Outcomes Assessment in Engineering Education

Abstract

Outcomes assessment is a method for determining whether students have learned, have retained, and can apply what they have been taught. Assessment plans have three components: a statement of educational goals, multiple measures of achievement of the goals, and use of the resulting information to improve the education process. The results of outcomes assessment are part of a feedback loop in which faculty are provided with information that they can use to improve both their teaching and student learning. The experience of the Department of Chemical Engineering at West Virginia University is used as an example of how an assessment plan is developed and implemented. Examples of multiple measures of student learning outcomes and how the resulting information is used are presented. The resulting feedback loop allows for corrections to be made in specific classes if deficiencies are found, and indicates when remedial action should be taken to ensure that students do not graduate until a minimum level of competency is achieved.

Creating Faculty Buy-In: Leadership Challenges in Implementing Ceab Graduate Attributes

“…CEAB has recently adopted a summative outcomesbased accreditation process [21] for evaluating the standards of undergraduate engineering education in Canada. CEAB has specified twelve attributes that need to be satisfied through the outcomes assessment process.…”

Rubrics as a Vehicle to Define the Twelve Ceab Graduate Attributes, Determine Graduate Competencies, and Develop a Common Language for Engineering Stakeholders

“…It was important to seek out others' experiences rather than "reinvent the wheel" [17] Yet, at the same time, it was vital to look at what the faculty already had in place in terms of assessment, and work to adapt what was there into a new protocol [16].…”

“…Also essential is the design of appropriate assessment tools to support outcomes-based education and " [assess] in ways that support student learning" [2]. Outcome assessment is defined as "a method for determining whether students have learned, have retained, and can apply what they have been taught" [16]. Outcome indicators are "the measuring instruments used in assessment, and the means by which achievement of outcomes is confirmed" [15].…”

Industry Forum III: Towards A Common Language

“…A forum that brings Engineering Industry and Academia together enables Academia to explore Industry's expectations and experiences of new graduates [8] [9] with regards to the 12 CEAB attributes. Strengths can be acknowledged and gaps can be addressed, demonstrating the Faculty's partnership and accountability to local Industry.…”

“…A partial requirement of becoming accredited by the CEAB is that engineering faculties have processes in place to assess their program outcomes in the context of the 12 graduate attributes, and that the results are applied to the continual development and improvement of their curricula [6] [8] [9]. The Industry forum is such a process, whereby Industry representatives discuss and critique the CEAB attributes exhibited by new engineering graduates, as well as the faculty's assessment tools and processes, and the results of these discussions are sent to the Faculty's Curriculum Management Committee (CMC) to analyze for the development and improvement of the engineering programs.…”