Paper Authors

Abstract

NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract

Session 1625

Implementing a Program of Continuous Assessment and Improvement for a New Sophomore Design Course Kenneth M. Bryden, Donald R. Flugrad Iowa State University

Abstract

When implementing a new course, it is essential to include a program of continuous assessment and improvement. This paper discusses how a program of continuous assessment and improvement was included in the development and initial implementation of a new sophomore design course in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Iowa State University. In the Fall of 1998 the faculty decided to add a new required sophomore design course. The course provides engineering design experience that encompasses the full range of the design process including construction of a working prototype of the final design. There are three major goals of the course: 1) To give faculty an opportunity to interact with mechanical engineering students earlier in the curriculum. 2) To prepare and motivate students to later take technical courses in mechanical engineering. 3) To provide a bridge between the introductory design course of the freshman year and the capstone design course of the senior year. Additionally, several other ABET Engineering Criteria 2000 goals were identified as course objectives. These included introducing students to professional practice, developing oral and written communication skills, and gaining an understanding of the impact of engineering decisions on society. The following year these general objectives were expanded to specific goals and assignments, and a pilot course was offered. Simultaneously, a program of assessment and improvement was implemented. Initial assessment results were used to measure success of the pilot course against the original course goals and to provide guidelines for scaling the course up to four or five sections a semester.

This assessment included three separate groups. These were a group of 18 students, a faculty group, and an industry group. Developing clear and convincing evidence of the performance of the course was a key concern. This paper discusses the assessment methodology, results, and the changes made during the startup phase of the course.

Introduction

Engineering design is a critical part of an engineering education. This is clearly recognized in the Engineering 2000 Criteria under Basic Level Accreditation, Criteria 3, Program Outcomes and Assessment1. In early 1998 the Iowa State University Mechanical Engineering Department faculty reviewed the engineering design related curriculum and decided to add a sophomore design course to strengthen the design portions of the curriculum. With the addition of this course the design sequence includes 1) Introduction to Engineering Graphics and Design, 2) Introduction to Mechanical Engineering Design (ME 270), and 3) a capstone design course. The

• Citation

• Format
  • APA
  • APA - LaTeX bibitem
  • MLA
  • MLA - LaTeX bibitem
  • Bibtex
  • EndNote - RIS

Bryden, K. M., & Flugrad, D. R. (2000, June), Implementing A Program Of Continuous Assessment And Improvement For A New Sophomore Design Course Paper presented at 2000 Annual Conference, St. Louis, Missouri. 10.18260/1-2--8438