SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Baccalaureate Study in Engineering Goals and Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes

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1 SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Baccalaureate Study in Engineering Goals and Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes Overall Description of the School of Engineering The School of Engineering offers bachelor s degree programs for biomedical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and computer science. The school is an institutional member of several engineering education organizations including ASEE (American Society of Engineering Education) and has student s chapters of various engineering professions including Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Society of Woman Engineers (SWE) and Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society. All engineering degree programs except computer science are accredited by Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The school has an active study abroad program with Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). Qualified CUA engineering juniors can study for one semester at PolyU. Goals and Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes in the School of Engineering The School of Engineering adopted a unified approach for assessment of student learning outcomes. All engineering programs use unified processes to establish, review and evaluate their goals and to assess their student learning outcomes. Establishment, Review and Evaluation of Goals Each engineering program uses the following unified processes to establish, review and evaluate its goals (see goals of individual programs below): 1. Junior Survey 2. Alumni Survey 3. Advisory Board Survey 4. Employer Survey Student Learning Outcome Assessment Each engineering program establishes a set of student learning outcomes (see student learning outcomes of individual programs below) that support the attainment of its goals. It shows how the established student learning outcomes relate to its goals using diagrams and matrices. All engineering programs use the following nine processes to assess the student learning outcomes: Process 1: FE Examination Process 2: Review of Required Courses Process 3: Program Graduating Senior Questionnaire Process 4: Alumni Survey Process 5: Employer Survey Process 6: Senior Design Project Process 7: Student Course Evaluation Process 8: School Survey of Graduating Seniors Process 9: Graduating Seniors Interviewed by Advisory Board Members

2 The student learning outcomes must at least cover the 11 ABET outcomes that are listed below: 1. an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science and engineering 2. an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data 3. an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs 4. an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams 5. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems 6. an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility 7. an ability to communicate effectively 8. the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context 9. a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning 10 a knowledge of contemporary issues 11. an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice. The above assessment processes are briefly described in the following. Process 1-FE (Fundamentals of Engineering) Examination: All senior engineering majors take the FE (Fundamentals of Engineering) examination of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) before graduation. They register during the spring semester of their junior years and take the exam the following fall. Required course ENGR 401-Senior Seminar offered in Fall Semesters, includes a systematic review of materials covered in the FE-exam. Each year, the engineering program receives and processes its majors pass rates and subject matter scores on this exam to ascertain how well it is meeting its student learning goals and executing program improvements. Process 2-Review of Required Courses: On a 3-year rotating cycle, the program s ABET committee appraises course syllabi, textbooks, lectures and graded student materials (e.g., exams, homework, projects) from a selected portion of required courses. Using the results, the committee prepares a table showing the correlation between each reviewed course and the program s several student learning goals. Process 3-Program Graduating Senior Questionnaires: Graduating seniors complete a Graduating Senior Questionnaire near the end of their last spring semester to offer their opinions and comments regarding their satisfaction with the program. It includes questions that involve student assessment of program outcomes and whether they ascertain that they have achieved these outcomes. (The program chair might also choose to conduct exit interviews with its graduating seniors. They would then complete the questionnaire at the conclusion of the interview.) In addition to questions pertaining to teaching quality, advising and facilities, the survey asks graduating seniors to share their opinions on the program s existing student outcomes (this offers faculty a general impression regarding whether majors believe existing program outcomes deserve modification) and ascertain whether they have achieved these outcomes (this enables the program to assess seniors impressions of their level of achievement of learning outcomes). The ABET committee s report on the results compares current feedback

