Trends in Electronic Learning and Teaching in Engineering Education

Abstract

This study is an attempt to document trends in online engineering education in some developing countries in Africa, as well as to compare the current practice in online engineering education in developing countries with practices in developed countries. The rationale of doing this research is the lack of research in this field in Africa in spite of the importance of engineering education and the implementation of ICTs in this field. The main research question was: What trends are emerging in online engineering education in developing countries? As a limit on location, this research was carried out at two South African universities; the researcher used a mixture of both quantitative “survey” and qualitative “phenomenological” studies. Thus, survey questionnaires and interviews were used as primary data collection methods. The most important findings are: • Online methods in engineering education increase the breadth and scale of engineering education in South Africa. • The quality of engineering education can be dramatically improved through collaboration among institutions. • Materials for engineering education can be utilized across institutions, thus increasing quality and driving down costs. • Engineering education offered in a blended format is likely to become much more prevalent in the upcoming years. • Engineering students and lecturers are becoming more used to the benefits of teaching and learning in an online or blended format. • New trends and technologies will emerge in online methods in engineering education