A CASE STUDY ON COURSE-BASED OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT TO ENHANCE STUDENT LEARNING AND COURSE DELIVERY IN THE ENGINEERING SCIENCES CORE CURRICULUM

摘要

A formal two-loop learning outcomes assessment process has been implemented in the mechanical engineering department at Rochester Institute of Technology. The outer loop establishes high-level outcomes and objectives for the program, while the inner loop provides assessment of achievement and feedback for improvement. Planning for the two-loop assessment process was initiated in academic year 2005-06 with the establishment of four faculty workgroups, with each group assigned responsibility for conducting outcomes assessment on a subset of the ME core curriculum. The engineering science core curriculum inner loop assessment process was initiated in AY2006-07 and continues today. Results of a three year longitudinal study of the engineering science course learning outcomes assessment and the details of the assessment and continuous improvement process are described herein. The three year study period encompassed 83 sections of five courses, with a cumulative student enrollment of 2,853 individuals. Sample data from the longitudinal study of the fluid mechanics course (reviewing 19 sections with a cumulative enrollment of 619 students) is presented, to illustrate improvement of student learning through refinement of the course delivery. A discussion of the assessment process, lessons learned, and conclusions are presented.