Assessment and Quality Improvement

Assessment of Program Educational Objectives, Learning Outcomes and CourseCompetencies

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, in conjunction with its constituencies (the University Administration, College of Engineering and Technology, department faculty, students, graduate programs, and employers), has set forth program educational objectives. These objectives define the life and career accomplishments that the program is preparing graduates to achieve. Regular assessment is conducted by the department in order to measure the degree to which graduates achieve these objectives. Assessment instruments include alumni surveys, employer surveys, and evaluation by the Department External Advisory Board, consisting of representatives from industry and academia who assist the program in its quality assurance efforts.

To prepare graduates to achieve the program educational objectives, the department has established program learning outcomes, which define the skills, attributes, and knowledge that students should possess upon graduation. Student achievement of the learning outcomes is measured through course competency assessments, online university student learning evaluations, senior surveys and exit interviews, and other assessment instruments. Each course in the curriculum has associated with it one or more competencies, or specific skill, attrribute, or knowledge that supports a program learning outcome. These competencies are taught and assessed in each course in the undergraduate curriculum. Course competencies for each class are listed on the program class web page.

Evaluation and Continuous Quality Improvement

Assessment data is evaluated by the program faculty to ensure that students have achieved the program learning outcomes at the time of graduation, and that alumni are attaining the program educational objectives after graduation. Improvements are made where needed to the program curriculum, classroom instruction, advisement, senior projects, laboratory exercises, and undergraduate research activities.

Periodically, the program educational objectives are reviewed and revised to ensure that the needs of the program constituencies are met, and if needed, the outcomes are modified to ensure that graduates are prepared to achieve the program educational objectives.

Accreditation

The Electrical Engineering Baccalaureate Program and the Computer Engineering Baccalaureate Program are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, Inc., http://www.abet.org.



(June 26, 2008)