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A Self-Study of Faculty Methods, Attitudes, and Perceptions of Oral Engineering Exams

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Conference

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Baltimore , Maryland

Publication Date

June 25, 2023

Start Date

June 25, 2023

End Date

June 28, 2023

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Engineering Division (MULTI) Technical Session 6

Tagged Division

Multidisciplinary Engineering Division (MULTI)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

15

DOI

10.18260/1-2--42501

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/42501

Download Count

233

Paper Authors

biography

Darcie Christensen Minnesota State University, Mankato Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-5061-4663

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Dr. Darcie Christensen is a probationary Assistant Professor in the Department of Integrated Engineering at Minnesota State University Mankato. She teaches for Iron Range Engineering, which is located at the Minnesota North Campus in Virginia, MN. Dr. Christensen received her Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Utah State University in the Summer of 2021. The title of her Dissertation is “A Mixed-Method Approach to Explore Student Needs for Peer Mentoring in a College of Engineering.” Darcie holds a Master of Engineering degree in Environmental Engineering (2019) and Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Engineering (2017), both from Utah State University. She is passionate about student success and support, both inside and outside of the classroom.

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biography

Lauren Singelmann Minnesota State University, Mankato Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-3586-4266

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Lauren Singelmann is an Assistant Professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato with the Iron Range Engineering program. She has a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and STEM Education through North Dakota State University. Her research interests include learning analytics and alternative assessment.

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biography

Rob Sleezer Virginia Tech Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-0753-2707

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Rob Sleezer earned his Ph.D. in Microelectronics-Photonics from the University of Arkansas. He attended Oklahoma State University where he graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science and an M.S. and B.S. in Electrical Engineering. He is currently a faculty in the Twin Cities Engineering program of Minnesota State University, Mankato.

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Emilie A. Siverling Minnesota State University, Mankato Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-1806-7102

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Emilie A. Siverling is an Assistant Professor of Integrated Engineering and the Iron Range Engineering Bell Program through Minnesota State University, Mankato. She has a Ph.D. in Engineering Education, an M.S.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction - Science Education, and a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering.

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Abstract

While it is commonly known that verbal communication and presentation skills are highly desirable by employers, many engineering students’ technical learning is assessed primarily through written examination means. In the department of [BLINDED FOR REVIEW], verbal exams are a fundamental formative and summative assessment method of checking students’ understanding [1]. While the goals for verbal examination are common throughout the program, this paper aims to compile the individual philosophies, approaches, attitudes, and perceptions of faculty within the department who give verbal examinations on a regular basis. Each faculty member focuses their exam in some way on checking students’ ability to orally discuss the fundamental principles and concepts that were covered in their flipped-classroom setting. These verbal engineering exams are employed across all engineering courses and in the students’ professional and design learning. Because of this breadth, this paper is focused only on oral exams in students’ technical engineering courses. Some methods included by faculty are more qualitative, such as discussing descriptions, sketches, applications, and connections of the principle or concept of interest, or are more quantitative, such as orally explaining the process of solving a problem in real-time.

The analytical framework used in this study to examine each faculty member’s approach is the strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threat (SWOT) analysis, commonly used in strategic planning and management [2]. The purpose of this analysis will be to provide recommendations for growth and best practices in administering verbal engineering exams, regardless of the specific engineering course.

Christensen, D., & Singelmann, L., & Sleezer, R., & Siverling, E. A. (2023, June), A Self-Study of Faculty Methods, Attitudes, and Perceptions of Oral Engineering Exams Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--42501

ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2023 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015