New Orleans Slides

Joel Falk (falk@ee.pitt.edu)

Department Chair

University of Pittsburgh

ABET visit Oct 1999

My impressions of EC2000

improves undergraduate education,

is very expensive (at least the first time through)

is evolving rapidly.

University of Pittsburgh

Department of Electrical Engineering

EC2000 Structure

ABET Committee (4 faculty). Major effort.

ABET Course Objectives Committee

(4 faculty). Minor effort.

CoE separate accreditation (several additional EE faculty)

Electrical Engineering faculty and ABET

10-15% skeptics
10-15% totally unconcerned with undergraduate education
70-80% active participation in process

Time Table

ABET Visit-October 1999

Item	Time to Visit months
Traditional survey instruments in place (discussions with seniors and visiting committee, course surveys)	>48
Design of new survey forms	> 36
First Discussion of EC 2000 at Undergraduate Committee	31
First of three planning sessions Jack McGourty from Gateway coalition	21
Begin monthly discussions of ABET (faculty meetings)	21
Extended discussion Associate Dean and EE faculty	20
Formation of EE ABET Committee	18
First draft of objectives	18
ABET evaluator training session (Seattle)	15
Alumni survey	15
Objectives to undergrads	13
ABET-type course survey	12
Review of objectives, Visiting Committee	12
"Final" version of objectives	11
Course outlines and CV’s collected	7
Final review of objectives, Visiting Committee	5
Begin writing self-study	5
Submit self-study	3
EC2000 Visit (October 1999)	0
Response to exit interview statement	-1
Preliminary report (Draft statement)	-6

Program Objective: Provide out students with core technical competencies in electrical engineering in a manner that recognizes the diversity of our profession and affords the flexibility for a student to pursue different specialization areas.

Program Objective: Provide students with a solid foundation in Electrical Engineering which prepares them for life-long careers and professional growth in the fields of their choice.

Strategies and Actions

Outcomes

ABET 2000

Criterion 3 (a-k)

Assessment Methods

Provide and continually review a core curriculum in Electrical Engineering that is designed to meet the changes in our profession

Provide and periodically review a required core curriculum in Electrical Engineering (sophomore-junior level)

Our graduates can pursue diverse career paths.

Students have a strong grounding in Electrical Engineering fundamentals.

a, b, h, i, k

a, c, e, h, i, k

>>>Faculty review by Undergraduate Committee.

>>>Senior exit interviews and survey.

Co-op employer survey.

Visiting Committee Assessment.

Sophomore/Junior survey.

>>>Alumni survey.

Survey of recruiters and employers

Program Objective: Provide our students with a broad-based education so that they can appreciate diversity in our society; understand ethical issues and develop a global perspective.

Program Objective: Provide our students with a broad-based education so that they can appreciate diversity of opinion, better understand ethical issues, and develop a more global perspective of our profession.

Strategies and Actions

Outcomes

ABET 2000

Criterion 3 (a-k)

Assessment Methods/ Metrics

Require liberal studies courses throughout the curriculum and increase the significance of these courses by developing examples of course sequences and discussing requirements for Minors or Dual Degrees.

Increase the significance of the non-technical component of the curriculum by developing theme based example course clusters and promoting minors or dual degrees with business, the social sciences, etc.

Students will integrate their Liberal Arts Courses into their career plans, opening up alternative careers and providing them with a better understanding of the educational process.

Students will integrate their non-technical courses into their career plans, opening up alternative careers.

g, h, j

>>>Monitor the number of students who minor or complete a dual degree in a non-engineering course of study.

Alumni survey.

Sophomore/ junior survey

Incorporate an Ethics component in the undergraduate seminar that draws on real-life experiences of the faculty and the literature, using case studies where applicable.

Incorporate an ethics component in the undergraduate seminar.

Students will develop an awareness of ethical behavior that is drawn from life.

Students will develop an awareness of ethical issues through examples drawn from engineering professional life.

f, j

Obtain student reactions to the seminar Ethics topics by requiring a short written summary from each attendee.

Alumni survey, Senior survey.

Course surveys

Employer (co-op) survey

Sophomore/Junior survey

Visiting committee

Faculty review

Assessment mechanisms

Old (pre-EC2000). Some changes for ABET

Surveys of our current graduating class. Verbal, written, formal, and informal.

Review of our program by the Department's Visiting Committee. (employers of many of our students).

Course surveys. Quality of faculty, quality of courses (ABET related).

Surveys of employers. Co-op program employers only (confidentiality).

Faculty committees review of the electrical engineering program.

Assessment mechanisms

New (developed for EC2000)

Surveys of our alumni (1986-97 classes)

Senior Class questionnaires.

Surveys of our sophomores and juniors.

Monitoring (number of students) in:

Co-op

study abroad and exchange programs

dual degree programs

minors in other departments

certificate programs

concentrations in EE.

These indicate our success in encouraging a) interdisciplinary work and b) an appreciation of global perspectives.

EC2000

Feedback loop #2

Assessment leads to changes in undergraduate education.

From discussions with graduating seniors: interchange order of semiconductor physics course and active devices course.

From discussions with graduating seniors: Require a digital systems lab for all EE students.

From Visiting Committee: Do not eliminate a machinery laboratory

From alumni survey: Change our system of advising students.

From course surveys: require oral presentations as part of senior design projects.

EC 2000 at the University of Pittsburgh

Conclusions and Recommendations

Conclusions

EC2000:

has improved EE undergraduate education

has been very expensive->$100K to implement.

has caused us to develop several mechanisms for the formal assessment of our undergraduate program.

has caused us to continue assessing the program with the goal of continuous improvement.

EC 2000 at the University of Pittsburgh

Recommendations:

Start early (>3 years before visit)

Limit time spent on developing objectives (don’t worry about fine details)

Develop 3-6 assessment mechanisms and use them. Your job will be easier if many of these are done at a school level.

Decide how assessment information will lead to changes in curriculum.

University of Pittsburgh

Contacts

Joel Falk, Chair, Electrical Engineering,

falk@ee.pitt.edu

Larry Shuman, Associate Dean,

(School effort, especially assessment)

shuman@engrng.pitt.edu

Department of Electrical Engineering

http://www.ee.pitt.edu/