engineering distance education program at North Carolina State University, aims to remove these obstacles.  Dr. Linda D. Krute, director of distance education for the College of Engineering at NC State University, hopes to develop a multi-faceted program that will address the special needs of adult learners.

“We’re serving the needs of the nontraditional adult learner,” Krute said.  “They’re not full-time, on-campus students — they’re working and have family obligations.  The outstanding part of our program is that they can make the master’s degree part of their family and work life with Engineering Online.”

The motivations and priorities of the adult learner are different from the undergraduate or on-campus graduate student.  “Engineering adult learners are taking the courses because they would like to achieve a personal or professional goal,” said Krute. “How those learners squeeze our courses into other aspects of their lives is crucial to the success of their educational activities.  We try to structure the program to help them succeed in their goals.” 

Earning a graduate engineering degree through Engineering Online has many advantages.  Program quality is one.  “We are working hard to ensure that the academic integrity of our program is maintained — to carry the same high standards of quality from the on-campus program to the off-campus program,” said Krute. 

Convenience is another advantage.  Engineering Online is not a correspondence course in the traditional sense — students must keep up with the weekly class schedule throughout the semester in this structured program.  “If there are three classes per week on campus, then the online student must complete those three lectures within the week, but the time and the place they watch them is up to the student,” said Krute.

Portability is an advantage for some students.  They can watch lectures anywhere in the world — at home, at work during break times or anyplace they have access to the Internet. 

The program is highly affordable — a resident of North Carolina can get a master’s degree for under $6,000, a bargain because students don’t have to live near campus or spend money commuting.

Another, perhaps more subtle, advantage of online education is its support of the learning process itself.  Lectures are captured electronically, and students can review them repeatedly, if needed, to reinforce difficult concepts.  All board drawings and diagrams are available as well as the professor’s lecture.  “This is really an outstanding way to learn, if the student can be motivated to complete the course,” said Krute.

However, online learning is not for everyone.  According to Krute, “It takes very special people who can be structured, be disciplined, set up a schedule and maintain that schedule on their own.  Also, for some people this may not be the best means of getting a graduate degree because they enjoy the socialization and one-on-one interaction, not only with faculty but also with other students.”

Krute is working to expand the Engineering Online programs in several arenas.  First, she would like to spread the word about the availability of this program to the citizens of the state.  “It’s part of my vision that every resident of North Carolina who has a background in engineering or computer science is aware of the opportunity we have here,” she said. 

When Krute arrived at NC State in spring 2002, the master’s of civil engineering online program was being developed; it has been the most successful program so far. Since her arrival the master’s in computer science, the master’s in mechanical engineering, the master’s in aerospace engineering and the master’s in chemical engineering have been launched. These NC State offerings are unique. “Other universities have distance master’s programs, but we’re really one of the first to offer these programs totally online,” said Krute. “I’m hoping to be able to expand into other areas of engineering, such as electrical, materials science and industrial.”

Right now Engineering Online is primarily a community-based program that serves the Research Triangle area, but Krute wants to expand the program internationally.  One avenue for this expansion is the military.  “We’ve had a very good response from the military and civilians working at military bases,” she said.  “In the fall 2002 semester we had military students in Japan and Abu Dabi, as well as at military bases throughout the United States.  No matter where you are in the world, you’re still connected to the College of Engineering at NC State through the Engineering Online program.”

Connections with corporate partners are important for Engineering Online as well.  “In spring 2003 semester we have students in Spain, Thailand and Puerto Rico who are working for American corporations,” said Krute.  Working with corporations can provide advantages for both the program and the students.  For students, it’s a nice “perk” of working for a company to have the employer support online education.  Students can work on course activities before or after work using company computers, and exams can be administered in a company classroom.  Some companies have mentored distance education programs in which an individual in the company works with students and provides additional infrastructure.

Krute hopes to expand partnerships with educational institutions such as UNC–Wilmington, UNC–Asheville and Lenoir Community College.  Site-based centers at these schools can offer undergraduate engineering courses using the existing infrastructure, much as corporations do, by providing classrooms, teachers to proctor exams and tutorial help if needed. 

Krute sees an exciting future for Engineering Online.  “We’re experimenting with synchronous format, where the student can dial in and see the class live, even though most of our current students are employed and choose to watch the lectures evenings or weekends,” she said.  Another particularly exciting possibility involves a partnership between NC State and a university in Venezuela, which would be the host institution for the courses and provide infrastructure such as advising, library resources, computer networks and exam proctoring, while NC State would deliver the courses.

Ultimately, Krute sees Engineering Online as a positive vehicle for higher education.  “When all is said and done,” she said,  “I would like to help create a more educated workforce.”

For more information about Engineering Online, visit engineeringonline.ncsu.edu.

— rudd —

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