The Michigan State University M.S. and Ph.D. Online Degree Programs in Beam Physics
Bela Erdelyi, Jens Hoefkens, Lars Diening, Kyoko Makino, Martin Berz · Quarterly review of distance education · 2000
Abstract: We summarize the main features of the Michigan State University M.S. and Ph.D. online degree programs in beam physics. We started offering Internet-based beam physics courses in the spring semester of 1997 (Berz, Erdélyi, & Hoefkens, 1999). Since then, we have extended our Web courses from introductory graduate-level beam physics to more advanced beam physics courses, to a total of three online courses, and various reading courses. The online Master of Science program was launched in 1998, followed by the doctoral program in 1999. The programs are part of Michigan State University’s Virtual University, and are featured in the Sloan-C Catalog of online programs as well as in Peterson’s Guide as the only online physics degree programs in the United States. In this paper we will emphasize the growth of the program and lessons learned, and we will support our conclusions with statistical data. A major milestone of the program is the development of the WebCOSY system, an interactive Web-based homework and course management program (Hoefkens, Berz, & Erdélyi, 2000). Besides supporting problems written within the system, it has the unique feature of processing and grading students’ submissions by arbitrary external programs, and hence provides rather far-reaching flexibility for the assignment of homework problems. The system supports and manages databases for classes, students, scores, graders, as well as homework problems for reuse in other classes. Written entirely in Perl, the system is easily manageable and portable.