College of Engineering
The College of Engineering uses several outcomes assessment mechanisms to evaluate the quality of our undergraduate program including student achievement. These include a capstone design course, formal reviews by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) on a 3 to 6 year cycle, annual reviews by the departmental Industrial Advisory Committees (IAC) and the College of Engineering Advisory Council (COEAC), exit interviews with our graduating seniors, alumni surveys, and interviews with employers. In addition, we continually scan the professional literature to assess the changing skills required for our students. The college also monitors achievement through the national Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam at the undergraduate level.
As part of preparation for ABET reaccreditation visit in the fall of 2006, we have revised our program goals and objectives. Outcome assessment activities are only meaningful with respect to the program educational objectives. Assessment activities in the College of Engineering are designed to measure student outcomes with respect to our established program educational objectives.
Engineering programs prepare students for a wide range of professional engineering careers in such areas as research and development, design, product development, facilities operation and maintenance, management, and production. Graduates of the program will be prepared to apply engineering sciences, mathematics, computational methods, modern experimental methods, and effective communication skills to problems of interest in industry and government or scholarly topics. Employment opportunities for graduates are extensive. These include energy and utility, manufacturing, automotive, communications, computer, chemical, pharmecuiticals, aerospace, defense and space, research and development, and many others. The emphasis in the curricula is on engineering sciences, mathematics, engineering analysis, design, general sciences, and communication balanced with general education topics and electives. Graduates of the program will also be prepared for graduate studies (subject to grade-point and standardized test qualifications). Students will be prepared to take the fundamentals of engineering examination (and are encouraged to do so) as a step towards professional registration.
Program Goals
The goals of the College of Engineering, as set forth in our 2003 Strategic Plan, are:
u to educate those who will advance knowledge and become the future leaders of industry and academia;
u and to provide service to the profession, to the State of Rhode Island, to the country, and to the future development of engineering worldwide.
A critical focus within the College is to afford undergraduates of varying backgrounds and abilities every opportunity for achieving success in the engineering profession. To address this focus, the faculty of the College of Engineering, with input from other constituents, have established the following educational objectives for the undergraduate program:
to educate students thoroughly in engineering science and methods of analysis, including the mathematical and computational methods appropriate for engineers to use when solving problems;
to develop the skills pertinent to the design process, including the students' ability to formulate problems, to think creatively, to communicate effectively, to synthesize information, and to work collaboratively;
Specifically, engineering programs must demonstrate that their graduates have:
(h) the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context
(k) an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.
Each program must have an assessment process with documented results. Evidence must be given that the results are applied to the further development and improvement of the program. The assessment process must demonstrate that the outcomes of the program, including those listed above, are being measured.
Engineering students must be prepared for engineering practice through the curriculum culminating in a major design experience based on the knowledge and skills acquired in earlier course work and incorporating engineering standards and realistic constraints that include most of the following considerations: economic; environmental; sustainability; manufacturability; ethical; health and safety; social; and political.
Graduation Requirements
In addition to the URI requirements for graduation, a student must obtain a minimum grade of C in each one of the engineering courses in the curriculum.
The assessment processes consist of internal and external assessment processes. The Assessment Instruments are designed to measure program outcomes with respect to program educational objectives, ABET requirements, and desired outcomes. Table 1 shows the mapping of our selected design instruments and desired attributes (ABET criteria a-k). Each assessment instrument is ranked with respect to the level of correlation with each attribute. The assessment instruments vary in complexity of what they measure and the type of information that they provide.
The assessment instruments provide quantitative information for measurement as well as in-depth insight into the program outcomes. For this reason, the assessment instruments are very detailed in some cases (e.g., the Exit Interview Form and Alumni Survey Form) and continue to evolve as new questions arise where further examination of the issue is needed.
The assessment instruments listed in Table 1 how the inter-relationships between objectives, outcomes, assessment, and our curriculum.
