Online design of an advanced analytical engineering course: Outcome of a pilot implementation

Despite the growth of online and blended courses in recent years, there still seems to be an inhibition for developing such designs for advanced analytical engineering courses due to the complex nature of the topics and the time involved. This paper discusses the model of one such implementation, particularly for a large class, with special focus on the online design strategies and a rationale for using them. This pilot implementation was based on the initiative of the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, in 2017, to allow academics to deliver more engaging and active learning experiences to students. The idea was to create online materials that would augment face to face teaching, thus providing an opportunity for a blended delivery. The conclusions of this paper highlight the effectiveness via observations on improved student engagement and formal feedback from the students, compared to previous offerings of the same course.