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Session 2149

Use of Ongoing Assessment of Intended Learning Outcomes to Evaluate Effectiveness of Online and On-campus Delivery of a Structural Analysis Course

Abi Aghayere College of Applied Science and Technology Rochester Institute of Technology

Abstract

The ABET TC2K criteria now require proof of continuous improvement similar to the quality assurance programs, such as, the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) that have long been used in industry. In order to effect continuous improvement in a program or course, ABET requires documentation of the procedure for assessing the course or program, a determination of any areas of weakness, effecting necessary changes to improve the course and then, re-assessing to find out how well the adopted measures worked, thus “closing the loop” on the continuous improvement process.

The Civil Engineering Technology (CET) program at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is preparing for an ABET accreditation next fall. In preparation for the accreditation visit, the author carried out a survey of students in the online and on-campus structural analysis courses to gauge how well the predetermined set of intended learning outcomes (ILOs) were achieved. The students were asked to rate the ILOs for each of the six modules in the course on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being “very well understood” and 1 being “not understood at all”). The students submit the survey for each module at the completion of each module, thus providing immediate and on- going feedback on student learning that could be used to make mid-course corrections. This paper discusses the results obtained from this assessment, if differences in student learning exist between the online and on-campus sections, and identifies potential areas of improvement.

Introduction

The ABET TC2K accreditation process has shifted from mere “bean counting” to a focus on outcomes assessment and continuous improvement. There are several course assessment methods available in the literature 1, 2, 3 but one commonly used method is the student survey of course objectives; this method is used in this study. To assist the CET program at RIT measure the effectiveness of its online and on-campus delivery of courses, a pilot study was conducted that consisted of an on-going survey of students in both the online and on-campus sections of the Structural Analysis course. The course is divided into seven modules, each with its own set of detailed Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs). The students were required to rate how well they achieved each ILO using five-point scale, with “least understood” corresponding to 1 and “very well understood” corresponding to 5. The feedback from the student surveys was used to assess the need for any mid-course corrections and to assess the course delivery methods; it was also used to determine the students who were in need of extra help on a particular topic. In addition

Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering Education

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Aghayere, A. (2004, June), Use Of Ongoing Assessment Of Intended Learning Outcomes To Evaluate Effectiveness Of Online And On Campus Delivery Of A Structural Analysis Course Paper presented at 2004 Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--13738