Schmeckpeper, E. R., & Kelley, M. B., & Ater Kranov, A., & Beyerlein, S. W., & McCormack, J. P. (2016, June), Enhancing Student Learning through Using and Writing EPSA Scenarios  Paper presented at 2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, New Orleans, Louisiana. 10.18260/p.26711

\bibitem{asee_peer_26711}
  Schmeckpeper, E. R., \& Kelley, M. B., \& Ater Kranov, A., \& Beyerlein, S. W., \& McCormack, J. P. (2016, June), \emph{Enhancing Student Learning through Using and Writing EPSA Scenarios}
  Paper presented at 2016 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, New Orleans, Louisiana.
  10.18260/p.26711

Edwin R. Schmeckpeper P.E., Michael B. Kelley P.E., Ashley Ater Kranov, Steven W. Beyerlein, and Jay Patrick McCormack.  "Enhancing Student Learning through Using and Writing EPSA Scenarios".  2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2016, June.  ASEE Conferences, 2016.  https://peer.asee.org/26711 Internet.  11 Jan, 2025

\bibitem{asee_peer_26711}
  Edwin R. Schmeckpeper P.E., Michael B. Kelley P.E., Ashley Ater Kranov, Steven W. Beyerlein, and Jay Patrick McCormack.
  "Enhancing Student Learning through Using and Writing EPSA Scenarios".
  \emph{2016 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2016, June}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2016.
  https://peer.asee.org/26711 Internet.  11 Jan, 2025

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_26711
author = "Edwin R. Schmeckpeper P.E., Michael B. Kelley P.E., Ashley Ater Kranov, Steven W. Beyerlein, and Jay Patrick McCormack"
title = "Enhancing Student Learning through Using and Writing EPSA Scenarios"
booktitle = "2016 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2016"
month = "June"
address = "New Orleans, Louisiana"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/26711}
number = {10.18260/p.26711}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Engineering programs often contain a senior level “Professional Issues” course to cover topics, such as ethics, which are related to the professional practice of engineering. These courses commonly utilize case studies focusing on ethics as the basis for student discussions. Measuring the student learning resulting from the case study process is often very subjective, and is difficult to quantify. 

The Engineering Professional Skills Assessment (EPSA) was created as a direct method for eliciting and measuring professional skills, such as ethics, which are critical for all engineers. EPSA is a performance assessment consisting of: 1) a 1-2 page scenario about an interdisciplinary contemporary engineering problem intended to prompt discussion among a group of 5-6 students; 2) a 30 to 45- minute discussion period where students are asked to address a series of standardized questions about the scenario; and 3) an analytical rubric, which provides a consistent and standardized means to evaluate the students’ discussion. 

The research team that developed EPSA has recently completed a four-year validity study funded by the National Science Foundation.  As part of this validation study, the team of researchers applied EPSA to test groups of students at three different universities. As a result of the work done on the validity study, the team members introduced other faculty members to EPSA, who then have independently started to utilize aspects of the EPSA method in their programs. 

This paper describes how the faculty members responsible for a “Professional Issues” course for engineering students have been using the EPSA scenarios. The course instructors have found that the interdisciplinary EPSA scenarios generated more enthusiastic and higher level discussion than case studies that focused solely on ethics. For example, one group of professors selected to use the EPSA “Alternative Energy” scenario due to their University’s recent acquisition of a bio-fuels energy plant.  This scenario includes economic, political, regulatory, ethical, and environmental considerations, including such issues as effects of regulations on utility prices, reliability of renewable energy, global warming, and the international markets for energy. 

In addition to using the EPSA scenarios, interest was expressed in having the students write their own scenarios for use in the class. The faculty involved with the “Professional Issues” course felt the process of writing, and discussing EPSA scenarios would both enhance the students’ interest in the scenario subject, and lead to a more mature understanding of the issues raised in the scenario. The EPSA includes an assessment tool for crafting timely, relevant, and engaging scenarios, which was utilized by the students to create their own scenarios. 

Several student created scenarios were utilized in the professional issues course, and the results from the using the scenario are discussed.  This paper also includes presentation of several EPSA scenarios and the materials required to implement the EPSA method; the scenario assessment tool, discussion prompts, and the EPSA rubric. Finally, the paper addresses how the EPSA method may be utilized at both the classroom and program level.

AU  - Edwin R. Schmeckpeper P.E.
AU  - Michael B. Kelley P.E.
AU  - Ashley Ater Kranov
AU  - Steven W. Beyerlein
AU  - Jay Patrick McCormack
CY  - New Orleans, Louisiana
DA  - 2016/06/26
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Enhancing Student Learning through Using and Writing EPSA Scenarios
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/26711
DO  - 10.18260/p.26711
ER  -