Page 106 - Educating the Engineer of 2020: Adapting Engineering Education to the New Century

Educating the Engineer of 2020: Adapting Engineering Education to the New Century
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11338.html

THE ENGINEERING EDUCATION COALITIONS PROGRAM 89

structure, such as (1) faculty teams and interactions that crossed de-
partmental and college boundaries and (2) assessment processes to mea-
sure the outcomes of these unique programs. Even though many inter-
departmental and intercollegiate boundaries were bridged for pilot
programs, sustaining those bridges proved to be challenging.
Assessments of student outcomes in engineering design courses,
multidisciplinary design courses, and integrated curricula require care-
ful definitions of observable student behaviors (e.g., team skills, design
skills, multidisciplinary design skills, communication skills, and linking
of concepts) and work products. Once the definitions had been estab-
lished, assessment instruments and processes had to be developed. The
EECs made progress on these challenging tasks, but they had to start
from ground zero in every area except communication skills and team
skills. Their efforts to improve assessments of student outcomes were in
step with ABET’s development and implementation of outcomes-based
accreditation. However, assessment processes for many outcomes related
to engineering design and practice were still not sufficiently developed
for widespread implementation or for the acquisition and interpreta-
tion of critical data.
Recent results of continuing research have yielded concept maps
and assessment instruments for engineering design and metacognitive
control that can be used to estimate performance. For example, engi-
neering-science concept inventories to estimate conceptual understand-
ing are being beta-tested across the nation. Concept maps, in which
students are asked to produce graphical representations of concepts and
their interrelationships, are being refined into instruments that can be
scored and used to assess structured knowledge of concepts. Instruments
are also being developed, tested, and adopted to assess knowledge and
skills in engineering design. The coalitions made outstanding progress
in these innovative directions and in creating an infrastructure that could
support continued progress. However, a tremendous amount of work
remains to be done.

Increased Participation of Underrepresented Groups
One of the expectations for the EEC Program was to increase the
participation of students from underrepresented groups, such as white
women and some racial/ethnic minorities. Efforts to increase the
percentages of these groups can be divided into three categories:

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