Institutionalizing Continuous Improvement Plan in an Engineering Technology Department - Closing the Loop
- Conference
- Location
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Columbus, Ohio
- Publication Date
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June 24, 2017
- Start Date
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June 24, 2017
- End Date
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June 28, 2017
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Engineering Technology
- Page Count
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14
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--28540
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/28540
- Download Count
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519
Paper Authors
Alok K. Verma P.E. Old Dominion University
Dr. Alok K. Verma is Ray Ferrari Professor and, Chair of the Engineering Technology Department at Old Dominion University. Dr. Verma received his B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the famed institution IIT Kanpur, MS in Engineering Mechanics and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from ODU. Prof. Verma is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Virginia, a certified manufacturing engineer and has certifications in Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma. He has organized several international conferences as General Chair, including ICAM-2006 and ICAM-1999 and also serves as associate editor for three International Journals. Dr. Verma’s scholarly publications include more than 87 journal articles and papers in conference proceedings and over 50 technical reports. He has served as a PI or Co-PI on several funded competitive grants exceeding $4.0 million from agencies like NSF, DOE, NSRP etc. He is well known internationally and has been invited to deliver keynote addresses and invited papers at more than 12 national and international conferences. Dr. Verma has received the Regional Alumni Award for Excellence for contribution to Lean Manufacturing research, International Education Award at ODU and Ben Sparks Medal by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He is active in ASME, American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) and the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME). Dr. Verma has served the Hampton Roads community as board member of several non-profit organizations like Norfolk Sister City Association, World Affairs Council and Asian Indians of Hampton Roads.
Stephanie G. Adams Old Dominion University
Dr. Stephanie G. Adams is the Department Head and Professor of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. She previously served as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in the School of Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University and was a faculty member and administrator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). Her research interests include: Teamwork, International Collaborations, Faculty Development, Quality Control/Management and Broadening Participation. She is an honor graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, where she earned her BS in Mechanical Engineering, in 1988. In 1991 she was awarded the Master of Engineering degree in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia. She received her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1998. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the National Science Foundation's most prestigious, Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award. She is a Fellow of the American Society of Engineering Education, holds membership in a number of organizations and presently serves on the National Advisory Board of the National Society of Black Engineers.
Cheng Y. Lin P.E. Old Dominion University
Dr. Lin is a Professor and Program Director of Mechanical Engineering Technology at Old Dominion University. He received his PhD of Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1989, and is a registered Professional Engineer in Virginia. Dr. Lin has expertise in automation control, machine design, CAD/CAM, CNC, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, and robotics. He has been active in the technology application research and teaching training courses for the local industries and technology application center
Nestor Escobales P.E. Old Dominion University
Mr. Escobales is a licensed professional engineer (PE) with 18 years of progressive structural engineering experience in the US. Mr. Escobales expertise is in the area of pre-engineered metal buildings (PEMB), low rise building construction, and forensic engineering. Mr. Escobales is a graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and is currently serving as the Civil Engineering Technology Program Director at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. He is also the Materials Laboratory Director and a Senior Lecturer in Structural Design.
Isaac L. Flory IV Old Dominion University
Isaac L. Flory IV received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech in 1984, 1993 and 2008 respectively. He has over 17 years of experience in the lighting industry, serving in several positions as an employee of Hubbell Lighting Incorporated including Manager of Electrical Engineering and Intellectual Property Coordinator. He has been awarded 25 United States Patents and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is currently an Associate Professor of Engineering Technology at Old Dominion University where he teaches courses ranging from energy systems to electronics to technical analysis. Dr. Flory serves as the Electrical Engineering Technology Program Director and performs research in the areas of energy conversion, energy conservation, alternative energy and engineering education.
Abstract
Institutionalizing Continuous Improvement Plan in an Engineering Technology Department – Closing the Loop
Abstract
Continuous improvement is a corner stone of a quality engineering or engineering technology program. Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology requires that a well planned and implemented continuous improvement plan should be in place.
The ABET 2015-16 Criterion 4 Continuous Improvement1 states: “The program must regularly use appropriate, documented processes for assessing and evaluating the extent to which the student outcomes are being attained. The results of these evaluations must be systematically utilized as input for the continuous improvement of the program. Other available information may also be used to assist in the continuous improvement of the program.”
A successful continuous improvement plan that is institutionalized is self-driven and does not require external stimuli. For example, if an outcome assessment goal is not reached in an academic term, a sequence of events/actions are set in motion to address the deficiency. Evidence of existence of an institutionalized continuous improvement plan include but not limited to: A timeline of repeated activities related to the assessment and evaluation of student outcomes, agreed upon performance indicators to assess learning outcomes, systematic data collection focusing on direct evidence of student performance related to the student outcomes. Various data streams feeding into the assessment plan may include, course assessment data, senior exit survey, alumni and employer survey, internship reports and feedback from industrial advisory boards.
This paper presents a model for institutionalizing the continuous improvement plan using faculty training, faculty course assessment reports, course assessment spreadsheet and by making assessment a factor in the faculty evaluation process.
Verma, A. K., & Adams, S. G., & Lin, C. Y., & Escobales, N., & Flory, I. L. (2017, June), Institutionalizing Continuous Improvement Plan in an Engineering Technology Department - Closing the Loop Paper presented at 2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Columbus, Ohio. 10.18260/1-2--28540
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