Application of Employee Appraisal Forms to Facilitate Assessment of Student Outcomes in the Engineering Capstone Course (Work-In-Progress)

Brett Rocha; Scott M. Katalenich

Download Paper | Permalink

Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL) Technical Session - Professional Practice 2
Tagged Division: Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/46587

Request a correction

Paper Authors

biography

Brett Rocha United States Military Academy orcid.org/0009-0003-2673-3448

visit author page

MAJ Brett Rocha is a third-year instructor at the US Military Academy in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering. She received her B.S. in Civil Engineering from USMA in 2012, her M.S. in Engineering Management from Missouri University of Science and Technology in 2016, and her M.S. in Civil Engineering from University of Central Florida in 2021. She teaches mechanics of materials, design of steel structures, and design of concrete structures.

visit author page

biography

Scott M. Katalenich P.E. United States Military Academy orcid.org/0000-0002-3300-6922

visit author page

Lieutenant Colonel Scott M. Katalenich is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY. He earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the United States Military Academy, M.Phil. in Engineering from the University of Cambridge, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Stanford University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer (Alaska), Project Management Professional, LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction, and Envision Sustainability Professional. His research interests include engineering education; infrastructure; sustainable design; and clean, renewable energy.

visit author page

Download Paper | Permalink

Abstract

A critical component of educating civil engineering students and preparing graduates to enter professional practice is the engineering capstone course, which directly supports Criterion 3 (Student Outcomes) and Criterion 5 (Curriculum) of ABET criteria for accrediting engineering programs. Criterion 3 (Student Outcomes) prepares graduates to enter the professional practice of engineering with seven required outcomes that can briefly be articulated as an ability to solve, design, communicate, recognize ethical and professional responsibilities, function effectively on a team, conduct experiments using data, and acquire/apply new knowledge. Criterion 5 (Curriculum) requires a culminating engineering design experience that incorporates engineering standards, multiple constraints, and knowledge gained through previous coursework. Further, Criterion 4 (Continuous Improvement) requires academic programs to assess and evaluate the level to which the student outcomes in Criterion 3 are being obtained. This paper describes a work-in-progress to evaluate the use of employee appraisal forms as a pedagogical approach leveraging self-reflection and counseling as a metacognitive strategy in engineering education. The authors have developed a “capstone support form” that mimics an employee evaluation report support form commonly used by a constituency and major employer of graduates from their academic program. Students are required to indicate their major performance objectives at the beginning of the capstone course and list their significant contributions and accomplishments throughout the duration of the course. Dividing the form into sections based on student objectives causes students to reflect upon their learning, specifically their goals and developmental growth in each student outcome assessed. Individual counseling sessions between the student and instructor at the beginning, midpoint, and/or the end of the course requires students to communicate results of their metacognition and receive direct feedback on their level of achievement in each student outcome. This pedagogical tool will be of use to engineering educators looking to continuously improve their assessment and evaluation (Criterion 4) to which student outcomes (Criterion 3) are being obtained within the capstone course (Criterion 5). This paper is a work-in-progress that presents a literature review, a proposed research methodology, and hypothesized results seeking to address the research question as to if the use of employee appraisal forms is a meaningful pedagogical tool for assessing the level of attainment of ABET student outcomes within engineering capstone courses.

Citation
Format

Rocha, B., & Katalenich, S. M. (2024, June), Application of Employee Appraisal Forms to Facilitate Assessment of Student Outcomes in the Engineering Capstone Course (Work-In-Progress) Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/46587

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - A critical component of educating civil engineering students and preparing graduates to enter professional practice is the engineering capstone course, which directly supports Criterion 3 (Student Outcomes) and Criterion 5 (Curriculum) of ABET criteria for accrediting engineering programs.  Criterion 3 (Student Outcomes) prepares graduates to enter the professional practice of engineering with seven required outcomes that can briefly be articulated as an ability to solve, design, communicate, recognize ethical and professional responsibilities, function effectively on a team, conduct experiments using data, and acquire/apply new knowledge.  Criterion 5 (Curriculum) requires a culminating engineering design experience that incorporates engineering standards, multiple constraints, and knowledge gained through previous coursework.  Further, Criterion 4 (Continuous Improvement) requires academic programs to assess and evaluate the level to which the student outcomes in Criterion 3 are being obtained.  This paper describes a work-in-progress to evaluate the use of employee appraisal forms as a pedagogical approach leveraging self-reflection and counseling as a metacognitive strategy in engineering education.  The authors have developed a “capstone support form” that mimics an employee evaluation report support form commonly used by a constituency and major employer of graduates from their academic program.  Students are required to indicate their major performance objectives at the beginning of the capstone course and list their significant contributions and accomplishments throughout the duration of the course.  Dividing the form into sections based on student objectives causes students to reflect upon their learning, specifically their goals and developmental growth in each student outcome assessed.  Individual counseling sessions between the student and instructor at the beginning, midpoint, and/or the end of the course requires students to communicate results of their metacognition and receive direct feedback on their level of achievement in each student outcome.  This pedagogical tool will be of use to engineering educators looking to continuously improve their assessment and evaluation (Criterion 4) to which student outcomes (Criterion 3) are being obtained within the capstone course (Criterion 5).  This paper is a work-in-progress that presents a literature review, a proposed research methodology, and hypothesized results seeking to address the research question as to if the use of employee appraisal forms is a meaningful pedagogical tool for assessing the level of attainment of ABET student outcomes within engineering capstone courses.
AU  - Brett Rocha
AU  - Scott M. Katalenich P.E.
CY  - Portland, Oregon
DA  - 2024/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Application of Employee Appraisal Forms to Facilitate Assessment of Student Outcomes in the Engineering Capstone Course (Work-In-Progress)
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/46587
ER  -