MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ENGINEERING ONLINE PROGRAM SELF REVIEW

Transcription

1 MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ENGINEERING ONLINE PROGRAM SELF REVIEW Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS A. INTRODUCTION... 4 B. GENERAL INFORMATION... 5 B.1 OVERVIEW... 5 B.2 EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS B.2.1 Program Statistics...16 B.2.2 Faculty Teaching...18 B.2.3 Nature and Use of Adjunct, and Part-Time Faculty...18 B.3 RESEARCH (none) B.4 RESOURCES, STAFFING, AND SPACE B.4.1 Financial resources...19 B.4.2 Instructional Support...19 B.4.3 Non-academic Staff...19 B.4.4 Physical Space...19 B.5 RELATIONS WITH CONSTITUENTS B.5.1 Relationship to Industry...20 B.5.2 Relationship to Alumni...20 B.5.3 Relationship to Graduate Students...20 B.5.4 Relationship to Undergraduate Students...20 C. PROGRAM EVALUATION APPROACH C.1 PROGRAM EVALUATION C.1.1 Assessment of Objectives and Outcomes...21 C.1.2 Using Assessment Results to Improve Programs...25 D. GRADUATE PROGRAMS D.1 M.S. DEGREE PROGRAM D.1.1 MSE Degree Requirements...26 D.1.2 Comparison with Other Distance Learning Programs...27 D.2 GRADUATE STUDENTS, RECRUITMENT, AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT D.2.1. Enrollment...29 D.2.2. Recruitment...30 D.2.3 Applicants and Admissions...30 D.2.4 Financial Support...32 E. SUMMARY

3 F. APPENDICES F.1 TEACHING EVALUATIONS F.2 GRADUATE ASSESSMENT INFORMATION F.3 GRADUATE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS F.4 STUDENT COMMENTS ON SELF-REVIEW (will be added when received)

4 A. INTRODUCTION The MS Engineering Online Program (MSOL) is a distance learning program that offers a coursework based Master of Science degree predominantly to working professionals in the engineering field. The MSOL program accepted its first cohort of students in Fall At the request of the UCLA Academic Senate, the MSOL program has prepared this self study. It follows a format used for departmental self studies, but there are some key differences. The MSOL program is a self supporting program. It is not a department and does not have its own faculty. Rather, it is a program offered by the Henri Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (HSSEAS) that draws on faculty from the various departments to offer courses in selected areas of study. Mission. The mission of the MSOL program is to provide graduate education access to working professionals that face barriers to travelling to campus. Goals. The program goals are to: Provide working professionals with access to graduate coursework through the use of internet based technology. Maintain the quality and standards of courses offered on-campus. Provide graduate students with the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the engineering sciences. Enable graduate students to: Develop their ability for independent and critical thinking. Facilitate their ability to work on multidisciplinary projects. Develop and maintain close ties with industry. This self review contains detailed information about the MSOL program. This includes financial information, information about the administrative organization, and information about faculty and courses offered. It also includes information about the students such as incoming GPA, performance in the program, student advising, feedback about the program, and an overview of an ABET type assessment of program outcomes that is currently being implemented. 4

5 B. GENERAL INFORMATION B.1 OVERVIEW Master of science in Engineering Degree Requirements: At least nine upper division and graduate courses are required, of which five must be 200-series courses. For students who pursue the comprehensive examination plan, one of the nine courses is an Engineering 597A course. For students who are approved to pursue the thesis plan, two of the nine courses are Engineering 598 courses. All students in the MSOL program are advised to take the comprehensive examination option. Certificate Requirements: The MSOL Program offers certificates of completion in focused areas of study that are offered by several of the departments in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering & Applied Science (HSSEAS) at UCLA. A certificate can be earned by completing a specified sequence of courses from a designated list. The certificates currently offered are described on the following pages. Certificate requirements vary, depending on the area of study. 5

6 Mechanics of Structures Area Director: Prof. A. Mal Description: The main objective of this area of study is to provide students with the opportunity to develop the knowledge required for the analysis and synthesis of modern engineered structures. The fundamental concepts of linear and nonlinear elasticity, plasticity, fracture mechanics, finite element analysis, mechanics of composites and structural vibrations are developed in a series of undergraduate and graduate courses. Students develop hands-on experience in using finite element packages for solving realistic structural analysis problems. Requirements: 8 courses listed below plus project 1. MAE156A Advanced Strength of Materials (Instructor: Prof. A. Mal) 2. MAE 168. Introduction to Finite Element Technology (Instructor: Prof. W. Klug) 3. MAE M269A (CEE 237) Dynamics of Structures (Instructor: Prof. W. Ju) 4. MAE 256A. Linear Elasticity (Instructor: Prof. A. Mal) 5. CEE 235A. Advanced Structural Analysis (Instructor: Prof. E. Taciroglu) 6. CEE 235B. Finite Element Analysis of Structures (Instructor: Prof. J.S. Chen) 7. MAE 256F. Analytical Fracture Mechanics (Instructor: Prof. V. Gupta) 8. CEE 233. Mechanics of Composite Material Structures (Instructor: Prof. S. Dong) 9. E 299 Project Course Ajit Mal Bill Klug Vijay Gupta Ertugrul Taciroglu Woody Ju J.S. Chen 6

