New ABET Student Outcomes Assessment: Developing Performance Indicators and Instruments for Outcome 4

Milwaukee School of Engineering’s Mechanical Engineering Department, having successfully completed the accreditation of the ME program in 2018–19 under the prior a through k student outcomes, dedicated the program meetings during academic year 2019–20 to develop assessment instruments in transitioning to the new ABET Student Outcomes 1–7. By deliberately involving the entire faculty to participate in the development of instruments, a grassroots level discussion and creation ensued for each outcome. The process is showcased in this paper for Student Outcome 4 on ethics as a model to share with our engineering faculty and to highlight salient features in the developed instrument and associated rubrics. The details of performance indicators interwoven across the curriculum and the methods of data collection are provided in a tabular form for ease of expectation and implementation. How the readily available materials from the National Society of Professional Engineers could be incorporated at early years of the baccalaureate program while the outcome’s performance indicators could be assessed at a deeper level during junior and senior years are showcased in this paper. The periodic dialogue among all colleagues who were working on various outcomes ensured proper communication of what one outcome group is prescribing that we do and receive input from those who are involved with the courses in which the data needed to be collected and the performance indicators are to be assessed. The general structure of our standing committees on freshman courses, energy, mechanics, and controls also provided the cushion to review the assessment instruments and provide constructive feedback from the corresponding committee’s perspective. These details of a very interactive Student Outcomes Assessment process will be presented.

Assessment of Design and Build Projects in Sophomore Design

One requirement in our sophomore design class is for the students to work in teams to design and build devices that satisfy several requirements subject to physical constraints. The evaluation of these devices is based on how individuals and the team perform on written documents as well as how well the device performs during testing and satisfies given design criteria. The performances in various parts of this assignment are used as a basis for student outcomes assessment. The paper will provide an example of a team project description including the figure of merit that assesses the functionality of the device and the rubric used to assess the quality of the design in four areas: • creativity demonstrated in the design concept, • creativity demonstrated in the execution of the concept, • overall craftsmanship and esthetics, and, • robustness, plus a sales brochure. Examples of student work and assessment documentation will also be provided.

Faculty Governance And Outcomes Assessment: Compatible Or Combustible?

This paper identifies the various factors driving the outcomes assessment movement, contrasts the old paradigm with the model now espoused by regional accreditors, discusses the six-step process of student outcomes assessment, emphasizes faculty ownership of the process to prevent administrative usurpation, and proposes specific strategies to enhance faculty empowerment.