Program Improvement

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Direct assessment evidence is collected for each measurable course outcome by the course instructor and is reviewed by the instructor who then "closes the loop" by responding to the assessment evidence by making specific changes to the course learning activities to improve student achievement of outcomes. This process is evaluated periodically by the faculty area of expertise committee, who may make additional suggestions for improvement not only in the course but more broadly in the curriculum. The full faculty, as well as the industrial advisory board, discuss the significant items that result from the assessment and continuous improvement process and vote on any significant changes that are proposed.

A program indicator [PI] designation is used to identify measurable course-level outcomes that serve as good indicators of performance for each program-level student learning outcome. These representative outcomes are monitored regularly to maintain continuity of assessment, while all other outcomes are formally assessed whenever course or curriculum changes warrant a reassessment, or at a minimum at least once every 3 years.

Bachelor of Science in Energy Engineering

Direct assessment evidence is collected for each measurable course outcome by the course instructor and is reviewed by the instructor who then ‘closes the loop’ by responding to the assessment evidence by making specific changes to the course learning activities to improve student achievement of outcomes. This process is evaluated periodically by the core program faculty, who may make additional suggestions for improvement not only in the course but more broadly in the curriculum. The full program faculty, as well as the industrial advisory board, discuss the significant items that result from the assessment and continuous improvement process and vote on any significant changes that are proposed. All outcomes are formally assessed whenever course or curriculum changes warrant a reassessment, or at a minimum at least once every 3 years.

For this program which draws heavily from courses in ME, EECS, ChBE, ET and other programs, many course-level outcomes are assessed by the programs offering the courses. The EnE specific outcomes, as well as the overall student outcomes, are assessed by the EnE program faculty and evaluated for continuous improvement opportunities.

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering

1. As of Spring 2015, all graduate students in the Mechanical Engineering Department are required to develop a professional research proposal in the Graduate Colloquium course (ME 5800) prior to their actual proposal defense. This will provide the student with additional insight into the technical communication needs and structural understanding of how work plans are related to attainment of research objectives
2. As of Spring 2015, all graduate students in the Mechanical Engineering Department are required to demonstrate basic data analysis skills in the Graduate Colloquium course (ME 5800). Students are given experimental case studies, asked to analyze the data using one or more statistical methods (ranging from simple t-tests to 1-way ANOVA), present the results, and provide a plan for improving the quality of the data and results.
3. In order to use the existing rigorous evaluation of a student’s oral thesis defense and written thesis document for continuous improvement, a standard rubric is being developed to enable a more refined rating of a student’s performance with respect to communication and research skills relative to the expectations of the profession. The rubric will include evaluation of the student, the advisor, and the committee so that there is an opportunity for improvement in both the student achievement of outcomes and the thesis committee mentoring process to help students achieve the program outcomes.

Doctorate of Mechanical and Systems Engineering

• The Associate Dean for Research, Graduate Studies, and Planning oversees graduate learning with the assistance of departmental graduate chairs
• Graduate learning takes place through 1-on-1 mentoring by research advisors and committee members, coursework, self-learning as guided by advisors, and the execution, and analysis of the research plan
• Students must successfully complete the college graduate writing course ET 6020 to learn proper techniques for presenting scholarly research and the proper use and citation of the work of others
• Students must enroll in ET 7999 – Graduate Seminar. Seminar focuses on writing proposals and publishing journal/conference papers. The course content can be adjusted to address areas of concern
• The department and/or advisors provide partial funding annually to enable each student to present work at a professional meeting
• The advisors require their students to submit their work to relevant professional journals