Course assessment plan: A tool for integrated curriculum management

Abstract

As we enter the 21 st Century in engineering education, a common desire exists to improve curriculum structure, integration and assessment. Much has been written and discussed in workshops and professional journals concerning the top-down process for assessing and/or revising a program curriculum. Institutions are finally realizing they cannot afford to rely solely upon the senior capstone design experience to be the integrator of all previous engineering experiences. Studies are beginning to show the positive effects of well-integrated curricula where assessment methods are applied consistently. What is missing in many instances is a credible link between top-down curriculum management and bottom-up course assessment. At the United States Military Academy at West Point, a widely accepted assessment model provides the framework for program management. The Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at West Point has long prided itself on working hard to provide a rigorous and well-integrated undergraduate engineering program of study. Over the last five years we have developed and refined an integrating tool within the academy's assessment model called a course assessment plan. The course assessment plan provides that crucial link between the program curriculum and the individual courses. The plan process and content will be the major focus of this paper. To illustrate the impact of the course assessment plan in closing the assessment loop, we will discuss an example of a course change with implications at the program level that was initiated and completed through use of the plan.