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HOPE'S ENGINEERING
PROGRAM
By Dr. Darryl Thelen and Dr.
John Krupczak
Spring 2000 |
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SUMMARY OF ASSESSMENT PLAN AND 1998-99
RESULTS
ASSESSMENT PLAN
- Overview
The Engineering Program formalized and further developed its
methods of assessment during the 1998-99 academic year. The assessment
plan involves monitoring achievement of objectives in engineering
courses, outside evaluation of senior design projects, extensive
surveying and interviewing of seniors and alumni, and evaluation
of student performance on nationally standardized exams. These
assessments serve as the basis for evaluating how well the departmental
objectives and desired student outcomes are being achieved. In
addition to the assessment methods, a professional advisory board,
consisting of representatives of graduate schools and engineering,
is used to evaluate the departmental objectives and overall program
direction on a regular basis.
-
Educational Objectives
The professional practice of engineering requires an understanding
of analytical methods, design techniques, social and economic
influences and an appreciation for cultural and humanistic
traditions. Our program supports these needs by offering
each engineering student the opportunity to acquire a broad,
yet individualized, technical and liberal education. At
the core of the curriculum is a sequence of mathematics,
physics and engineering courses that foster analytical
and design skills applicable to a range of engineering
disciplines. Elective courses, design projects and undergraduate
research opportunities allow students to pursue specific
areas of interest. Hope's strong liberal arts core curriculum
provides engineering students with critical thinking skills,
proficiency in a foreign language and exposure to a diversity
of views and cultures. Graduates of the program are prepared
to begin a professional career or continue study in graduate
school.
-
To educate engineers within the context of a liberal arts
college that emphasizes small classes and attention to individual
needs, the engineering program has established the following
educational objectives:
- To prepare graduates with the education and background
necessary to begin a successful career in engineering practice
and/or gain entry into engineering graduate school.
- To train students in methods of analysis,
including an understanding of mathematics,
science and engineering principles appropriate
to solve engineering problems.
- To develop
the ability
of students
to select
and use
current
engineering
techniques
to solve
problems.
This includes
designing
and conducting
experiments,
using computer
software
tools and
interpreting
data.
- To
equip
students
with
the
skills
needed
to
design
a
process,
component
or
system
that
meets
specified
goals.
This
includes
the
ability
to
handle
ambiguous
constraints,
generate
alternative
ideas
and
deal
with
economic,
social
and
ethical
criteria.
- To
foster
the
ability
of
students
to
be
effective
working
in
multidisciplinary
teams and
communicating
ideas
to
others.
- To
provide
students
with
an
awareness of
the
societal
context
of
engineering. This
includes
recognizing
the
social,
political,
economic, and
environmental
impacts
of
engineering
decisions and
technology.
- To
develop
an
appreciation of
cultural
diversity,
an awareness
of
the
international nature
of
engineering
practice,
and
to prepare
students
to work
in
a
global environment.
- To
provide
students
with the
opportunity
for
specialization or
study
in
a secondary
area
of
interest. Some
examples
are
having a
dual
major,
fulfilling a
departmental
minor
or preparing
for
advanced
study in
the
student's
particular area
of
interest.
- To
provide
applied
educational opportunities
for
students
via interactions
with
business
and industry.
- To
offer
undergraduate
students the
opportunity
to
become involved
in
research.
The program educational objectives are reviewed on an annual
process with the Engineering Program Professional advisory
board, and with graduating seniors and alumni through the
use surveys and interviews.
Consistent with ABET's accreditation criteria, the Engineering
faculty have identified thirteen student outcomes that support
our educational objectives:
Graduates of the Hope College Engineering Program will
have:
- an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science
and engineering appropriate to discipline
- an ability to design and conduct experiments,
as well as to analyze and interpret data
- an ability
to design
a system,
component,
or process
to meet
desired
needs
- the
ability
to
function
on
multi-disciplinary
teams
- an
ability
to
identify,
formulate
and
solve
engineering
problems
- an
understanding
of
professional
and
ethical
responsibility
- an
ability
to
communicate effectively
- the
broad
education
necessary to
understand
the
impact of
engineering
solutions
in a
global
and
societal context
- a
recognition
of
the need
for
and
an ability
to
engage
in life-long
learning
- a
knowledge
of
contemporary issues
- an
ability
to
use the
techniques,
skills
and modern
engineering
tools
necessary for
engineering
practice
- knowledge
of
chemistry
and calculus-based
physics
with
depth in
at
least
one
- the
ability
to
apply advanced
mathematics
through
multivariate calculus
and
differential
equations
- Assessment Measures
In order to quantify the students' success
in achieving the identified outcomes, the
following six assessment measures are being
used.
- Student performance in engineering
courses - Assessment is done on an
annual basis in all engineering courses
taught by engineering faculty. Each of
the engineering courses has a set of
objectives that were developed to
- contribute to the overall educational
objectives of the program
- foster
development of the desired student
outcomes
Engineering course assessments are
conducted to determine how well the
course objectives are being achieved.
The assessment done in each course
must have the following components:
- Listing of course objectives and relation
to program educational objectives.
- Changes
implemented
as a result
of assessment
from prior
teaching
of course.
- Sampling
of
student
work
that
demonstrates
achievement
and/or
deficiencies
in
achieving
course
objectives.
- Summary
of
student
feedback
obtained
via
course
evaluations.
Recommendations for changes to be made next
time the course is taught. The actual implementation
of the course assessment varies from course to
course due to the different ways in which lecture,
laboratory and project-oriented courses are taught.
For example, assessment in engineering science
courses often involves evaluating the performance
of students on selected problems in homework
and exams. Assessment in project-based courses
often involves evaluating and documenting the
extent to which educational outcomes are employed
in conducting the project and presenting the
results.
