EC-2000 FAQ

• What is Assessment?
• What assessment techniques are acceptable for ABET?
• What are the faculty in an area of specialization responsible for?
• What are individual faculty responsible for?
• How do we "close the loop"?

What is Assessment? Taken from the Field Tested Learning Assessment Guide

Assessment is more than grades. Assessment is a mechanism for providing instructors with data for improving their teaching methods, for guiding and motivating students to be actively involved in their own learning, and providing important feedback to both instructors and students. Assessment must give feedback to our students throughout the course, not just determining to what extent students have mastered course content at the end of the course.

Assessment Drives Student Learning. Students learn to study the content in our courses in an expeditious way that allows them to succeed in passing courses without necessarily developing deep understanding of concepts. It is our assessment that drives students learning. The consequences of relying upon exams and homework for assessment are profound; these assessment methods may actively promote superficial learning. The importance of setting course goals--articulating them and writing them down--cannot be overstated. Evaluating the extent to which we have attained our stated course goals is the primary motivation for why we "do assessment".

Formalizing our goals is only the first step, however. We must also measure the extent to which we are attaining these goals. This is why we do assessment. Logically, we must choose classroom assessment techniques that are appropriately suited to measuring our particular goals. That is, we must align our assessment techniques with our stated goals.

In summary it is the faculty's responsible for assigning learning goals to our courses and implementing quantitative measurement tools which determine whether students have learned what they are supposed to. Learning goals for undergraduate students can be found in outcome (1).

What Assessment Techniques are acceptable for ABET? Taken from the ABET Self study questionnaire and information from Dean Thompson.

COURSE GRADES ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE TO MEASURE OUTCOMES! Acceptable methods of measuring whether students meet goals include the following methods:

1. Juried Student Work: Collecting individual artifacts of student work (homework or test problems, etc.) and evaluating the quality of student work is acceptable. These should be evaluated by a faculty committee rather than individual instructors using a rubric designed by the faculty in each area.
2. Student Portfolios: Portfolios are collections of evidence of accomplishment generated by students. These should be evaluated by a faculty committee using a rubric designed by each area and are especially useful for evaluating design project and written communication.
3. Surveys: These include the required survey of instructors (see below) and student surveys such as Student Assessment of Learning Gains.
4. Other assessment methods can be found on the FLAG site.

It is the faculty's responsibility to determine what students should learn in specific courses and communicate this to the students! The EC-2000 committee is working on relatively painless ways to quantitatively measure whether every student met these goals. All faculty are responsible for collecting this information- we need it for the ABET visit.

What is each Area of Specialization responsible for?

Each area has certain tasks that must be done to fulfill the full define - assess - implement cycle required for EC-2000. Below is a short list of specific responsibilities:

1. Define what students in your area will learn. An example document is available from area 6/8.
2. Develop a list of required topics for each course- these are what you will assess.
3. Put together an survey for each instructor which will query both content and coverage. This will be given out at the start and end of each semester. A sample survey is available.
4. Ensure courses in your area have adequate design as specified in ECEN Objective #3.
5. Assess your courses- both develop and implement mechanisms to determine how much your students are learning.
6. Develop a curriculum for your area including required and elective courses. This should be written down and in flowchart form for the students.
7. Implement student advising in your area.
8. Write up any recommendations to the curriculum which faculty in the area feel will result in students being better able to meet the program objectives.

In summary each area must (1) Define what students will learn in the area. (2) Provide advising to students and make the information in (1) available to students. (3) Measure if students are learning. (4) Make changes in the courses or curriculum necessary to improve student learning.

What is the instructor responsible for?

Changes in the accreditation process make it imperative that all faculty, students, and employers are involved in the define - assess - implement loop. Here are specific faculty responsibilities:

1. Define and communicate learning objectives of each course including preparation and distribution of your syllabus.
2. Complete pre and post course surveys which are handed out by the ABET committee.
3. Develop ways to measure whether students meet the learning objectives- this should be done with other faculty in the area.
4. Document both (1) and (3). This should be done in conjunction with other area faculty.
5. Take an active role in student advising.
6. Make sure design courses have minimum design criteria as outlined in ECEN Objective #3.

All faculty must be at least minimally involved in the accreditation process. It is hoped by implementing areas of specialization faculty will become more involved in the accreditation process and by documentation we can encourage beneficial changes in college and university policies.

How do we “close the loop”?

The EC-2000 plan put forward by ECEN puts much of the responsibility for the “define” and “assess” parts of the process on the areas of specialization. The third portion of the process, “implement”, requires involvement of all faculty as well as the college and university. We are taking the approach than any changes in the curriculum which will positively impact student learning should be implemented. If proposed changes are vetoed by CEAT or OSU these actions, along with documentary evidence from all parties, will be reported to ABET program evaluators. Thus faculty must actively implement curricular changes. Things to consider when suggesting changes are:

1. Each area has freedom to implement any changes which improve learning including teaching courses more or less often, adding or removing courses from their area, or jointly teaching courses with faculty from other areas.
2. Program changes by any area will be submitted to the undergraduate program committee for review and comment. If the proposed changes have minimal impact on other areas they will be recommended for implementation. Changes which impact other areas will be brought up for discussion at a faculty meeting for discussion.
3. Proposed changes must be backed up by assessment data.
4. Our constituencies are: our students, their employers, and ourselves (the faculty).
5. Changes should positively impact both outcomes and objectives.
6. The core curriculum is not “off limits” any more.

In summary we must not only measure how well our students are doing, but we must implement changes which improve our students and our department. We are no longer bound by the same restrictions that have bound us in the past.