Process for Evaluation of Program Educational Objectives and Outcomes
The program educational objectives and curriculum are examined on a continuing basis as indicated in the EE Objectives and Outcomes Procedure Flow Chart. As shown in the flow chart, there are two assessment loops. The top loop is related primarily to the assessment of the educational objectives while the bottom loop is related primarily to the assessment of the program outcomes. The determination of the stated program outcomes are indicated in the top loop since they flow directly from the educational objectives. The educational objectives are related to performance of alumni a few years after graduation, whereas program outcomes are related to abilities at graduation. Therefore, the assessment methods and the participating constituencies are slightly different.
The program educational objectives are examined on a continuing basis by the faculty of the department through a committee structure. The Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (EEUCC) is comprised of the department chair and the chairs of all the sub-committees. The sub-committees are divided by topic areas and, specifically, are: Circuits and Electronics; Basic Science; Laboratories and Digital Systems, and Communications and Controls. Each member of the faculty serves on at least one committee and most serve on at least two committees. Each sub-committee monitors a number of courses.
As indicated in the flow chart, the EEUCC is charged with the development of the educational objectives and the stated program outcomes with feedback from industry, alumni, students and the entire EE faculty. The top loop in the flow chart is executed, basically, on a semester basis.
Alumni surveys, company surveys, students, the Industrial Advisory Board and the faculty, all directly address the educational objectives, program outcomes and the curriculum. In addition, other Universities are examined for comparison as are ABET guidelines. All of this information is provided to the EEUCC to evaluate and recommend changes to the educational objectives, program outcomes and the curriculum when appropriate.
All changes recommended by the EEUCC are presented to the immediately available constituents (IAB, students, faculty) before changes are made. Results of any changes are evaluated in the next cycle.
From the outcomes and curriculum, the EEUCC works with individual area subcommittees to establish individual course learning objectives (CLO) and the relationship of the CLO to the program outcomes. The CLO for all ECE undergraduate courses along with the survey forms for student and faculty evaluations are available at www.depts.ttu.edu/ece/abet. The EEUCC also works with the subcommittees to develop ways to assess the CLO. The student and faculty CLO assessments are surveys with quantitative values. The student performance involves grade distributions and sample work. The student and faculty evaluations are collected and reviewed by the appropriate sub-committee at the end of each semester. Each sub-committee determines when problems are occurring and when areas need improvement. When an evaluation element goes below a preset limit for 2 consecutive semesters, action must be taken. The preset limits are established by each sub-committee and are usually in the range of 2.5 to 3.0. Each sub-committee forwards a report to the EEUCC with recommendations for improvement. Course learning objective evaluations can, of course, lead to suggested changes in program outcomes, objectives and curriculum also.
The relationship between the program outcomes and the educational objectives are also used to provide indicators that the objectives are being achieved. The EE Objectives and Outcomes Procedure Flow Chart indicates this process along with the source of the measures. Some of the measures come from individual courses and other measures come from a more composite view, such as senior exit interviews, IAB, students and faculty. Summaries of these inputs in the form of surveys, meeting reports and some example student work are available at www.depts.ttu.edu/ece/abet. The subcommittees initially evaluate the results from the course measures and make recommendations to the EEUCC. The EEUCC takes these recommendations along with the other composite measures and implements any internal changes that do not impact the educational objectives, program outcomes or curriculum. Any recommended changes to these areas revert back to the top loop for action.