Learning and Teaching > Program Assessment > Process to achieve outcomes
Report on ECpE Current ABET Preparation Efforts, December 6, 2005
The following is response to COE request for departments to provide 2-page report on current ECpE preparation efforts for fall 2006 ABET visits. We are preparing for two program accreditations, one in EE and one in CprE. The following information applies to both programs.
Organization: How are departments organized for continuous assessment/improvement of learning?
Fig. 1 represents the curricular process in use in ECpE.
Fig. 1: The curricular process
In addition to the curricular process described above, we have developed an ABET-decision-making process. In this process, an ABET oversight committee (chaired by Jim McCalley and comprised of Chris Chu, Manimaran Govindarasu, and Gary Tuttle) initiates strategic decisions in regards to ABET preparation. Recommendations are taken to the departmental Administrative committee (Department chair Arun Somani, associate chairs McCalley and Srinivas Aluru, and Curriculum Committee Chair Doug Jacobson). Further discussion and formal approval is done in curriculum committee (where student representation exist), often preceded by discussion within faculty meeting.
Objectives: What processes do you use to develop and review objectives (course, program)?
As indicated in Fig. 1, program objectives are developed in curriculum committee and presented to faculty during faculty meetings, industry representatives during external advisory board (EAB) meetings, and students. We have had three meetings beginning fall 2003 with our EAB where program objectives were presented and feedback obtained. Each of these three meetings resulted in changes to the program objectives. In addition, three student focus groups were organized in fall 2004 where a total of 12 students met and provided their perspective on the program objectives. These discussions were recorded and are available on our website. Changes were made to program objectives as a result of these focus group discussions. Program objectives are in the 2005-2007 catalog and on the department website.
We have adopted ABET a-k as our program outcomes.
Course objectives are developed by course supervisors. We have recently completed a first-pass at developing/gathering all course objectives, and developing a mapping between these course objective and our program outcomes. We are now in the process of entering course objectives and related outcomes-mapping into an internet-based system that will facilitate future maintenance of objectives and outcomes-mapping. Also, we are presently conducting a review of all core courses in both EE and CprE curricula where the course supervisor presents to the entire the course objectives and the way those courses objectives map to the program outcomes. This effort should be completed in February 2006.
Assessment measures: Direct vs. indirect, qualitative vs. quantitative, what groups/constituencies, what rubrics?
Assessment of the extent to which we achieve our program objectives was done by survey to about 1000 alumni graduates of between 1999 and 2004. The survey was done by internet-questionnaire.
Assessment of the extent to which we achieve our program outcomes is being done using several measures as summarized in the table below. Most of this information has been gathered and distilled.
|
Measure |
Direct vs. Indirect
|
Quant vs. Qual |
|
Direct |
Indirect |
Quant |
Qual |
Distilled?
|
|
FE examination results |
x |
|
x |
|
Yes |
|
Senior design industry panel scoring |
x |
|
x |
|
Yes |
|
Senior design student survey responses |
|
x |
x |
|
Yes |
|
Senior design student survey comments |
|
x |
|
x
|
Yes |
|
Senior exit survey comments |
|
x |
|
x
|
Yes |
|
Portfolio assessment by EAB members |
x |
|
|
x
|
No |
|
OPAL-based survey from employers |
x |
|
x |
|
Yes |
Continuous improvement: What changes have been made in your program as result of your assessment feedback process?
Recent curricular changes that have been made include the following:
In response to indication of weakness in outcomes F (ethical/professional), H (global/societal), and J (contemporary), we shifted some credits from lower-level required courses to senior elective courses, feeling that these issues would be more likely addressed in higher-level elective courses rather than lower-level required courses.
In response to observed problems in laboratory-lecture coordination, we recently shifted responsibilities of a staff member to a dedicated laboratory coordinator who has made a number of changes. In addition, we have focused faculty efforts on addressing this problem in several specific labs, and we have assigned several faculty to serve as lab instructor in several labs that need attention.
In response to problems with a required EE course that addressed power systems and probability and statistics, we removed the P&S from the power systems course, re-organized the power systems course, and required a separate P&S courses.
In response to indicated weakness in communications instructors, we hired three faculty in that area.
In response to problems in a numerical methods course (Math 273) which taught Matlab, we removed the course and instituted a Matlab help desk.
In response to a need for more embedded programming instruction and to a need for more choice in CprE electives, we have developed CprE 488.
In response to feedback that CprE was too basic, we have experimented with a new approach to our first set of required courses in this area.
In response to feedback that oral communication skills of some faculty are poor, the department is assisting certain faculty in seeking assistance to improve these skills.
Documentation and dissemination: This would be primarily the web record of our objectives, processes, and results. Note to COE: A web record of processes and results is not required by ABET.
We have made progress in four areas of documentation:
Our program objectives are publicly available at HYPERLINK "http://www.ece.iastate.edu/objectives/" www.ece.iastate.edu/objectives/ and in the catalog.
In January 2005, we completed a report on the distillation of data gathered for assessing program outcomes. This report is considered to be a very preliminary draft of our ABET-2006 self study report. We will revise this document during the Christmas break beginning December, 2005.
We have recently made significant progress in putting together many of the tables required by the self-study report and anticipate those being completed by January 31, 2006.
We have put together binders of original student homework, quizzes, exams, and projects from every undergraduate course taught during fall 2005. We will do the same in the spring in order to provide hard evidence that students have obtained the skills and knowledge articulated by ABET a-k.