7 Integrated Circuits Area Director: D. Markovic Description: This area of study focuses on analog IC design, design and modeling of VLSI circuits and systems, RF circuit and system design, signaling and synchronization, VLSI signal processing, and communication system design. Requirements: 8 courses selected from the following list plus project 1. EE 215A: Analog Integrated Circuit Design (Instructor: Prof. Razavi or Prof. Abidi) 2. EE M216A: Design of VLSI Circuits and Systems (Instructor: Prof. Markovic) 3. EE 201A: Fundamentals of VLSI Design Automation (Instructor: Prof. He) Spring / even years 4. EE 201C: Modeling of VLSI Circuits and Systems (Instructor: Prof. He) Spring / odd years 5. EE 215B: Advanced Digital Integrated Circuits (Instructor: Prof. Yang) 6. EE 215C: Analysis and Design of RF Circuits and Systems (Instructor: Prof. Razavi or Prof. Abidi) 7. EE 215D: Analog Microsystem Design (Instructor: Prof. Razavi or Prof. Abidi) 8. EE 215E: Signaling and Synchronization (Instructor: Prof. Yang or Prof. Pamarti) 9. EE 216B: VLSI Signal Processing (Instructor: Prof. Markovic) 10. EE 209AS: Special Topics in Circuits and Embedded Systems (Instructor: Prof. Chang or Prof. Cabric) offered as needed 11. E 299: Project Course Asad Abidi Danijela Cabric M.C. Frank Chang Lei He Dejan Markovic Sudhakar Pamarti Behzad Razavi C.-K. Ken Yang 7

8 Advanced Structural Materials Area Director: Prof. J.-M. Yang, Description: This area of study focuses on advanced structural materials. The courses cover fundamental concepts of science and engineering of lightweight metallic and composite materials, advanced metallic and composite materials, fracture mechanics, damage tolerance and durability, failure analysis and prevention, nondestructive evaluation, structural integrity and life prediction, and design of aerospace structures. Requirements: 8 courses listed below plus project 1. MSE 143A: Mechanical Behavior of Materials (Instructor: Prof. M. Przystupa) 2. MSE 151 Structure and Properties of Composite Materials (Instructor: Prof. J.-M. Yang) 3. MAE 262 Mechanics of Intelligent Material Systems (Instructor: Profs. Carmen, Lynch, Pei) 4. MSE 243A: Fracture of Structural Materials (Instructor: Prof. K. Ono) 5. MAE 297:Composite Manufacturing (Instructor: Prof. Prof. J.-M. Yang) 6. MSE 298: Nondestructive Evaluations (Instructor: Prof. K. Ono) 7. MSE 243C: Dislocations and Strengthening Mechanisms in Solids (Instructor: Prof. M. Przystupa) 8. MSE 250B: Advanced Composite Materials (Instructor: Prof. J.-M. Yang) 9. E 299: Project Course Marek Przystupa Jenn-Ming Yang Kanji Ono 8

9 Electronic Materials Area Director: Prof. Y.H. Xie Description: The electronic materials program aims at providing the students the knowledge set that is highly relevant to the semiconductor industry. The program has 4 essential attributes: theoretical background, applied knowledge, exposure to theoretical approaches, and introduction to the emerging field of microelectronics, namely organic electronics. Requirements: 8 courses listed below plus project 1. MSE 200: Principles of Materialss (Instructor: Prof. B.Dunn) 2. MSE 224: Deposition Technologies and Their Applications (Instructor: Prof. Y.H. Xie) 3. MSE 271: Electronic Structure of Materials (Instructor: Prof. V. Ozolins) 4. MSE 122: Principles of Electronic Materials Processing (Instructor: Prof. M. Goorsky) 5. MSE 221: Science of Electronic Materials (Instructor: Prof. M.S. Goorsky) 6. MSE 223: Materials Science of Thin Films (Instructor: Prof. K.N. Tu) 7. MSE 298: Characterization of Electronic Materials (Instructor: Prof. S. Kodambaka, Prof. M.S. Goorsky, Prof. H.P. Gillis, Prof. Y.H. Xie) 8. MSE 252: Organic Polymer Electronic Materials (Instructor: Prof. Q.B. Pei) 9. E 299: Project Course 9

