Transitioning a Lab-Based Course to an Online Format

Abstract Transitioning a lab-based course to an online format Lab-based courses are generally not available in an online format because of the need forexpensive lab equipment, time consuming technical assistance, and troubleshooting. The recentincrease in demand for online instruction extends past current pedagogical methods and is mademore problematic with the addition of a lab component. As part of our initial research, inSummer 2010, we implemented an online course by slightly modifying an existing on-campuscourse. Through this exploration, we collect student and staff feedback that will allow us tofurther develop an innovative pedagogical framework specifically tailored for engineeringstudents in an online environment. Our final implementation of an online lab-based circuitscourse will serve as framework for future lab-based online courses. In this paper, our Summer 2010 course implementation is thoroughly described.Problems with technology and pedagogy used in the Summer 2010 implementation of onlinecircuits are examined and possible solutions are presented. These findings as well as previousstudies in online education, were used to develop a pedagogical framework for an online lab-based course. Plans for the Summer 2011 online course and proposed pedagogical frameworkwill be introduced.