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Learning and Teaching > Measurement of Outcomes

• Measurement of Outcomes

The process to assess and achieve these outcomes is unique to each program. ABET requires that each program use appropriate direct and indirect assessment methods to collect meaningful data; that each program evaluate these data and implement appropriate changes in their curriculum; and that each program close the assessment loop by reevaluating these changes.

Each engineering program at Iowa State is responsible for measuring their own program outcomes and for interpreting the results. The College of Engineering does provide the programs with some direct and indirect assessment data, but it is up to the individual programs to interpret this data. Two key assessments that the COE provides include longitudinal assessment of the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination results and assessment of the Online Performance and Learning competencies evaluation by cooperative education employers and student employees. These are discussed in more detail below.

Fundamentals of Engineering Examination Data

Registration as a professional engineer, which is granted by each individual state, is required for many types of positions. The professional curricula in engineering at Iowa State University are designed to prepare a graduate for subsequent registration in all states. Seniors in accredited curricula (accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) of the College of Engineering are encouraged to take the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination toward professional registration during their final academic year. Seniors in engineering curricula who have obtained at least 6 semester credits in surveying may take the Fundamentals Examination for professional registration as land surveyors.

Online Performance and Learning (OPAL™) Assessment

In the Fall of 1999, the COE engaged a constituency of 212 ISU employers, alumni, faculty, partnering international faculty, and co-op and intern students, to assist the ISU College of Engineering Cooperative Education and Internship Program in developing performance assessment tools, ones that would be aligned with the ABET’s then new Engineering Criteria 2000. The College collaborated with Development Dimensions International, Inc. (DDI), a global provider of competency-based performance management tools and services.

This process identified and validated fifteen “ISU Competencies” that encompass the eleven ABET Outcomes:

Engineering Knowledge	Innovation	Teamwork
General Knowledge Continuous Learning Quality Orientation Initiative	Cultural Adaptability Analysis & Judgment Planning Communication	Integrity Professional Impact Customer Focus Safety Awareness

 

Note that these are “ISU Competencies” that resulted from dialogue with our key stakeholders (ISU employers, faculty, experiential education students, and parents),.

The College of Engineering, through the office of Engineering Career Services, has implemented competency-based assessment tools for the engineering experiential education workplace, using Online Performance and Learning (OPAL™)13. OPAL™ is DDI’s web-based competency development and performance management software that provides assessment, development, coaching and learning tools. OPAL™ was customized to present the ISU Competencies, corresponding Key Actions, and assessment surveys. To receive academic credit for their work experience, each student is required to complete the standard self-assessment and to ensure that their supervisor completes the same assessment of the student. This system has been in place since the fall semester of 2001.

A standard assessment survey consists of rating the student on the following question: “When given the opportunity, how often does this individual perform the action?” The rating for each Key Action is on a Likert scale (1 = never or almost never; 2 = seldom; 3 = sometimes; 4 = often; 5 = always or almost always). A total of 61 Key Actions must be rated in the survey.

Data for the COE programs as a whole and for individual programs has been collected and assessed for each semester since the fall of 2001 through the Spring of 2005.

• Assessment Results
  • Fundamental of Engineering Examination results

Between April 2001 and April 2005, 1,030 ISU College of Engineering seniors took the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination with a pass rate of 93% compared to a national pass rate of 80%. All examinees took the same morning exam consisting of 12 subjects. The institution average percent correct was significantly higher than the national average percent correct on nine of the 12 subjects: Chemistry, Computers, Dynamics, Engineering Econ, Fluid Mechanics, Material Science/Structural Matter, Mechanics of Materials, Statics, and Thermodynamics. There were no statistical differences in performance on Electrical Circuits, Ethics, and Mathematics. College results were shared through the College of Engineering Student Learning Task Force.

Because curriculum decisions are made by faculty at the department level, the program results are the most meaningful. Several programs, Agricultural, Civil, Construction, Electrical, and Mechanical, had an average of at least five examinees per testing period and received results for their students. For example, when compared to national agricultural engineering performance, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABE) examinees scored significantly lower in the areas of Chemistry and Ethics. As a result,
faculty have modified the Agricultural Engineering curriculum by adding sophomore and junior 1 credit seminar classes to promote professional ethics and career development. These courses are using engineering ethics case studies to engage students in learning how to evaluate and address ethical situations in the workplace. They have also identified current required courses in the curriculum that can review and apply chemistry principles learned in the freshman year.

• Online Performance and Learning results