10 Computer Networking Area Director: Prof M. Gerla Description: This area of study begins with a basic background of concepts in security, sensors and wireless communications. Students are then exposed to key applications and research areas in the network and distributed systems field. Two required graduate courses cover the Internet and the emerging sensor embedded systems. The electives probe different applications domains, including: wireless mobile networks, security, network management, distributed P2P systems, and multimedia applications. Requirements: 8 courses selected from the following list plus project 1. CS 118. Computer Network Fundamentals (Instructor: Prof. M. Gerla) 2. CS 111 Operating Systems Principles (Instructor: Prof. M. Kampe) 3. CS 112: Computer System Modeling Fundamentals (Instructor: Prof.R.Muntz) 4. CS 236 Computer Security (Instructor: Prof. P. Reiher) 5. CS 213B. Distributed Embedded Systems (Instructor: Prof. Srivastava) 6. CS 217A. Internet Architecture and Protocols. (Instructor: Prof. L. Zhang) 7. EE 131A. Probability. (Instructor: Prof. K. Yao) 8. EE 132B. Data Communications and Telecommunication Networks. (Instructor: Prof. I. Rubin) 9. EE 230B Digital Communications Systems (Instructor: Prof. G. Pottie) 10. EE 231E Channel Coding Theory (Instructor: R. Wesel) 11. E 299 Project Course 10

11 Signal Processing and Communications Area Director: Prof. K. Yao Description: This area focuses on a set of related topics in signal processing and communications. Students receive advanced training in multimedia systems from the fundamentals of media representation and compression through transmission of signals over communications links and networks. Requirements: 8 courses selected from the following list plus project 1. EE 131A. Probability (Instructor: Prof. K. Yao) 2. EE 113 Digital Signal Processing (Instructor: Prof. A. Sayed) 3. EE 210A. Adaptive Filtering (Instructor: Prof. A. Sayed) 4. EE 232B. Switching and Queuing Systems (Instructor: Prof. R. Wesel) 5. EE 231A. Information Theory: Channel and Source Coding (Instructor: Prof. R. Wesel) 6. EE 230A Detection and Estimation for Signal Processing (Instructor: Prof. Prof. K. Yao) 7. EE 132B. Data Communications and Telecommunication Networks (Instructor: Prof. I. Rubin) 8. EE M214A. Digital Speech Processing (Instructor: Prof. A. Alwan) 9. EE 231E. Channel Coding Theory (Instructor: Prof. R. Wesel) or EE 238. Multimedia Communications and Processing (Instructor: Prof. M. van der Schaar) 10. EE 230B. Digital Communication Systems (Instructor: Prof. G. Pottie) 11. EE 205A. Matrix Analysis (Instructor: Prof. A. Laub) 12. E 299. Project Course Kung Yao Ali Sayed Izhak Rubin Abeer Alwan 11 Richard Wesel Mihaela van der Schaar

12 Manufacturing and Design Area Director: Prof. D. Yang Description: This area addresses advanced study in the area of manufacturing and design that covers a broad spectrum of fundamental and advanced topics including mechanical systems, digital control systems, micro- and nano-devices, wireless systems, failure of materials, composites, and computational geometry. The program prepares students with the higher educational background that is necessary for today s rapidly changing technology needs. Requirements: 8 courses listed below plus project 1. MAE 294. Computational Geometry (Instructor: Prof. D. Yang) 2. MAE 295C. RFID Systems, Design, & Analysis (Instructor: Prof. R. Gadh) 3. MAE 171B. Digital Control of Physical Systems (Instructor: Prof. T-C. Tsao) 4. MAE 296A. Damage and Failure of Materials in Mechanical Design (Instructor: Prof. N. Ghoneim) 5. MAE 166C Design of Composite Structures (Instructor: Prof G. Carman) 6. MAE 297 Composites Manufacturing (Instructor: Prof. J-M Yang) 7. MAE CM280A Nano/Micro Mfg (Instructor: Prof. S. Ju) 8. MAE 162A Introduction to Mechanisms and Mechanical Systems (Instructor: Prof. D. Yang) 9. E 299 Project Course Daniel Yang Rajit Gadh T-C. Tsao Nasr Ghoniem Greg Carman J.-M. Yang Sungtaek Ju 12

13 Aerospace Engineering Area Director: Prof. X. Zhong Description: This area of study addresses the major technical areas of aerospace engineering. These include aerodynamics and computational fluid dynamics (CFD), systems and control, and structures and dynamics. The courses cover fundamental concepts of science and engineering of aerodynamics, computational aerodynamics, digital control of physical systems, linear dynamic systems, linear optimal control, design of aerospace structures, dynamics of structures, and aeroelastic effects in structures. Requirements: 8 courses listed below plus project 1. MAE 150B: Aerodynamics (Instructor: Prof. X. Zhong) 2. MAE 154B: Design of Aerospace Structures (Instructor: Prof. O. Bendiksen) 3. MAE 171B: Digital Control of Physical Systems (Instructor: Prof. T-C Tsao) 4. MAE 250D: Computational Aerodynamics (Instructor: Prof. X. Zhong) 5. MAE 269A: Dynamics of Structures (Instructor: Prof. W. Ju) 6. MAE 269D: Aeroelastic Effects in Structures (Instructor: Prof. O. Bendiksen) 7. MAE 270A: Linear Dynamic Systems (Instructor: Prof. R. M Closkey) 8. MAE 270B: Linear Optimal Control (Instructor: Prof. S. Gibson) 9. MAE 299: Project Course Oddvar Bendiksen Steve Gibson Woody Ju Robert M Closkey T-C Tsao Xiaolin Zhong 13