3 with the previous year s. Process 4-Alumni Survey: Every 3 years, the program surveys alumni who have graduated during the previous 10 years; this includes queries regarding program objectives and outcomes. Alumni opinions about specific outcomes surface another perspective on whether existing program outcomes might deserve modification. Similarly, alumni responses to being asked, whether As a CUA graduate, you have achieved this outcome, enable the program committee to assess a perceived level of achievement of program outcomes. Process 5-Employer Survey: Every 3 years, the program sends surveys to employers of its graduates, seeking their input on student learning outcomes from the perspective of their experience with the program s graduates. Employers answers relative to specific outcomes provide a general impression about whether existing program outcomes satisfy employers needs, while asking whether CUA students you employ have achieved this outcome assesses graduates levels of achievement of existing learning outcomes. Process 6-Senior Design Projects: This process involves several evaluations of the senior design projects, including the following: a. peer evaluation, b. evaluation of team members by fellow members c. evaluation by attendees at the final oral project presentation and d. evaluation by project director/faculty advisor. For each, an evaluation forms offers users guidelines based on seven ABET outcomes and each student s performance in verbal communication skill; teamwork, and formulating, planning and implementing the assigned senior design project under several constraints, such as environmental issues, time and budget. The results of the multi-level evaluation process, which assessment of student design projects entails, appraise majors attainment of seven specific ABET outcomes. Process 7-Student Course Evaluation: Each semester, the university conducts student evaluations of every undergraduate course and beginning graduate level (500-level) courses, which seniors can take as program electives, either online or by asking students to complete questionnaires in class. The first five questions on the standard evaluation form, which are identical for every engineering course, relate directly to the 11 ABET outcomes. The program s ABET committee converts the scores on these questions to student learning outcomes using a transformation matrix, so it can assess whether course work fosters student achievement of learning outcomes. Process 8-School Surveys of Graduating Seniors: At the end of spring semester, the office of the Dean of the School of Engineering asks graduating seniors to complete a School survey, the results of which it distributes to each program. The form contains questions pertaining directly to the 11 ABET outcomes. Scores are averaged and converted to the corresponding student learning outcomes using a transformation matrix, so the program can assess its performance on fostering student achievement of learning outcomes. Process 9-Advisory Board Member Interviews of Graduating Seniors: Members of the program s Advisory Board interview a selected group of graduating seniors to assess their level

4 of achievement of learning outcomes, especially their communications skills, typically during an advisory board meeting. Board members report the results of their interviews on a questionnaire, which the program ABET committee then processes. Use of Results to Improve Student Learning Each engineering program employs the nine assessment processes to improve student learning. First the program ABET committee uses the Data Processing and Presentation (DPP) Workbook to process and present data collected from each assessment process. The committee then analyzes (quantitatively and qualitatively) and interprets the obtained assessment results and recommends preliminary corrective actions. After the collected data of all nine assessment processes are processed, represented, analyzed and interpreted, the committee uses the DPP Workbook to compute the composite scores of all assessment processes and to obtain the graphical representation of the scores from which it reaches conclusions about whether the program is meeting its student learning goals. It finally makes make recommendations for corrective action, if necessary to improve student learning. The cycle of improvement just described is conducted on a yearly basis. In the following we will briefly describe each of the engineering programs and present its student learning outcomes that are assessed and improved using the unified processes described above. ********** DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering Program Description The Department of Biomedical Engineering offers an undergraduate degree program leading to the Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering (B.B.E.). The program prepares students to solve problems in medicine or biology by applying the principles and tools of modern engineering. The undergraduate program provides a broad scientific and technical background in engineering, establishing the foundation for lifelong learning on newly emerging health care technologies. The ABET accredited B.B.E. degree program is designed to prepare students for a professional career in biomedical engineering, to enter graduate or medical school. The program curriculum offers two tracks, the regular track and the premedical track that satisfies the entrance requirements of medical schools in the United States. Students can participate in internship program through partnerships with federal biomedical laboratories, industry and local hospitals. Student Learning Outcomes of the Biomedical Engineering Program Students who graduate with a Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering will have: 1. Ability to understand and apply the fundamentals of life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics and engineering. 2. Ability to design experiments for, make measurements on, and interpret data from living systems.

5 Specifically we expect students to be able to develop a hypothesis, be able to design an experiment to test that hypothesis (including data from living systems), be able to analyze the data acquired and form conclusions and be able to present the results in a professional manner. 3. Ability to identify appropriate design specifications and to design solutions at the system, component, and/or process level to satisfy biomedical needs. Specifically we expect students to be able to apply the fundamentals (accessed in outcome #1) to the design of practical solutions to biomedical problems. 4. Ability to work in integrative teams involving engineers from various disciplines and when applicable, health-care professionals. 5. Ability to identify, formulate and solve biomedical engineering problems and challenges. 6. Understand professional and ethical responsibility related to biomedical engineering practice. 7. Ability to communicate effectively, in oral and written form, to interdisciplinary audiences. Specifically, interdisciplinary audience refers to engineering from other disciplines, health-care professional and laypeople. 8. Have an understanding of bioethics, philosophy, religion, and other broad areas to assess the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context. 9. Have the recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in lifelong learning. 10. Have a working knowledge of contemporary issues in biomedical engineering. 11. Ability to use classical and modern engineering, mathematics, and biological tools for biomedical engineering practice. Specifically, we expect students to be capable of using experimental devices (e.g. electronic instruments, sensors, data acquisition systems) and modern software tools (e.g. Matlab, Labview and other programming languages). ********** DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING The undergraduate professional program in civil engineering leads to the Bachelor of Civil Engineering (B.C.E.) degree. It includes study in structures, environmental engineering, geotechnical and systems engineering, and construction, aimed at helping the graduate to pursue a career in civil engineering or to pursue graduate studies. Sufficient electives are available in the program to allow a greater concentration in one of these areas or to elect technical courses in other areas. Through selected course offerings, civil engineering students can also choose to concentrate in construction engineering or in environmental engineering. The Department of Civil Engineering, in conjunction with the School of Architecture and Planning, offers dual degrees in civil engineering and architecture. Interested students should contact either the department or the school for specific

