Chicago, Illinois
June 18, 2006
June 18, 2006
June 21, 2006
2153-5965
Engineering Technology
12
11.176.1 - 11.176.12
10.18260/1-2--38
https://peer.asee.org/38
856
Gary R. Crossman is Professor and Chair of Engineering Technology at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Professor Crossman received his B.S. degree from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 1964 and his M.E. degree in 1970 from Old Dominion University, where he has served on the faculty for over 35 years. Professor Crossman is a Fellow of ASEE and the recipient of the James H. McGraw Award for leadership in engineering technology education. He is also a registered Professional Engineer in Virginia
An Assessment and Continuous Improvement Model for Engineering Technology Programs
Abstract
Assessment and continuous improvement are essential and critical processes for higher education. Development and implementation of such processes are not only required by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) but it is also a necessary condition for the maturation and development of any engineering technology program.
The assessment and continuous improvement plan discussed here was developed at Old Dominion University (ODU) and implemented during the last accreditation cycle within the Engineering Technology Department. The plan is based on two cycles of assessment and evaluation, a short cycle of one year and a long term cycle of three years. The plan includes a variety of assessment methods and tools. In addition to assessing the achievement of program outcomes, the plan allows assessment of program objectives and goals. A method for individual course assessment is also presented. Issues related to institutionalization of the assessment process are also discussed.
I. Introduction
The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology criteria, EC-2000 requires an assessment and continuous improvement plan. Since the first publication of outcome based criteria in 1995, considerable discussion has taken place on this issue1,2. In 2001 a similar outcome based criteria were published for the engineering technology programs. A number of studies were conducted and published under the Gateway Engineering Education Coalition outlining strategies for developing and institutionalizing such programs 3,4,5. Many of these studies address important but only specific areas of the EC-2000 and TC2K criteria. For example, a study by Besterfield-Sacre et al.6 defines the eleven outcomes a-k in terms of blooms taxonomy5. McGourtny, et. al.7 , discuss incorporation of student peer review and feedback into the assessment process. While others have attempted to present a serialized model based upon plan-do-check-act derived from six-sigma methodology10-12, very few comprehensive models for assessment and continuous improvement have been published. It should be emphasized that a realistic model for assessment and continuous improvement must be dynamic and be able to evolve as learning and improvements take place. At the same time it should incorporate data from various assessment tools to continuously assess attainment of outcomes and objectives.
Crossman, G., & Verma, A. (2006, June), An Assessment And Continuous Improvement Model For Engineering Technology Programs Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--38
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