14 System Engineering Area Director: Dr. Peter S. Pao Description: A set of core system engineering courses is offered that form the foundation of the system engineering discipline. This sequence of courses is designed for the working professional who is faced with design, development, support and maintenance of complex systems. The system engineering area requires completion of a minimum of three system engineering core courses plus completion of a domain of specialization. The domain of specialization is a sequence of four to five courses plus a project course that integrates concepts learned in the system engineering courses with the advanced technical concepts learned in the courses from the domain of specialization. Requirements: 3 systems engineering core courses plus 5 domain specific courses plus project System Engineering Core courses: 1. Engr 201. System Engineering (Instructor: Adjunct Professor Peter Pao) 2. Engr 200 Program Management Principles for Engineers and professionals (Instructor: Adjunct Professor Leslie Lackman) 3. Engr 202. Reliability, Maintainability, and Supportability (Instructor: Adjunct Professor Bei-Dwo Chang) 4. Engr 203. System Architecture (Instructor: Adjunct Professor Mike Borky) Domain Specific Courses: System engineering has broad applications that include software, hardware, materials, electrical, and mechanical systems. Students have the flexibility to design a program of study that best fits their professional needs. Each program must be approved by the System Engineering Area Director. The minimum requirements are 4 system engineering courses plus 4 courses from one of the domain specific areas of study plus a project course that integrates system engineering; or 3 system engineering courses plus 5 courses from one of the domain specific areas of study plus a project course that integrates system engineering. Example programs of study in System Engineering: 1. Domain of specialization: Communication Systems Data Communications and Telecommunication Networks (EE 132B) Digital Signal Processing Design (EE 113D) Information Theory: Channel and Source Coding (EE 231A) Switching and Queuing Systems (EE 232B) Digital Communications Systems (EE 230B) 14

15 2. Domain of Specialization: Information Based Systems Computer Network Fundamentals (CS 118) Computer Security (CS 236) Internet Architecture and Protocols (CS 217A) Data Communications and Telecommunication Networks (EE 230B) Distributed Embedded Systems (CS 213B) 3. Domain of Specialization: Radar Systems Probability (EE 131A) Digital Signal Processing (EE 113) Estimation and detection in Communication and Radar Systems (EE 230A) Adaptive Filtering (EE 210A) Analog Integrated Circuit Design (EE 215A) 4. Domain of Specialization: Embedded Systems Computer Network Fundamentals (CS 118) Operating Systems Principles (CS 111) Distributed Embedded Systems (CS 213B) (Two additional elective courses in the embedded systems area) 5. Domain of Specialization: Custom Program Identify 4 or 5 courses in a cohesive program of study Course sequence must be approved by the area director or the program director Courses must result in the development of significant technical depth 15

16 B.2 EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS B.2.1 Program Statistics Table B.1 summarizes faculty participation in the program by department and by year. There are no permanent faculty members assigned to the program. Faculty members from several engineering departments participate in the MSOL program on a contract basis. This is not considered part of their normal teaching load. Teaching in the online program is beyond normal research and teaching activities and is separately compensated. Table B.1 Number of sections taught by faculty from each department Ladder Faculty Electrical Mechanical and Aerospace Civil Materials Science Computer Science Adjunct Faculty

17 Table B.2. summarizes the number of graduates from the program. The year is defined as the sequence F, W, Sp, Su. Table B.2. Number of graduates per year by area of study Area CSnet Mech Mfg SigProcComm Systems IC StMat Aerospace El Mat Totals Table B.3 summarizes the student enrollment at the beginning of the Fall term each year, the number of teaching assistant and special reader positions supported, and the number of courses offered. The enrollment numbers represent the sum of the total number of students in each section including students that take the courses through university extension (UNEX). The number of UNEX students has been less than 20 each term. Table B.3. Enrollment in the MSOL program including through UNEX, TAs and Special Readers Supported, and Number of Courses Offered Students TAs and Reader positions TBD Number of courses offered TBD 17

