Definition and Application of Student Readiness Level (SRL) Metrics for Evaluating Student Preparation for Solving Real-World Problems

摘要

In education, it is important to determine an appropriate set of metrics to evaluate the impact of your program on student learning. Metrics can be difficult to define, and poorly designed metrics can make assessment of program difficult or can lead to misleading data. In this paper, the authors describe a new set of metrics for student readiness - Student Readiness Levels (SRLs) - that are based on Technology Readiness Level (TRL) metrics used in the aerospace industry to evaluate technology readiness for procurement decision processes. The SRLs begin at SRL1 - the ability to receive information and recall concepts, and describe the development of competencies in students through SRL 9 - the ability to implement a designed system in an operational environment. These metrics are then applied to a newly developed sophomore level course sequence in the Engineering program at Harvey Mudd College. This is a two-course sequence - E79: Introduction to Engineering Systems and E80: Experimental Engineering - that takes students from basic system modeling using differential equations, through system analysis in the time and frequency domains, data acquisition and sampling, analysis of various sensor systems, feedback control, and finally to full- scale deployment of designed system to meet required specifications in the field. This course uses an underwater robot platform for demonstration of concepts. Application of the SRLs can help us to evaluate student skill development as they progress through this course sequence. Students learn basic concepts and apply them in problem sets (SRLs1-2), observe concepts through basic practical demonstrations (SRL3), evaluate individual system components in a lab setting (SRL 4), demonstrate subsystem/system function in a controlled environment (test tank) (SRL5-6), demonstrate system function in a relevant environment (lake) (SRL7), design, validate and test a system to meet a set of needs (SRL8), and ultimately deploy their designed system in the ocean at Dana Point (SRL9). The authors believe that demonstration of student development across all 9 SRLs in a two-semester sophomore level course is novel. Further, the application of SRLs for evaluation of student readiness is a tool that can be applied in other parts of our program, and in engineering and other professional programs more broadly.