A total quality management tool for experiential engineering education

Abstract

The development and deployment of a web-based software tool, the Automated Grading Platform (AGP), will be presented. A collaborative effort between the Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering department and Faculty Innovations in Teaching & Learning (FITL) Center, the AGP allows for the real-time grading of assignments and provides immediate feedback to students in Mechanical Engineering courses. The platform is designed to work within the Total Quality Management (TQM) paradigm. With this system, only exemplary work is accepted. However, students are free to repeat an assignment an unlimited number of times until they produce work that meets this standard. Grade thresholds are established based on the volume of acceptable work submitted. This threshold is distributed to students at the beginning of the semester. The student can determine the grade they wish to achieve, and stop working when they have reached the desired grade threshold. Applying a Total Quality Management (TQM) Tool in an educational setting will provide a quantum leap forward in providing both flexibility and support to our students. It draws on existing educational paradigms such as constructivism and the experiential theory of learning, yet offers a new and exciting approach to covering course material. Students get increased flexibility to tailor their workflow to achieve specific course objectives while the instructor is freed from routine calculations and allowed to focus on student support. Additionally, it breaks down barriers often encountered by students working remotely and on other campuses. It is expected that TQM and AGP will fundamentally change the way that Engineering is taught for the foreseeable future. The paper will discuss the development of the Automated Grading Platform and its deployment and testing in an undergraduate Computer Aided Design (CAD) course. This course is typically taken by freshman in the Mechanical Engineering program. We will discuss the need for such an application, its development, and the results of our pilot study. Emphasis will be placed on the effect that the AGP has on student outcomes and important metrics. The role of the AGP within the broader context of student resources will also be considered. Lessons learned from our pilot study will be reviewed in preparation for a full implementation and evaluation of the AGP.