Internal Assessments
(1 = Reasonable, 2 = Moderate, 3 = Possible).
The college on-campus assessment instruments consist of: student performance in courses, instructor and course evaluations, and student exit interviews (just prior to graduation).
Transcripts
Student performance, understanding of subject material, and ability to apply that knowledge in each course is measured through transcripts and more specifically:
Students must have a sufficient level of proficiency in each engineering topic to obtain a grade of C or better which is equivalent to satisfactory performance rating in that topic. Students are required to obtain a grade of C or better in all engineering prerequisite courses before advancing to higher level courses.
Transcripts for every student are kept in an electronic database. Departmental student files also contain hard copies of transcripts and other information related to student's academic achievement, special circumstances, advising sheets, as well as other pertinent information. Student's systematic progress through the curriculum including satisfactory performance (grade of C or better) in prerequisites and engineering topics is monitored by the advisors. The departmental advisors meet with students at least once every semester.
The department and departmental advisors receive reports on students that do not meet the requirements or have repeated a course three or more times. Those students are advised individually regarding the program requirements and are encouraged to seek further assistance through the university student counseling services if issues other than academics are affecting their performance.
The college also receives summary reports on overall student performance as measured by grade-point average and grade distributions in each course. The Associate Dean reviews the information regarding grade distributions across courses to assure equitable treatment in assigning grades across all engineering courses. If anomalies are observed, the Dean will meet with the instructor(s) in charge to discuss and resolve any discrepancies.
Course and Instructor Evaluations
Course evaluations have been conducted every semester for every course. The surveys are conducted each semester for every course.
The survey results are useful to determine instructional efficiency and encourage student feedback regarding all aspects of the delivery of the course.
Student Exit Interviews
Student exit interviews had been conducted every semester by the College of Engineering Associate Dean. A majority of graduating students were interviewed to assess their overall experience in the college as a student. The information collected was then provided to the Dean. Starting fall 2004, the exit interview process will be revised to reflect the alumni survey.
The survey was redesigned again in summer 2004 to significantly expand the information collected. The length of survey increased from two pages to 6 pages. The information collected is comprehensive. The average length of the student interviews increased from 10 minutes to 20 minutes. Most of the students welcome the opportunity to participate, provide a self assessment, and discuss their experience in the college.
The survey information collected has been entered into a computer database and is analyzed using a statistical analysis package (SPSS). The summary information is shared with the faculty and the departmental assessment committees for their further analysis and program improvements at all levels as needed.
The exit interview surveys and the computer summary analysis of that information will be available during the ABET site visit.
External Assessments
External assessments consist of alumni surveys, Industrial Advisory Committee annual evaluations of the programs, employer interviews, Capstone design course evaluations by practicing engineers, statistics on student job placement and interviews from the Career and Placement Office, and statistics on the fundamentals of engineering (FE) exam results.
Alumni Surveys
The College of Engineering formalized the alumni survey process in summer 2004. The college-wide outcomes assessment committee will be provided the survey data for analysis and recommendation of strategies to improve the programs. The results from the alumni survey are important to the outcomes assessment process as indicated in Table 1.
The alumni survey is conducted once a year surveying alumni who have graduated two years and five years prior to the time of the survey. The first formal alumni survey will be conducted in fall 2004. A second survey will be conducted during spring 2005. Results of these surveys will be instrumental in providing quantitative statistical data to the assessment committee and to the college faculty.
Surveying two-year graduates provides information on how well the curriculum and educational experience prepared the students for entering into professional practice or graduate school. Surveying five-year graduates provides a more mature perspective on the value of the engineering educational experience in career success and life-long learning. The surveys are designed to measure the desired outcomes.
Alumni surveys are conducted in two groups. The first group is two-year graduates of the program. The second group is five-year graduates of the program. The perception of the two-year graduates of the program provides information regarding their preparation for professional work. The perspective of the five-year graduates provides information regarding the overall quality of their educational experience and engagement in life-long learning.
