The Virginia Partnership for Nanotechnology Education and Workforce Development
| Overview CGEP has initiated a nanotechnology course sharing program that shares approximately six courses per semester, across the CGEP network. Graduate-level nanotechnology courses are available to students in the following areas - Nanotechnology Fundamentals, Nanobiotechnology, Nanomodeling and Simulation, Nanomaterials and Characterization, Nanomanufacturing, and Nanoelectronics. Students interested in the program will have the ability to work towards a certificate in any one the listed areas (except for Nanotechnology Fundamentals). Courses for Spring 2007 The following courses will be offered during the Spring 2007 semester (starting in January 2007). Use the 'Browse Courses' link on the left-hand side of this web page to check the course offering times and locations. Use the 'Course Schedule' link on the left-hand side of this web page to check the start date for classes in January.
Course Format The Partnership delivers classes to distance learning students using two-way digital video conferencing (DVC) technology. DVC allows distance students to be video and audio linked into classes, along with on-campus students sitting with the instructor. The Partnership believes that all students should have an opportunity to participate in a learning community, and live, interactive class sessions are the best mechanism available. The Partnership also recognizes that working engineers often have work schedules that are not conducive to sitting in a classroom twice each week at a specific time. Thus, all class sessions are recorded and available to students over the web. Students are urged to participate in the live sessions whenever possible. Students who cannot participate in at least 50% of the live classes should contact their potential course instructor before the semester begins to determine if primarily web-based participation (i.e., asynchronous learning) is feasible. As this program evolves, the Partnership is committed to making their courses increasingly friendly to asynchronous learning. Future Semesters The Virginia Partnership for Nanotechnology schools intend to offer a rotation of nanotechnology courses over four succeeding semesters. Thus, the courses offered in Spring of 2007 will be available again in Spring 2009. The courses currently under consideration for the entire program can be viewed here. Note that, while future semesters currently list as many as ten or eleven courses, ultimately 6-8 courses will be offered. Work is currently under way to narrow and finalize the course schedule. Certificate Programs Students completing four or more courses in a selected track and earning a GPA of 3.0 or greater in those courses will be granted a certificate from the Partnership. Certificates are being developed by the Partnership in Nanomanufacturing, Nanomodeling and Simulation, Nanomaterials and Characterization, Nanoelectronics, and Nanobiotechnology. All certificate courses must be taken from those offered by the Partnership. Transfer of credits from schools outside the Partnership into the certificate programs is not possible. Degree Programs The Partnership recognizes that students enrolling in this program's courses may be interested in using some or all of these courses as part of a masters degree Plan of Study. Students considering study towards a masters degree from one of the Partnership schools should contact the appropriate institution's administrator as listed below. Students considering a masters degree should initiate discussions about the degree before taking any classes. Students are cautioned that courses in this Partnership program may or may not count towards a degree. The only way to confirm that courses will count is to initiate a discussion with an academic advisor at the school of interest.
Course Registration Students should visit the web page listed below for the Home School offering the course of interest. Follow the course registration procedure listed there. Students with questions about registration should contact the appropriate Home School administrator listed below. Full-time students at any of the Virginia Partnership schools should follow their normal course registration process to add one of these courses to their study schedule. For full-time students, these courses should appear in the normal course catalogue at your school. If full-time students have questions, they should contact their institution's administrator, as listed below.
Course Prerequisites Students unsure about their academic preparation for a particular course should contact the listed course instructor to discuss their qualifications. In general, an undergraduate degree in engineering is assumed. Sponsorship This nanotechnology course sharing program is co-sponsored by the National Science Foundation (Grant #EEC-0538828 ) and the Commonwealth of Virginia. |
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