Online engineering education

In recent years, the decentralization of higher education has grown tremendously, and the idea that everyone should have the opportunity to get education wherever and whenever, has become more prominent. The emergence of global communication networks and powerful computer technologies has also redefined the concept of distant engineering education. In recent years, engineering education has become possible anywhere and anytime, but this has not been for all areas of engineering education. In the developed countries, number of institutions that provide online BSc degree in engineering is limited. One of the most important reasons for this is the inadequacy of online training to fulfill the accreditation criteria of engineering education programs. In the last decade, in Iran, online training has been widely developed at all levels. This is despite the fact that there are still no reports on the quality and effectiveness of this method of education. In this paper the feasibility of online engineering education is investigated in the developed countries and in Iran and suggestions are made to improve online engineering education in Iran.