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PROGRESS IN ASSESSMENT OF GRADUATE ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING DEGREE PROGRAMS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA By G E Crain, James J Sluss, Jr, Monte P Tull, and Sam C Lee

Abstract A new requirement for assessment of graduate programs at the University of Oklahoma was established in 2003. Program Goals and Program Objectives were established and reported in our earlier work. Outcomes of the Program Objectives can be measured with students active in the program. The tactical plan to assess the effectiveness of meeting the Objectives of Advanced Degree programs in Electrical and Computer Engineering is discussed in this paper. Key elements of the plan include1) identifying strategic opportunities for measurement,2) developing the instruments and processes to collect this data, 3) collection and review of the data and then reacting to those findings. This Work-in-Progress paper describes findings and indications from three years of data gathered with the procedure. Particular emphasis is placed here on assessing the effectiveness of the data-gathering instruments and taking corrective actions. This paper examines the data for consistency in indicating positive and negative qualities of the desired Outcomes. We also examine the methods of collecting the data and suggest means for improvement. Metrics discussed relate to Thesis and Dissertation producing student performances. This provides limited measurement of our non-thesis program. This paper will document suggested changes to the Assessment Plan respondent to the three years of experience to date.

1. Introduction: Graduate Program Assessment is a fairly new academic process. Objectives and desired outcomes for the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) program at the University of Oklahoma (OU) are well established and were published earlier [1]. Strategic and tactical action plans have been put in place to affect assessment of the Program. Instruments are in place for gathering ‘Outcomes’ data while students remain on this campus. Quantifiable interpretation of data from these instruments as strong, independent metrics of the program's success has yet to be accomplished. To date, primary focus has been on assessing progress of Thesis- and Dissertation-producing students. Positive trends on quantitative data are impacted by the significant productivity growth the program has undergone during the three years of data collection. Nonetheless, strong correlations among data from Students, Faculty and Administration are seen. Some changes to the program have been instituted as a result of this program assessment process. 2. Objectives, Outcomes and Strategic Actions Three fundamental Objectives have been established and documented [1] by which we intend to assess the Graduate programs in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. The specific Objectives listed in Table 1 are considered to be strong indicators that the program is academically productive and that our students are being provided with the tools to successfully pursue their careers [2,3]. Specific strategies have been put in place to enable the Program to produce the desired outcomes to these objectives [4]. Administrative, faculty- provided, and student-provided assessment instruments have been established with which to measure the success of the outcomes listed in Table 1. In support of the first Objective, Strategic Administrative guidelines have been established to assure that students are admitted with the appropriate credentials to succeed, that the program

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Crain, G., & Sluss, J., & Tull, M., & Lee, S. (2008, June), Progress In Assessment Of Graduate Electrical And Computer Engineering Degree Programs At The University Of Oklahoma Paper presented at 2008 Annual Conference & Exposition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 10.18260/1-2--4175