Digital Commons Network^™

Using Online Discussions To Connect Theory And Practice In Core Engineering Undergraduate Courses, Lisa B. Bosman, Somesh Roy, Walter M. Mcdonald, Cristinel Ababei

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Providing engineering undergraduate students opportunities to connect real-world applications with theory is key to preparing them for the workforce; however, this task often requires a balancing act between meeting course objectives in content-heavy core engineering undergraduate courses and providing experiences that connect real-world applications with theory. This study seeks to address this problem through the integration of online discussion prompts to promote a connection to real-world practical applications. The study included undergraduate students enrolled in three engineering core courses. The hypothesis was that participation in online discussions (using prompts) would lead to 1) an increase in student empowerment towards self-regulated …