Abstract

As part of the ABET Accreditation Criterion, Program Outcomes refer to the outcomes that chemical engineering students should possess when they leave the university and enter the workforce. In 1999, as a response to ABET’s EC2000 criterion, a list of specific competencies was defined in the Chemical Engineering Program at Brigham Young University that, when taken together, constituted each Program Outcome. When the competencies were first developed, it became clear that the level of mastery expected from students varied from competency to competency. Exposure to the material was all that was required for some competencies. For others, it was our expectation that students should not graduate without demonstrating a specified level of mastery. The expected level of mastery is intimately connected to the types of practices, assessment, and feedback associated with a given competency. Consequently, a mastery level of 0, 1, 2, or 3 was assigned to each competency. Level-0, which is described as optional, includes competencies that are desirable, but not required. Level-1 indicates some familiarity and experience, but defines no minimum level of performance. Level-2 includes chemical engineering skills in which students can solve engineering problems with the aid of reference materials. Level-3 competencies focus on fundamental concepts and principles upon which the skills/applications are based. Level-3 competencies provide the foundation for problem solving, and it is expected that students master these competencies sufficiently to solve engineering problems given little or no reference material. When assigning levels to each competency, we identified 18 of the competencies as Level-3 competencies for assessment prior to graduation using a multiple-choice Level 3 (L3) competency exam. Similar to other competencies, these competencies are assessed at the course level with typical assessments such as homework, quizzes, and/or exams problems. The L3 exam is multiple-choice in format and is geared for approximately two hours. The exam is administered early in the senior year. Successful completion of the L3 exam is required for graduation. This paper will discuss the results of the L3 exam since its inception as a graduation requirement in 2002. Insights will be discussed regarding pass rates, commonly missed competencies, comparisons between years of administration, and the feedback information to the curriculum. Critical assessment of the L3 exam process since inception will also be presented.

Original Publication Citation

Lewis*, R.S., Knotts, T.A., Wilding, W.V., Pitt, W.G., and Argyle, M.D., “Results and Analysis of a Required Senior Exam to Assess Learning of Course Competencies”, Proceeding of the ASEE Annual Meeting, (2010).

Document Type

Conference Paper

Publication Date

2010-06-20

Publisher

American Society for Engineering Education

Language

English

College

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering

Department

Chemical Engineering

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

Download

Share

COinS