Statistical summaries of the surveys provide direct measures of any gaps that may exist in the program based on the opinion of our alumni.
Results of the alumni surveys are reported in the companion document to this document entitled "College of Engineering Outcomes Assessment Activities and Results - Undergraduate Programs." This document will be published in fall 2004.
Industrial Advisory Committee Annual Review
The College of Engineering Industrial Advisory Committee is a subcommittee of the College of Engineering Advisory Council. The COE Advisory Council consists of individuals who have excelled in the profession as leaders of industry, academia, and government research centers. Most of the members of the Advisory Council are graduates of the URI engineering programs, although many of them have done their graduate work at other institutions. The Industrial Advisory Committee and the COE Advisory Council meet with the college faculty and students, the COE Department Chairs, and the Dean of Engineering annually in a full day of comprehensive review of the departments and our educational activities. They provide a written report of their evaluation to the Dean of Engineering. They review departmental actions taken during the year either based on the IAC recommendations or as a result of other assessment results and provide feedback to the college as to the effectiveness and quality of the programs.
The IAC reports are provided to the faculty of the departments and the assessment committee for their review. Actions are taken to address any concerns that may have been raised by the IAC.
Capstone Design Experience
An important component of our assessment process is in the Capstone Design Course, which are the culmination of our students' design experience in the programs. Students typically take this course during their last semester. They work in teams of five to seven operating as a project team. Students produce a final report, design documents, supporting calculations and analysis, and in most cases a prototype part, device, or system. They make an oral presentation to their peers and a jury of faculty, practicing engineers, and industrial project sponsors. The jury critiques the projects, the solutions developed by the students, and the quality of the work of each project team and the class in general. This feedback is then utilized by the course instructors to modify and improve the course the next cycle it is offered.
Implementing a new assessment instrument, members of the COE Engineering Advisory Council will participate in an impromptu executive review of the student capstone design projects to assess the quality of the projects and student team presentations on their projects. The members provided both verbal feedback and document their findings in the annual report of the Industrial Advisory Committe minutes. In the future, this assessment process will be expanded to include local small business and industry leaders to participate in the "surprise" reviews which prepare students for "real-world" situations that they will experience in the professional environment.
Career and Placement Services Reports
Information regarding registration of students with Career and Placement Services, student placement, and job market information is provided in the form of a memorandum report from URI Career and Placement Services every year to the Dean of Engineering. The student placement and starting salary information is used in assessment of program effectiveness, employer demands, and student job placement.
FE Exam Results
The Fundamentals of Engineering exam is taken by some engineering students. While the college encourages the students to take this exam as a step towards registration, it is not required that they do so. However, results from those students who do take the exam provides a sampling of the engineering student achievement on a standardized test and is monitored regularly for any anomalies.
The FE exam results and computerized summary of that data is shared with the faculty and provided to the assessment committee for their analysis and action as needed.
Assessment by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)
The most rigorous assessment of our undergraduate programs is by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). ABET continuously monitors the changing needs of industry through surveys, conferences, and professional meetings. ABET utilizes this information to define how ABET accredited departments will respond to these changes. ABET visits our departments every 3 to 6 years to determine whether our students are receiving the appropriate education as defined by ABET. If so, we receive ABET accreditation. The materials that we must prepare for a ABET visit are very extensive and include a self-study document prepared by the college (Part II) and by the department (Part I). An outline for document follows:
In addition, the programs must provide ABET with copies of every handout, textbook, homework, project report, and exam for every different course taught in the year prior to a visit. We must include three samples (good, average, and below average) of student work for each homework, report, and exam. The student work is used to evaluate whether the academic achievement of our students and curriculum content meets ABET standards. During their visit, the ABET team reviews these materials and meets with our undergraduate students, administration, and inspects our facilities. ABET then provides written assessments of the effectiveness of our academic program.