Engineering course assessment is the responsibility
of the faculty member teaching the course. A
course assessment summary must be completed and
submitted to the rest of the members of the engineering
faculty within two months after the end of the
spring term. Faculty members are asked to read
all course assessment summaries and meetings
are planned to provide feedback to the instructor
teaching the course.
It is noted that assessment is done in all
engineering courses because:
- The courses are small enough, typically less
than 20 students, making evaluation feasible.
- The relatively
small number
of faculty teaching
a wide range
of engineering
topics requires
such assessments
to ensure that
faculty members
remain current
on what is being
done in other
engineering courses.
- Senior Design Projects - Student performance on the final senior
engineering design project (ENGS 452, Spring Term) is extensively monitored.
In ENGS 452, students work in teams to conduct design projects for
clients outside of the institution.
Assessment of the projects is conducted by having
- Faculty and non-departmental members evaluate the final oral
presentations
- A team of faculty, who did not supervise the projects,
evaluates the final written reports.
When possible, the final oral presentations are scheduled to
coincide with the spring visit by the professional advisory board.
This allows the advisory board members to serve as evaluators of
the oral presentations, which provides the program with valuable
feedback and the board with a better understanding of our students.
Oral and final reports are evaluated by faculty who were not involved
in supervising the student design teams. The faculty assessment
includes an evaluation of oral and written presentation skills,
use of engineering analysis and creativity. In addition, the faculty
evaluate the extent to which the engineering outcomes are present
in the design project.
- Senior Surveys and Interviews - Senior engineering
students are asked to complete an extensive survey evaluating
the program and assessing their own individual skills as a
result of being a student at Hope. This survey is given to
all senior engineering students in the final month of their
undergraduate career at Hope College. In the survey, students
are asked to describe their post-graduation plans, to assess
the relevance and value of various aspects of their educational
experience and are asked to give feedback on perceived areas
for improvement.
In addition to the survey, interviews are arranged between
graduating seniors and professional advisory board members.
Prior to the interview, board members are given resumes
of the students with whom they will be meeting. Following
the interview, board members evaluate the professional
appearance, oral presentation skills, quality of the educational
experience described and their perception of the student's
preparation for pursuing their individual goals. The interviews
provide the program with outside evaluations of our graduating
seniors and the board members with a better understanding
of the engineering graduates from Hope.
- GRE and FE Exams - Results on GRE
exams are used to evaluate the performance
of students on a nationally standardized exam.
The GRE exam evaluates student skills in mathematical,
analytical and verbal areas, and is an important
component of a student's graduate school application.
Student performance on this exam is monitored
relative to the entering GRE scores of incoming
students to the top graduate engineering programs
in the country. This comparison provides a
measure of how well the program is succeeding
in getting students to the level of being competitive
for entrance and financial aid at graduate
school. Historically, approximately one-half
of our graduating seniors take this exam.
Due to the changing nature of the engineering
program, more students are electing to
go directly into industry upon graduation.
For this reason, starting in the 1999-00
year, the program will begin to actively
encourage students to take the Fundamentals
of Engineering Exam. Monitoring student
performance on this exam will allow us
to expand our ability to compare the performance
of our engineering graduates to those from
other institutions.
- Job and
Graduate
School Placement
Data -
The placement
of engineering
graduates
in entry-level
professional
positions
and graduate
school is
closely monitored.
Due to our
relatively
small size
and low student-to-faculty
ratio, much
of the placement
information
is obtained
and documented
through first
hand discussions
with seniors
and recent
graduates.
More extensive
information,
such as the
number of
jobs or grad
programs
applied to,
are obtained
through the
senior surveys
and one-year
follow-up
surveys of
Hope graduates
(one year
surveys are
conducted
by the Career
Services
Office at
Hope). The
success rate
of students
gaining jobs
and/or entry
into respected
engineering
graduate
schools is
considered
an important
indicator
of the program achieving
it's educational
objectives.
- Alumni
Surveys -
Information
on
the
professional
careers
of
Hope
engineering
graduates
is
monitored
via
alumni
surveys.
Alumni
are
asked
to
evaluate
the
relevance
and value
of
their
Hope
education
to
pursuing
their
professional
careers
and/or
advanced
education.
In
addition,
alumni
are
asked
for
feedback
and
suggestions
on specific
aspects
of
the
engineering
program.
Alumni
surveys
were
first
initiated
during
the
1998-99
academic
year.
Surveys
were
sent
out
to
all
graduates of
the
engineering
program
over
the
previous
ten
years.
This
data
provided
a
retrospective
look
at
how
the
perceptions
of
graduates
have
changed
as the
Hope
engineering
program
has
grown
and
expanded
over
this
time
period.
In
addition,
the
data
provides
a
baseline
against
which
future
survey results
will
be
compared.
Starting
in
1999-00,
surveys
will
be
sent
out
on
an
annual
basis
to
alumni
who
graduated
two
and
five years
prior.
Surveys
will
be
summarized
on
a
bi-annual
basis
rather
than
an
annual
basis
due
to
the
small
number
of graduates
from
our
engineering
program.
Therefore
the
bi-annual
summaries
will
provide
a
larger
number
of
students
from
which to
obtain
feedback
and
improves
our
confidence
in
making
general
recommendations
regarding
programmatic
changes.
Following
are
Tables
summarizing
the
relationships
between
the
six
assessment
measures
and
the
educational
objectives
and
outcomes
as
defined by
the
department.
Note
that
each
of
the
educational
objectives
and
outcomes
is
monitored
by
more
than
one of
the
six
assessment
measures.
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