(539a) Dual-Enrollment Introduction to Engineering with Chemical & Petroleum Engineering Applications--Course Delivery through Distance Education

Dual-enrollment Introduction to Engineering with Chemical and Petroleum Engineering applications—Course Delivery through Distance Education

Abstract

A project-based first year course in chemical engineering at Mississippi State University was first introduced in 2006. Over the past 13 years, this course material has grown to encompass a full year, two-course sequence for freshmen entering the chemical engineering program and now includes second semester freshmen in our new petroleum engineering B.S. program. In 2014, second semester of this course was chosen as a model for a dual-enrollment Introduction to Engineering course to be offered at high schools in Mississippi. To date, this course has been taught at two campuses—one a preparatory school (i.e. Jackson Academy) in the capital city of Jackson and a second at a public high school campus in Vicksburg, MS. Students completing this course are given credit for the second semester introductory course offered to freshmen on the Mississippi State University, Starkville campus.

In the latest iteration of this course, a distance course offering was delivered to the Jackson Academy campus. The impetus for this involves consistency of content delivery through a mechanism promising efficient growth of this course to other campuses throughout the state of Mississippi.

This paper will report on the nature of the course and adaptations to delivery as a Dual-Enrollment Distance course—addressing challenges and opportunities through this first iteration.