Etac ABET and Evaluateur-CURE: Findings from Combining Two Assessment Approaches as Indicators of Student Learning Outcomes

Abstract

Engineering Technology (ET) programs at community colleges and colleges/universities play a vital role in meeting the growing national demand for STEM graduates. Many accredited ET programs feature design projects that allow students to apply content knowledge and gain valuable workplace skills. Undergraduate research, especially inquiry-based projects, helps students take ownership of their own learning and see the real-world relevance of research as they learn problem-solving skills. EvaluateUR-CURE, an evidence-based method developed at SUNY Buffalo, measures a broad range of desirable outcomes that include both content knowledge and outcomes that are critically important in the workplace, such as communication skills, creativity, autonomy, an ability to overcome obstacles, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. EvaluateUR-CURE also provides students opportunities to develop metacognitive skills as a way to identify how much academicprogress they have made or still need to make. This paper addresses the process of development of performance indicators and presents the results of assessment and evaluation of ETAC ABET student outcomes and outcome categories of EvaluateUR-CURE