This summer, the University of Washington, Bothell (UWB) garnered approval from Washington state’s Higher Education Coordinating Board to implement a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) program this winter.

But what makes Bothell’s offering unique is that the vast majority of class takes place in an online classroom, with PowerPoint presentations dubbed over with the professor’s lecture, said Arnie Berger, chair of the Electrical Engineering Faculty Committee. The labs from the course, too, will be remotely accessible online.

However, Mike Smith, a professor at the University of Calgary, an external reviewer for the electrical-engineering (EE) program, said in the proposal documents that he did not support the use of online labs. An external reviewer is someone outside of the UW Bothell who was asked to take a look at the program and give an evaluation. Smith was one of five external reviewers. Three of these reviewers were in favor, one was ambivalent, and one had critiques.

Although Smith was one of the reviewers who approved the program, he singled out the online portion as the part of the program that could be improved if it was made more attractive to students. Specifically, Smith thought the PowerPoint lectures with voice-over would not “attract and retain students.”

He also pointed out the fact that students wouldn’t have ready access to components of the degree that would otherwise be offered in a lab, such as physically connecting cords and handling magnets — all of which will be handled on a Web interface instead.

Throughout the course, however, students will be able to communicate with professors via online messaging. And, like many other online courses, students and professors will have the chance to keep in contact with each other using Blackboard and e-mail.

Currently, only two other schools in the nation offer a distance-learning program for those seeking a BSEE: the University of North Dakota and the anticipated program at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

The program was approved during the summer, and the UWB has started to put the framework in place for the program to start this winter.

James Overaa, a prospective online electrical-engineering student, has concerns about the format of a class that is preparing him for a predominantly hands-on profession.

“I have some questions as to how well you can teach electrical engineering online and at a distance,” he said. “I know it can be done, but a lot of what I did at the community-college level and here at work was collaborative and hands on.”

Overaa, however, is torn because the online class fits his schedule. As a 40-year-old father of two, who currently holds down a full-time job at Philips Healthcare, the online component allows Overaa to earn his degree without having to work classes into his busy life.

He has a two-year degree in electrical engineering but wants to go back to school and take classes to earn his four-year.

“In electrical engineering, it’s one of those fields, given all the hazards involved, where employers want to see a four-year degree. Also, having a degree gives you a greater level of job portability,” Overaa said.

He also said he is torn between attending the UWB’s new EE program and the new EE program that will be offered by Eastern Washington University through the North Seattle Community College campus.

The EE program at North Seattle Community College provides a more traditional college experience, and much of the class work is done in class — not online. Overaa has concerns as to whether or not training for a job as complex and hands-on as electrical engineering can be taught using only online tools and lab interfaces.

Reach reporter Brian Byrnes at news@dailyuw.com.