Evaluation of assessment tools for outcome based engineering courses

Abstract

The implementation of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) Engineering Accreditation Criteria 2000 (EAC 2000) into Mechanical Engineering undergraduate curricula is critical to the success of engineering education. The EAC Criteria 2000 emphasizes an outcome based system approach to engineering education. To ensure the quality of the outcome based mechanical engineering program, faculty need to provide assessment tools to measure outcomes of each undergraduate engineering course. The faculty at Alabama A&M University adopted the SEAARK teaching approach for instruction and teaching. SEAARK stands for Knowledge, Repetition, Application, Analysis, Evaluation and Synthesis in reverse order. It was based on Bloom's taxonomy. SEAARK starts from the basics to the complex levels of learning. In the past few years, the development of the SEAARK teaching method, mapping of course objectives to ME program objectives has been completed. Mapping of the course contents to ABET criteria and assessment tools were also developed. Useful application data has been collected. This paper describes the evaluation of assessment tools for undergraduate mechanical engineering courses, at Alabama A&M University. Specific data for Fluid Mechanics class is presented. Development, modification and evaluation of assessment tools for course contents are discussed.