Construct Education is becoming OES. New name, same team, and same commitment to online learning excellence.
Construct Education is becoming OES. New name, same team, and same commitment to online learning excellence.
In a bold step to revolutionize graduate engineering education for working professionals, the University of California, Berkeley partnered with OES to create a high-impact online course, ENGIN 264: Applied Continuum Mechanics. Designed as part of Berkeley’s Master of Advanced Study in Engineering (MAS-E) program and hosted on Coursera’s platform, the course is a testament to how complex academic content can be translated into accessible, flexible, and inclusive digital learning without compromising on rigor.
Continuum mechanics, especially at the graduate level, is a notoriously abstract and mathematically intensive field. The challenge was to deliver this complexity online, in a way that not only met academic standards but also catered to working professionals balancing careers, family, and education.
Additionally, the course needed to be asynchronous, fully accessible, and aligned with Coursera’s rigorous learning design standards. This project also had to be delivered in a format compact enough to fit into a one-unit course, but comprehensive enough to uphold Berkeley’s reputation for academic excellence.
Led by renowned faculty member and winner of the National Science Foundation Career Award, Professor Sanjay Govindjee, the course was meticulously structured across seven modules, each building upon the last—from foundational principles to complex thermodynamics.
Our learning design team partnered closely with the subject matter expert (SME), transforming handwritten lecture slides and notes into a structured digital curriculum. These raw materials were enriched using AI-enhanced learning tools like Mathpix for LaTeX conversion (creating PDFs and images from mathematics-specialised templates) and ChatGPT for drafting rubrics, model answers, and accessible reading content. The resulting learning experience featured:
Each module was crafted to reflect Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction, ensuring that learners 1) activated prior knowledge, 2) engaged with demonstrations, 3) practiced problem-solving, and 4) applied concepts to complex real-world scenarios.
Constructivist learning theory posits that learners actively construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, rather than passively receiving information. True to its constructivist foundation, ENGIN 264 offered a progressive learning journey. Beginning with the fundamentals of kinematics and mathematical preliminaries, learners advanced through balance laws and constitutive theory, culminating in modules on linear elasticity and thermodynamics.
To scaffold this journey, assessments were integrated throughout the course, offering feedback at critical junctures to reinforce understanding and encourage reflection. This approach aligned with Coursera’s “assessment for, as, and of learning” philosophy, with quizzes and discussion prompts serving both formative and summative purposes.
On 21 August 2025, ENGIN 264 launched as a fully accessible, academically rigorous, and professionally relevant online graduate course. Notable outcomes included:
The ENGIN 264 project exemplifies the powerful outcomes achievable when academic expertise meets cutting-edge learning design. By embracing AI, instructional strategy, and accessibility from the outset, OES and UC Berkeley have created a transformative course and set a new gold standard for online graduate education in STEM.
As more institutions look to scale flexible learning opportunities for diverse professional audiences, ENGIN 264 stands as a successful model for delivering high-impact, high-quality online education. Future MAS-E courses will build on this foundation, continuing to elevate Berkeley’s global leadership in engineering education.
"Partnerships for program development can feel transactional, but Construct is truly an augmented team at every level. Our faculty have confidence that their courses will feature quality in the design and consistency in the overall student experience. Likewise, our Digital Learning staff appreciate the Construct team’s expertise and reliability throughout our projects."
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