18 Student Background. Figure B.1. gives an overview of the background of students that entered the program Fall Figure B.1. Undergraduate degrees held by students entering the MSOL program Fall B.2.2 Faculty Teaching Teaching in the MSOL program is not considered part of a faculty member s departmental teaching responsibility. MSOL teaching is treated as overload work that is separately compensated. HSSEAS recognizes that when faculty work for the MSOL program it takes time away from their other responsibilities. As such, faculty members are asked to report their work for the MSOL program on their annual conflict of interest statements to their department chairs. B.2.3 Nature and Use of Adjunct, and Part-Time Faculty The MSOL program is offered almost exclusively by full time faculty members or lecturers that teach the same courses on campus. The exception is the systems engineering area of study. In this area the MSOL program has brought in experts with systems engineering experience to develop and teach four courses. B.3 RESEARCH (none) The MSOL program does not sponsor research and faculty members do not perform research as part of the MSOL program. Faculty members involved in the program perform research in their home departments. The MSOL program has a positive influence on research through its funding of around 12 teaching assistant / special reader positions each term. 18

19 B.4 RESOURCES, STAFFING, AND SPACE This section presents an overview of the financial resources, instructional support, staff, and infrastructure associated with the MSOL program. B.4.1 Financial resources The MSOL program is a self supporting program. Revenue comes from student tuition. Expenses include staff payroll, faculty payroll, teaching assistant payroll plus tuition, fringe benefits, materials and supplies, equipment rental or purchase, campus costs, and infrastructure costs. To date the program has been able to fund all of its costs through student tuition. B.4.2 Instructional Support The MSOL program provides a high level of instructional support. This helps to compensate for some of the challenges faced by the remote students. The remote students do not have student work groups and do not have many of the support networks that on campus students have. This results in a higher number of faculty and TA contact hours with the students. To help with this, a teaching assistant or special reader is funded for each section of each course. The TA is responsible for weekly office hours through video conferencing and for providing other support to the students in the course such as help with assignments. The instructor handles and telephone interactions with students and is expected to spend approximately four hours per week interacting with the students. The MSOL program funds a full time information technology and computer programming position that is administered through SEASNET, the HSSEAS information technology (IT) support group. This position supports the IT infrastructure necessary for setting up all of the courses and streaming the content to students. B.4.3 Non-academic Staff Three full time staff members provide non-instructional support to the program. These positions handle student recruiting, admissions, course enrollment, degree petitions, quarterly hiring of faculty and TAs, scheduling of courses, and other non-instructional needs of the program. B.4.4 Physical Space The MSOL program occupies 7440 Boelter Hall. There is a reception area, three offices, and two recording studios in this office suite. Installation of course recording equipment has just been completed in 8500 Boelter Hall. This has enabled high quality recording of live lectures. 19

20 B.5 RELATIONS WITH CONSTITUENTS The MSOL program is a remote education program. Many of its constituents are not in the Los Angeles area, making it difficult to meet with its constituents on a regular basis. The program director meets annually with university relations personnel from Raytheon, Boeing, and other companies. The program director gives annual updates and requests feedback on program development and direction from the industrial advisory boards of mechanical and aerospace engineering, and electrical engineering. B.5.1 Relationship to Industry The MSOL program has considerable interaction with industry. This occurs through annual presentations at departmental industrial advisory board meetings and through recruiting trips to companies. B.5.2 Relationship to Alumni The MSOL program graduated its first cohort of students in Fall It has very few alumni. The school and the program recognize the importance of obtaining ongoing feedback from its alumni and will, in the future, conduct alumni surveys. B.5.3 Relationship to Graduate Students Each student selects an area of study. The area director is the faculty advisor for each student in that area. Each student in the program works individually with a faculty advisor on a technical project for one or two terms. Individual instructors interact with graduate students on a daily basis. B.5.4 Relationship to Undergraduate Students The MSOL program has no undergraduate students. C. PROGRAM EVALUATION APPROACH The MSOL program is in the process of implementing the program evaluation methodology developed for the on-campus undergraduate program. 20

21 C.1 PROGRAM EVALUATION The MSOL program will use the ABET outcomes and assessment approach developed for our undergraduate curriculum. This section gives a description of the assessment mechanisms. C.1.1 Assessment of Objectives and Outcomes A set of objectives has been identified for the MSOL program. The objectives of the MSOL graduate engineering program are a subset of the objectives of the undergraduate engineering program. A course based approach is used to achieve course outcomes which relate to the program outcomes. The objectives are achieved by satisfying program outcomes. Program objectives and outcomes will be assessed annually for each course. In the undergraduate program, the relationships between required engineering courses and program outcomes are summarized in the program matrices of each area of study. A program matrix lists the required courses in the left-hand column, and the program outcomes across the top. The contribution of the course to the program outcome is indicated with a 0 (none or insignificant), 1 (some), 2 (moderate), or 3 (strong). The program matrix also shows the highlighted outcomes, which are identified as shaded boxes in the program matrix. While a course may contribute to many program outcomes, each course is assigned a subset of these outcomes for which the instructor is responsible for assessment. These are its highlighted outcomes. If each course is satisfying its highlighted program outcomes, the program as a whole will satisfy all the program outcomes. Graduate programs have a small number of advanced courses. Students entering the program have come from ABET accredited programs or equivalent and thus have achieved the ABET outcomes. The use of the matrix approach for assessing the graduate programs offered through the MSOL program should provide a framework for assessing the various areas of study. The course assessment system has only recently been implemented in the HSSEAS courseweb system and assessment feedback is not available at this time. Course Assessment by Instructors An essential component of the assessment process will be the assessment of courses by instructors. A set of course topics/outcomes are defined for each course. The course topics/outcomes (or course outcomes for short) are the combination of topics (subject matter) that constitute the goals of a given course. Each course has a website within courseweb that is used both as a resource for the students and instructor and to facilitate assessment. The website includes a course objectives and outcomes form, which lists the course objectives, the course topics/outcomes, and the relationship of the course to the program outcomes. A sample is given in Figure C.1. By integrating these forms into the course website, the students are made aware of the desired course outcomes. 21