6 Student Learning Outcomes of the Civil Engineering Program Students who graduate with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering will have: 1. An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science and engineering; 2. An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data; 3. An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability; 4. An ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams; 5. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems; 6. An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility; 7. An ability to communicate effectively; 8. The broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context; 9. Recognition of the need for, and ability to engage in life-long learning; 10. Knowledge of contemporary issues; 11. An ability to use the techniques, skills and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice. ********** DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE Recognizing the rapid change in the field of electrical engineering and computer science, the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science aims at providing the student with a broad-based program of fundamentals. This type of education leads to an understanding of current facets of electrical engineering and computer science and also provides a basis for contribution to future electrical and computer science needs of society. The two programs, electrical engineering program and computer science program are both administered by the department. Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Program Description The computer science program offer program leading to the Bachelor or Science in Computer Science (B.S.C.S.) degree. It prepares its undergraduate majors to enter the practice of computer science and/or pursue graduate studies by providing them with a solid foundation in mathematics, engineering and science combined with a strong liberal arts component through a stimulating and supportive learning environment. The program instills its students a sense of ethics and professionalism. Student Learning Outcomes of the Computer Science Program Students who graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science will have:

7 1. An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, engineering and science; 2. An understanding of moral, ethical and professional responsibility; 3. An ability to enter the practice field of computer science and to pursue graduate studies; 4. An ability to effectively treat complex computer science problems through problem analysis, systems design, software and /or hardware implementation, and testing; 5. An ability to identify, formulate and solve computer science problems through the use of software and/or hardware technologies, proven design practices and modern computer science tools; 6. An ability to function as a productive multi-disciplinary member in a team and as an effective communicator; 7. An understanding of global impact of computer science solutions; 8. An understanding of contemporary issues and an ability to engage in life-long learning. ********** Bachelor of Electrical Engineering Program Description The Electrical Engineering Program offers the Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (B.E.E.) degree. The program prepares its undergraduate majors to enter into careers in electrical engineering and/or pursue graduate studies. It provides majors with a solid foundation in mathematics, engineering and science combined with a strong liberal arts component through a stimulating and supportive learning environment that also instills in our students a sense of morality, ethics and professionalism. Student Learning Outcomes of the Electrical Engineering Program Students who graduate with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering will have: 1. An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science and engineering 2. An understanding of moral, ethical and professional responsibility 3. An ability to enter the practice the field of electrical engineering and to pursue graduate studies 4. An ability to effectively treat complex electrical/electronic systems and signals through modeling, simulation, experimentation and interpretation and analysis of data 5. An ability to design a component, a system or a process to meet desired needs, and to design a process to produce desired outputs 6. An ability to identify, formulate and solve engineering problems through the use of analytical techniques, proven design practices and modern engineering tools 7. An ability to function as a productive inter-disciplinary member in a team and as an effective communicator 8. An understanding of global impact of engineering solutions 9. An understanding of contemporary issues and an ability to engage in life-long learning

8 ********** DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering Program Description The Department of Mechanical Engineering offers undergraduate degree programs leading to the degree of Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (B.M.E.). Mechanical engineering includes such activities as the design and control of systems and components for heating and power generation, aircraft and motored vehicles, refrigeration and air conditioning, environmental protection, and computers and robotics. The undergraduate program provides a broad scientific and technical background in engineering, establishing the foundation for lifelong learning in newly emerging technologies. The program prepares its students to practice as mechanical engineer after graduation or to enter graduate schools. Student Learning Outcomes of the Mechanical Engineering Program Students who graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering will have: 1. An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, sciences, and engineering 2. An ability to design a system, component or process to meet desired needs 3. An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data 4. An ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams 5. An ability to work independently 6. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems 7. An appreciation for and an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility necessary for the practice of mechanical engineering 8. An ability to communicate effectively, both in oral and written forms 9. An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for the practice of mechanical engineering 10. A strong liberal arts background, including religious, philosophical, and ethical studies, coupled with a strong technical education that will provide the basis for: a. An ability to analyze and solve problems within a contemporary global and societal context b. A recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning c. A knowledge of contemporary issues