Missouri S&T faculty share expertise beyond campus through new course-sharing program

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On September 12, 2014

The new course-sharing program combines online, video conferencing and traditional approaches to teaching

The new course-sharing program combines online, video conferencing and traditional approaches to teaching

The new course-sharing program combines online, video conferencing and traditional approaches to teaching

The new course-sharing program combines online, video conferencing and traditional approaches to teaching

From technical communication to nanotechnology, Missouri University of Science and Technology professors are sharing their expertise with students at other University of Missouri System campuses through a new course-sharing program designed to expand access.

The program began this semester with some shared courses. Other courses will be added next spring.

In all, Missouri S&T will offer 13 courses through the course-sharing program, which combines online, video conferencing and traditional approaches to teaching. In addition, Missouri S&T students will enroll in 10 courses originating from the UM System campuses in Columbia, Kansas City and St. Louis through the program.

“Several members of our faculty from a variety of disciplines submitted successful proposals to redesign courses or develop new courses through this program,” says Dr. Robert Marley, Missouri S&T provost. “They worked with faculty from the other campuses on innovative approaches to course delivery that will lead to greater access and opportunity for students on all four University of Missouri System campuses.”

The approach supports several elements of Missouri S&T’s strategic plan, which calls on the campus to explore new ways to use technology to expand access and to promote collaboration with other UM System campuses.

In many cases, faculty from one or more of the campuses come together to develop the coursework. For example, three faculty members in Missouri S&T’s technical communication program are working with two University of Missouri-St. Louis faculty members to exchange courses in technical communication and technical writing. Four of the courses are being developed at Missouri S&T and will be delivered to UMSL students, while three UMSL-developed courses will be delivered to Missouri S&T students. Eight-week and 16-week versions of the courses will be offered entirely online, says Dr. Ed Malone, associate professor of English and technical communication at Missouri S&T.

“We view this initiative as an opportunity to use resources more efficiently and to enrich our degree programs with more course offerings and additional faculty expertise,” says Malone, who also serves as co-director of Missouri S&T’s technical communication degree program.

At Missouri S&T, courses in civil engineering, electrical and computer engineering, history, mathematics, philosophy, physics and technical communication are being offered through the course-sharing program. Courses under way this semester or planned for the spring or future semesters are as follows:

  • Civil Engineering 4448, Fundamentals of Contracts and Construction Engineering, taught by Dr. Eric Showalter, associate teaching professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, and offered to students at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
  • Electrical and Computer Engineering 5600, Interference Control in Electronic Systems, taught by Dr. Victor Khilkevich, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Computer Engineering 5620, Signal Integrity, to be taught by Dr. Jun Fan, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, in Spring 2015 and offered to students at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. In addition, UMKC’s Dr. Ghulam Chaudhry is working with Erickson to deliver two UMKC courses in electrical and computer engineering to Missouri S&T students: Emerging Nanotechnologies and Light and Switch Surges Power.
  • Mathematics 6602, Mathematical Foundation of Finite Element Methods, taught by Dr. Xiaoming He, assistant professor of mathematics, and offered to students at UMKC. He is working with Drs. Xianing Li and Zhiglang Chen at UMKC on the course-sharing project.
  • Introduction to Ethics, taught by Drs. Joel Dittmer, assistant professor of philosophy, and Jonathan Finch, lecturer in philosophy, and offered to students at UMSL. In addition, Missouri S&T students are enrolled in UMSL’s Ethics in Science course through the program. Dittmer and Finch are working with Dr. Andrew Black at UMSL.
  • Physics 4503 (Classical Optics) and Physics 4533 (Nanotechnology), taught by Dr. Alexey Yamilov, assistant professor of physics. Classical Optics is offered to UMSL students and the Nanotechnology course is offered via the Missouri Physics Collaboration, which includes MU and UMSL. In addition, UMSL’s Dr. Ta-Pei Cheng is teaching Relativity and Cosmology to Missouri S&T physics students, and is working Dr. Dan Waddill, professor and chair of physics at Missouri S&T.
  • Four technical communication courses – International Dimensions of Technical Communication (4450), Usability Studies (5530), Proposal Writing (4550) and Technical Editing (4510) – will be taught by Missouri S&T faculty and offered to UMSL students. Three UMSL courses – Advanced Business and Technical Writing, Editing, and Special Topics in Writing: Technical Presentations – will be taught by UMSL faculty and delivered to Missouri S&T students. Drs. Ed Malone, Kathryn Northcut and David Wright are working with UMSL’s Drs. William Klein and Jeanne Allison on the collaborative course delivery.
  • Two Missouri S&T history courses – History of Technology (2510) and Architecture, Technology and Society: 1750-Present – are being taught by Dr. Jeff Schramm, associate professor of history, and offered to UMSL students. Two UMSL courses – The Networked Society and Social Informatics – are offered by UMSL to Missouri S&T students. Schramm is working with UMSL’s Drs. Larry Irons and Robert O’Keel on the project.

In addition, environmental and civil engineering students at Missouri S&T will enroll in Watershed Management and Water Quality, a course offered by Dr. Jason Hubbart of MU in collaboration with Dr. Joel Burken, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Missouri S&T.

More information about the course-sharing project is available here.

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On September 12, 2014. Posted in Featured, University News

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