22 Figure C.1. Sample Course Objectives and Outcomes Form As explained above, each course is assigned a set of highlighted outcomes. Instructors of the course will be tasked with a) designing lectures, course materials, and assignments that provide students the opportunity to learn and practice these outcomes, b) documenting the degree to which students have learned and satisfied the outcomes, and c) suggesting improvements for the future. The latter two of these tasks are organized via courseweb. Instructors will prepare assessments for each highlighted outcome at the end of each course offering by answering the following questions: Which one or two assignments most directly address this program outcome? Briefly describe the assignment(s) and explain how they relate to the program outcome. What caliber of performance on the assignment(s) would you consider to be evidence of satisfaction of the outcome? How well did students perform on the assignment(s)? What percentage of students demonstrated satisfaction of the outcome? Discuss the weaknesses displayed by students who did not satisfy the outcome. In the future, how could this course be improved so that students will better satisfy this outcome? 22

23 This procedure places responsibility for achieving the program outcomes and outcome assessment with each instructor, thereby spreading awareness and ownership of the process across the participating faculty. 2. Student Surveys of Course Outcomes At the end of each course offering, a student survey of course outcomes will be administered through courseweb. The survey lists the course outcomes and asks students the degree to which they were satisfied. This automated process has only recently been put in place and has not yet been used by students. A sample course outcome survey is shown in Figure C.2. 23

24 Figure C.2. Sample Course Outcome Survey and Results 24

25 Exit Surveys No results to report. Alumni Surveys No results to report because the program has only recently graduated its first alumni. Course evaluations completed by students Students complete course evaluations at the end of each term. These evaluations are reviewed by the instructors and by the director of the MSOL program. These course evaluations have provided valuable feedback on how to improve distance learning courses. C.1.2 Using Assessment Results to Improve Programs Assessment results are used to improve the program. To date, feedback has come from student end of course surveys. This has resulted in updates to equipment and infrastructure, and modifications to the approaches used in teaching online courses. In general the student feedback has been very positive. All course evaluations and student comments are maintained in the MSOL director s office. 25

26 D. GRADUATE PROGRAMS D.1 M.S. DEGREE PROGRAM The MSOL program offers the Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) degree. The goals of the graduate program are to: Provide graduate students with the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the engineering sciences and to Develop the ability for independent and critical thinking. Facilitate the ability to work on multidisciplinary projects. D.1.1 MSE Degree Requirements The official program requirements are given at the Graduate Division website. An overview is provided here. All students must fulfill the University requirements in regard to graduate study. Each student is assigned a faculty adviser upon admission to the program whose initial role is to give advice concerning course selection. The faculty advisor is the area director for the student s area of study. A full time Graduate Student Affairs Officer helps students with the administrative work required for progress towards a degree and other purposes (e.g., leave of absence, degree petitions). Candidates for the M.S. degree are advised to select the comprehensive examination plan. The comprehensive examination plan requires eight formal courses and a project course that satisfies the comprehensive examination requirement. On campus students have three options in satisfying the M.S. comprehensive examination requirement: (1) to take and pass a portion of the Ph.D. major field written qualifying examination, (2) to conduct a research or design project and submit a final report, or (3) to answer and pass specific exam questions for three graduate courses selected by the student. Only option (2) is available to the MSOL students. It is possible for students to transfer between departments. The MSOL program functions as a department in this respect. Students have transferred from the on campus programs to the MSOL program while on remote work assignments and then back to the campus program to complete their designated degree. 26

27 D.1.2 Comparison with Other Distance Learning Programs The UCLA program offers only the interdisciplinary MSE degree with certificates awarded for completing course sequences in specified areas of study. Competing programs offer designated departmental degrees. Distance learning MS degree programs are offered by many first tier research universities. Well recognized programs include those of Georgia Tech, Purdue, Stanford, and USC. Georgia Tech offers designated degree programs through distance learning in Aerospace Engineering Building Construction and Integrated Facility Management Computational Science and Engineering Electrical and Computer Engineering Environmental Engineering Industrial Engineering Information Security Mechanical Engineering Medical Physics Operations Research Professional Masters in Applied Systems Engineering Purdue offers the interdisciplinary MSE degree with the ability to pursue focus areas MSE - Engineering-Interdisciplinary Engineering Management & Leadership Specialization Biomedical Engineering Specialization Computational Engineering Specialization 27

