The Effectiveness of an On-Line Graduate Engineering Management Course

In the summer of 1997, the Engineering Management Department of the University of Missouri-Rolla\u27s (UMR) began offering its first Internet-based graduate level course. This course, Advanced Production Management, was designed to utilize a combination of Internet-based tools, such as EMail and Chat rooms to create a alternative means for the delivery of course material. This paper will draw these following conclusions from more than a year of research, which included over 100 students in six different course offerings. First, the Internet-based students performed equally as well as the control group students. Second, students tend to have exaggerated time requirement expectations for Internet-based classes. Third, students tend to have positive course effectiveness experiences. Fourth, students tend to be very skeptical of electronic lectures but their experiences are positive. Fifth, learning styles play a role influencing student expectations regarding Internet-based education. This influence is especially strong in student course time expectations and both the effectiveness and satisfaction of the use of EMail and Chat rooms