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Session 3413

Program Improvements Resulting from Completion of One ABET 2000 Assessment Cycle

S. L. Simon,1 T. F. Wiesner,1 and L. R. Heinze2 1 Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University 2 Dept. of Petroleum Engineering, Texas Tech University

Introduction

With the advent of ABET 2000, self-assessment of engineering programs has become important. To this end, it is essential to define the assessment methods and metrics against which a program will be judged. Various assessment tools exist, ranging from standardized tests to performance- based assessment to more subjective instruments, such as student surveys of their learning and/or knowledge. No assessment tool is ideal. For example, standardized exams have been criticized due to concerns of reduced instructor autonomy1 and alteration of curriculum goals (teaching to the test);2 in addition, the results of standardized tests may be influenced by student motivation.3 On the other hand, student self-evaluations of learning and/or knowledge are subjective. It has been argued by several researchers that combining different types of assessment tools results in a more successful assessment.4,5

Equally important, perhaps, the assessment data obtained must be analyzed and presented in an efficient manner to facilitate identification of program problems and implementation of improvements.6 In this paper, we present the assessment and metrics used in the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Petroleum Engineering at Texas Tech University and the program improvements that have resulted from the completion of the assessment cycle.

Assessment and Metrics

The metrics used to evaluate a program should be directly tied to that program's objectives, and the clearer that these are defined, the easier it is to develop appropriate metrics. As an example, there are three program objectives for the Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas Tech University:

Program Objective 1: Provide students with a high quality education that will enable them to adapt to a rapidly changing technical environment.

Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2003, American Society for Engineering Education

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Simon, S., & Wiesner, T., & Heinze, L. (2003, June), Program Improvements Resulting From Completion Of One Abet 2000 Assessment Cycle Paper presented at 2003 Annual Conference, Nashville, Tennessee. 10.18260/1-2--11754