For his excellent delivery of the distance learning course Vehicle Dynamics (ME542) in Winter 2001, Professor Noel Perkins ( https://me-web2.engin.umich.edu/zope/pubdir/bio?uniqname=ncp ) has received the GM Technical Education Program 2001 Outstanding Distance Learning Award.
Instructors qualify for the TEP award based on course surveys, as well as feedback from students and course moderators.
“Students commented on your ability to combine presentation of value-add material and effective on-camera teaching style to make this course memorable,” a GM spokesperson wrote in a congratulatory e-mail.
Perkins taught a total of 140 graduate students, including 40 on-site and another 100 at locations in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Participating in the course were employees of Ford, Delphi, GM, Eaton, and Daimler-Chrysler. Off-site students watched the videotaped lectures on VHS, or through the course web site via streaming video.
This was the third time Perkins has taught Vehicle Dynamics since its development as part of GM’s Corporate Strategy Sequence. He partnered with Associate Professor Huei Peng to develop the course, which covers methods and dynamics (a review to bring everyone up to speed), tire mechanics, vehicle handling, and vehicle ride. Peng alternates with Perkins to teach the course.
“Huei and I developed the case studies together… It was also a huge effort by the staff at the Center for Professional Development to make this possible,” Perkins said. “CPD played a big role in delivery of the course, and they did a great job!”
The course was also a big effort for Perkins, who said that “in a given week I could be rained on with 50-100 emails” from students. He cut down the amount of email traffic by posting his responses to the first few on the course Web site, along with the original questions, so the other students could benefit from the discussion.