28 Integrated Vehicle Systems Specialization MSE-MBA - Purdue College of Engineering Kelley School of Business Dual Degree Purdue also offers designated departmental degrees in the following departments MSAAE - Aeronautics and Astronautics MSECE - Electrical and Computer Engineering MSME - Mechanical Engineering MSIE - Industrial Engineering Stanford offers their MS degree programs online through their departments. Students apply to the department. Once admitted, students can complete 45 quarter units in a 5-year period to earh their MS degree. Degrees are offered in Aeronautics and Astronautics Biomedical Informatics Chemical Engineering Civil and Environmental Engineering Computational and Mathematical Engineering Computer Science Electrical Engineering Management Science and Engineering Materials Science and Engineering Mechanical Engineering Statistics USC offers their MS degree programs both on campus and online. Many other universities also offer distance learning engineering degrees at the MS level. 28

29 D.2 GRADUATE STUDENTS, RECRUITMENT, AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT D.2.1. Enrollment The HSSEAS MSOL program admits students Fall and Spring term. The working professional students often find it necessary to take a leave of absence for a period of time and then rejoin the program. Others reduce their work to part time and take two courses each term. This has resulted in the cohorts being blended and difficult to individually track. For this reason, the total enrollment is reported. Approximately 20 students per term are enrolled through university extension. The number of matriculated students Fall 2011 was 253. The enrollment of 274 is larger than the number of matriculated students due to several students taking two courses and several UNEX students. Table D.1 Total graduate enrollment in sections since program inception. Term Student section enrollment Fall Winter Spring Summer Fall Winter Spring Summer Fall Winter Spring Summer Fall Winter Spring Summer Fall

30 The number of degrees granted annually by area of study is summarized in Table D.2. The totals for 2011 will increase as additional degree petitions are processed. Table D.2. M.S. Degrees Granted by Area Area CSnet Mech Mfg SigProcComm Systems IC StMat Aerospace El Mat Total D.2.2. Recruitment MSOL program staff attend recruiting events that fall into two categories: - Industry events: These are events put on by companies for their employees to give them information about various education opportunities. - University career events: These are events put on by universities for their graduating seniors. The MSOL program director visits companies to meet directly with potential students, and holds information sessions at UCLA several times each year. The MSOL program also makes use of direct to HSSEAS alumni, and in the past has run informational advertisements on public radio (NPR). D.2.3 Applicants and Admissions Table D.4 shows the number of graduate applicants, the number of admits, and the number of accepts for each year since program inception. 30

31 The GRE has not been required of applicants to the UCLA MSOL program. This requirement will be implemented Spring The average GPA of all applicants is reported in Table D.3 for each year since program inception. Table D.4. Graduate applicant quality measures since program inception. Year # of Apps # of Admits # of Accepts 2011 SP: F: SP: F: SP: F: F: F: The average GPA of all applicants and the average GPA of those accepted is summarized by year since program inception in Table D.5. Table D.5. Average GPA of applicants and admitted students since program inception. Year AVG Applicant GPA AVG Admitted GPA 2011 F: 3.26 F: 3.41 SP: 3.20 SP: F: 3.14 F: 3.32 SP: 3.24 SP: F: 3.16 F: 3.28 SP: 3.33 SP: F: 3.13 F: F: 3.16 F:

32 D.2.4 Financial Support No financial support is offered to the MSOL students. Most are offered tuition reimbursement or partial tuition reimbursement by their employer if they earn a grade of B or better. E. SUMMARY The UCLA MSOL program has seen significant growth since inception. The increasing number of students has enabled enhancing the course offerings which, in turn, has enhanced the appeal of the program to a broader range of students. The program is financially healthy and is generating a strong revenue stream. Recruiting is an ongoing activity without which the enrollments would drop. As the number of students in the program grows, more working professionals are learning about the program from colleagues and subsequently applying. This word of mouth advertising is a strong testament to the satisfaction of students in the program. The introduction of systems engineering has raised the profile of the UCLA MSOL program among working professional engineers. Systems engineering is very popular with working professional students and is meeting a clear need in industry. 32

33 F. APPENDICES F.1 TEACHING EVALUATIONS Binders of teaching evaluations are kept in the MSOL offices in 7440 Boelter Hall. These are available for review upon request of the review committee. 33

