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Session Number 3548

The Development of a Cooperative Education Project as an Assessment Tool for an Engineering Technology Program Professor Mark Coté, PE

Engineering Department Maine Maritime Academy

Abstract

Cooperative education has been an integral part of the educational program at Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) since the founding of the college in 1941. Employers, graduates, and potential students describe MMA’s “hands-on” focus, reflected in these cooperative education experiences, to be one of the main advantages of an MMA education. The MMA Engineering Department has modified and enhanced several facets of its technology programs to incorporate outcomes assessment in order to comply with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) Technology Criteria 2000. These criteria require that accredited programs demonstrate that graduates possess specified skills (outcomes) at graduation. This paper describes how the existing Power Engineering Technology program requirements for cooperative education, and the accompanying projects, have been modified to allow for assessment of several outcomes of the ABET Technology Criteria. The modifications include components to evaluate student communications, teamwork, and analytical capabilities.

Introduction

Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) has taught Engineering in various forms for over 60 years. This education has always included a core of technical and professional material, including cooperative work experiences. The work experiences were traditionally performed on board the MMA training ship or on commercial vessels. The Power Engineering Technology (PET) program was developed in the late 1980s as an expansion of the marine-focused programs at the college. Since this program was not related to the maritime industry, the school decided to incorporate a two-course, co-operative (Co-op) education experience in operating power generation facilities. These courses would follow the sophomore and junior years of the program. The experience gained during these work periods would be used to provide enough experience for the program’s graduates to be eligible for the State of Maine Third Class Stationary Engineer License.

Since 1999, the PET program at MMA has been accredited by the Technology Accreditation Commission (TAC) of Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The program was re-accredited in 2002. The accreditation process has changed dramatically, and

Proceedings of the 2005American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright ©2005, American Society for Engineering Education

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Cote, M. (2005, June), The Development Of A Cooperative Education Project As An Assessment Tool For An Engineering Technology Program Paper presented at 2005 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--15600