Assessment of student learning

The Industrial Engineering department has designed a Plan for the Assessment of Student Learning. The assessment is based on the evaluation of ABET Criteion 2 (Educational Objectives) and Criterion 3 (Program Outcomes). The major constituents on the assessment and evaluation of the level of achievement are the faculty, alumni, employers, and the Industrial Advisory Board (IAB).

The IE department has a center named the Industrial Engineering Center for Academic Research (IECAR) in charge of data collection, analysis and the generation of reports. The IECAR center counts with the support of the College of Engineering SEED office (System for the Evaluation of the Education), and the Office for Institutional Research and Planning (OIIP). The interaction between the constituents and the flow of information is depicted in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Assessment of Educational Objectives and Program Outcomes

The tools used for the assessment process are presented in Figure 2. The evaluation of the level of achievement of educational objectives is performed mainly with results from surveys sent to employers and alumni, and from meetings with the Industrial Engineering Advisory Board (IAB).

The assessment of program outcomes is performed through indirect as well as direct measures. Indirect measures are obtained from the Graduating Student Exit Survey. The direct measures are from: (1) classroom assessment, and (2) FE (Fundamentals of Engineering) exam. Statistics generated by the Office for Institutional Research and Planning (OIIP) have also been used when needed to support the assessment process.

• Educational Objectives
• Employers Survey
• Alumni Survey
• Inputs from the IE Advisory Board
• Program Outcomes
• ABET Outcomes A – K
• Monitoring through the curriculum
• Direct measures from classroom activity.
• Evaluation at the end of curriculum
• Graduating Student Exit Survey
• 11 IE Program Outcomes
• Monitoring through the curriculum
• Direct measures from classroom activity.
• Evaluation at the end of curriculum
• Graduating Student Exit Survey
• Direct measures from the FE exam.

Figure 2. Assessment Tools

The IE Department assessment coordinator presents results to faculty members either on department meetings or an annual ABET retreat in May. Action items related to courses, in response to identified areas of opportunity, are addressed through course committees. Actions taken by course committees are reported back to faculty in department meetings. Program improvements are based on assessment results.