34 F.2 GRADUATE ASSESSMENT INFORMATION The following information is taken from the undergraduate mechanical and aerospace engineering ABET assessment program. The MSOL program is planning to mp this approach to the graduate MSOL program and will collect feedback through the courseweb system. Outcomes for Aerospace Engineering Program a. Ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering. b. Ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data. c. Ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs. d. Ability to function as a productive member of a team, which considers multiple aspects of an engineering problem. e. Ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems. f. Understanding of professional and ethical responsibility. g. Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing. h. Broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context. i. Recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning. j. Knowledge of contemporary and emerging issues. k. Ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice and research. l. Knowledge of aerodynamics, aerospace materials, structures, propulsion, flight mechanics, and stability and control. m. Knowledge of some topics from orbital mechanics, space environment, attitude determination and control, telecommunications, space structures, and rocket propulsion. n. Design competence, which includes integration of aeronautical or astronautical topics. Outcomes for Mechanical Engineering Program a. Ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering. b. Ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data. c. Ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs. d. Ability to function as a productive member of a team, which considers multiple aspects of an engineering problem. e. Ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems. f. Understanding of professional and ethical responsibility. g. Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing. h. Broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context. i. Recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning. j. Knowledge of contemporary and emerging issues. 34

35 k. Ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice and research. o. Knowledge of chemistry and calculus-based physics with depth in at least one. p. Ability to apply advanced mathematics through multivariate calculus and differential equations to mechanical engineering problems. q. Familiarity with statistics and linear algebra. r. Ability to work professionally in both thermal and mechanical systems areas including the design and realization of such systems. Aerospace Engineering Program Matrix Course\Outcome a b c d e f g h i J k l m n CS EE MAE MAE MAE MAE M105A MAE MAE 107L MAE 150A MAE 150B MAE 150P MAE 154A MAE 154B MAE 154S MAE 157A MAE 157S MAE 161A MAE 166A MAE 169A MAE 171A MAE 182A MSE a b c d e f g h i J k l m n T 35

36 Mechanical Engineering Program Matrix Course\Outcome a b c d e f g h i J k o p q r CS EE EE 110L MAE MAE MAE MAE MAE M105A MAE 105D MAE MAE 107L MAE 131A MAE 133A MAE 156A MAE MAE 162A MAE 162B MAE 162M MAE 171A MAE 182A MAE MSE a b c d e f g h i j k o p q r T 36

37 F.3 GRADUATE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS The following program requirements are taken from the graduate division web site. Master of Science Program Name Engineering Engineering is a major offered by the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science Address 7440 Boelter Hall Los Angeles, CA Phone (310) admissions@msengrol.seas.ucla.edu Leading to the degree of M.S. Admission Limited to Fall, Spring Deadline to apply Fall: July 15th; Spring: January 15th GRE (General and/or Subject), TWE GRE: General Letters of Recommendation 2, at least one from employer Other Requirements In addition to the University's minimum requirements and those listed above, all applicants are expected to submit a statement of purpose. Advising Each student in this program is assigned an adviser by the Director of the MS Engineering Onlline Program. This is the area director if the student has decided upon an area of study. Advisers may be changed upon written request from the student. New students should contact 37

38 the MSOL student affairs officer and the faculty adviser on notification of admission, in order to plan the program of study and sequence of courses. Continuing students are expected to remain in contact with the faculty adviser and the student affairs officer. Based on the quarterly transcripts, student records are reviewed at the end of each quarter by the student affairs officer, the MSOL program director, and the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. Special attention is given if students were admitted provisionally or are on academic probation. If their progress is unsatisfactory, students are informed of this in writing by the MSOL program director. Students are strongly urged to consult with the MSOL student affairs officer regarding procedures, requirements and implementation of policies. In particular, advice should be sought on advancement to candidacy for the M.S. degree. Areas of Study Areas of study include computer networking, signal processing/communications, mechanics of structures (structural and solid mechanics), manufacturing and design (manufacturing engineering), aerospace engineering, electronic materials, advanced structural materials, integrated circuits, and systems engineering. Foreign Language Requirement None. Course Requirements At least nine upper division and graduate courses are required, of which five must be 200-series courses. For students who pursue the comprehensive examination plan, one of the nine courses is an Engineering 299 course. Teaching Experience Not required. Field Experience Not required. Comprehensive Examination Plan The comprehensive examination requirement is fulfilled by extra readings and a major design project and report. Students enroll in one four-unit course of Engineering 299 to reflect credit for this work. Thesis Plan 38

39 Every master's degree thesis plan requires the completion of an approved thesis that demonstrates the student's ability to perform original, independent research. Students who request and are approved to pursue the thesis plan enroll in two four-unit courses of Engineering 598 to reflect credit for thesis work. Time-to-Degree Students are expected to complete the degree within two academic years, including two summer sessions. The maximum time allowed in this program is five academic years (nine quarters), excluding summer sessions. 39

40 F.4 STUDENT COMMENTS ON SELF-REVIEW (will be added when received) 40