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Beyond Measurement: Designing Engineering Outcomes to Foster Student Achievement

Abstract

This paper describes the design of a novel program-level assessment framework consisting of engineering student outcomes and associated developmental levels; this framework has been dra- matically influenced by constituent input and the assessment structure and practices of Alverno College. The outcomes have been designed to explicitly address student development; each out- come has four associated developmental levels that describe student progress in achieving the outcome. The outcomes are designed to provide structure to the educational experience for both students and faculty, providing a common language that facilitates a focus on student achieve- ment. To this end, the number of outcomes has been limited to eight and each outcome has a one or two word descriptive title. This paper describes the process used to develop the outcomes, the outcomes structure, and the initial experience of using the outcomes in the Fall 2005 semester.

1 Introduction

This paper describes the design of a novel program-level framework for student assessment in a new multidisciplinary engineering program. This framework, consisting of engineering student outcomes and associated developmental levels, has been dramatically influenced by constituent input and the assessment structure and practices of Alverno College. This framework is intended to play a central role in the student educational experience as well as structure the assessment of student achievement and overall program effectiveness.

The engineering outcomes have been developed in the context of creating a multi-disciplinary engineering program in the new Department of Engineering at Arizona State University’s Poly- technic Campus. The team of founding faculty has been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to design a totally new engineering program from the ground up. Given no constraints on its design – other than that it be responsive to the changing needs of the nation at the dawn of the 21st century – this new BSE in Engineering program is designed around three core values: learning through engagement, agility and focus on the individual. These values are the focal points of a thorough and innovative redesign of the traditional Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree with the goal of creating a unique and highly effective learner-centered program. The curricu- lar structure is based on contemporary pedagogies of engagement and proven learning strategies (i.e., team-based, cooperative problem-based, mastery-based, and experience-based learning).1 This curriculum structure, embedded in a pervasive departmental culture that focuses on indi- vidual learners and their success, will produce highly prepared, agile engineers who are able to provide technical leadership within a broad range of modern and emerging professional settings.

Beginning in July of 2004, the founding faculty team used an engineering design process to cre- ate the new program. This design process included data gathering and analysis on the needs of the program’s constituents; development of brand identity and program values; and design of a novel curriculum structure. The engineering program will seek ABET accreditation under the general engineering criteria as soon as possible; ABET requires that programs establish student

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Morrell, D., & Roberts, C., & Grondin, R., & Kuo, C., & Hinks, R., & Henderson, M., & Sugar, T., & Danielson, S. (2006, June), Beyond Measurement: Designing Engineering Outcomes To Foster Student Achievement Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--236