THE NATIONAL ENGINEERING EDUCATION DELIVERY SYSTEM (NEEDS)
SUPPORTING THE TRANSFORMATION OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION

Brandon Muramatsu*, Project Manager, NEEDS
University of California at Berkeley
3112 Etcheverry Hall
Berkeley, California 94720-1750
(510) 643-1817/(510) 643-1822 (FAX)/ mura@needs.org


ABSTRACT

Networked computers, the Internet and the World Wide Web, and other information technologies allow individual students the ability to locate and access a wide range of digital, educational resources as never before. Technology is opening the door for new methods to enhance and transform the traditional educational process. Engineering educators are being pulled into these new paradigms of information delivery by our students. The use of these state-of-the-art computer and information technologies challenge the traditional lecture model and force us to rethink student-teacher roles in the learning process. We are beginning to realize the paradigm shift from the teacher-centric lecture model to learner-centric, technology-assisted learning model that allows the student to control the learning process, with professors and instructors serving as mentors and guides. NEEDS -- the National Engineering Education Delivery System -- meets the needs of this new age of learners by providing a digital library of engineering educational materials. Destined to be one of the lasting NEEDS is pioneering the development of a comprehensive peer review of engineering courseware through our development of the NEEDS Editorial Board and the establishment of the Premier Award for Excellence in Engineering Education Courseware. The Editorial Board will oversee the "endorsed"-level of our multi-tiered review system. Based on the journal-model, the peer review process will result in "endorsed" courseware on the NEEDS Database -- courseware that is technically correct and has potential value to an instructor/learner other than the author. A competitive review and evaluation process will be used to determine the winner of the Premier Award -- the "best of the best" in engineering education courseware. These efforts to reward and recognize courseware developers will go beyond NEEDS and the database itself by recognizing the scholarly and creative efforts that authors have expended in developing, effective, high-quality engineering courseware. The National Science Foundation has asked NEEDS to continue to grow and to include quality, digital engineering education materials nationwide. As NEEDS transitions to this national resource, it fills the role as a clearinghouse for digital engineering educational materials. Nationally, interest exists for a "Library of Congress" of digital educational materials that includes the disciplines in Science, Math, Engineering, and Technology. The NEEDS system is designed to ultimately meet this vision of a digital library of educational materials.


PAPER WAS NOT AVAILABLE AT TIME OF PRINTING


Back to Table of Contents