Nationally Normed Exams For Outcomes Assessment Of Engineering Technology Programs And Certification Of Engineering Technology Graduates
- Conference
- Location
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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Publication Date
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June 22, 2008
- Start Date
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June 22, 2008
- End Date
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June 25, 2008
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Engineering Technology
- Page Count
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15
- Page Numbers
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13.918.1 - 13.918.15
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--3411
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/3411
- Download Count
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525
Paper Authors
Carmine Balascio University of Delaware
Carmine C. Balascio, Ph.D., P.E. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Bioresources Engineering at the University of Delaware. He earned bachelor’s degrees in Agricultural Engineering Technology and Mathematics from U.D. He earned an M.S. in Agricultural Engineering and a Ph.D. double major in Agricultural Engineering and Engineering Mechanics from Iowa State University. He teaches courses in surveying, soil mechanics, and storm-water management and has research interests in urban hydrology and water resources engineering. He holds the education seat on Delaware’s Engineering Licensing board.
LOUISE WEHRLE NICET
Louise Wehrle, PHD, CAE is a Manager of Program Development with NICET. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Memorial University of Newfoundland, and an M.S. and Ph.D. from University of Maryland. Dr. Wehrle has extensive experience in the certification field and is a former Chair of the Steering Committee for the Certification Networking Group. She also serves on an ANSI accreditation committee for the Council for Food Protection and is an ANSI certified program auditor for the ISO/IEC Standard 17024 for Personnel Certification. Prior to working at NICET, Dr. Wehrle worked with the certification programs of the National Contracts Management Association, with the Society of Military Comptrollers and with the Association for Government Accountability. She is the author of a number of published articles on the topic of certification and a Certified Association Executive (CAE).
Rudolph Henry NICET
Rudolph Henry, MS, CT is an Adjunct Instructor, teaching courses in Electronic Computer Technology (ECT), Electronic Engineering Technology (EET), and Electronic and Computer Engineering Technology (ECET) at Devry University, Houston, Texas. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering Technology-Electronics Specialty from Texas A&M University. He earned a M.S. in Process Monitoring and Controls from University of Houston at Clear Lake. Rudolph is also a member of the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET) Board of Governors.
Chip Hollis NICET
Chip Hollis is the Manager of Marketing & Public Relations at The National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from California State University at Long Beach. He has a background in marketing and financial analysis for non-profit organizations.
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
Nationally Normed Exams for Outcomes Assessment of Engineering Technology Programs and Certification of Engineering Technology Graduates
Abstract:
Four-year engineering programs often use the FE exam as a direct measure of outcomes for EAC of ABET accreditation, but such use of the FE exam is not universally appropriate for engineering technology programs. Many engineering technology programs are at the two-yr community college level, and graduates of those programs are not typically eligible to sit for the FE exam. There are fifteen states or other jurisdictions in the U.S. that do not allow graduates of 4-yr engineering technology programs to take the F.E. Use of the FE exam for outcomes assessment of engineering programs and its appropriateness for outcomes assessment of engineering technology programs are examined in detail. The implications of using the FE, which is designed as a test of minimum competency, for outcomes assessment are discussed.
A need is identified– particularly at the community college level and in states where graduates of four-year ET programs are not eligible to take the FE – for nationally normed exams that can be used for direct assessment of outcomes for TAC of ABET accreditation and for state and regional accreditation purposes. Since graduates of 2-yr ET programs are not eligible for engineering licensure in most states, some type of certification such as that offered by NICET, a division of NSPE that has been certifying engineering technicians since 1961 and engineering technologists (by education and experience) since 1980, may be important for career advancement. This paper examines the considerations in developing exams that can meet such needs. Other topics addressed include: the need for different exams at the 2- and 4-yr levels, an exam format that includes separate breadth and depth components, the types of exam-result data that are most helpful for outcomes assessment, development of the question items, and student motivation.
Introduction:
Four-year engineering programs in the U.S.A. often use the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam as a direct measure of outcomes for EAC of ABET accreditation, but such use of the FE exam is not universally appropriate for engineering technology programs. Many engineering technology programs are at the two-yr community college level, and graduates holding only associate’s degrees are not typically eligible to sit for the FE exam. There are fifteen states or other jurisdictions in
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Balascio, C., & WEHRLE, L., & Henry, R., & Hollis, C. (2008, June), Nationally Normed Exams For Outcomes Assessment Of Engineering Technology Programs And Certification Of Engineering Technology Graduates Paper presented at 2008 Annual Conference & Exposition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 10.18260/1-2--3411
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