Evaluation And Outcomes Assessment During The Semester: Putting Course Learning Objectives To Work

In recent years, much has been written about the requirement to perform outcomes and objective assessments to evaluate the strengths of ABET accredited programs in all engineering disciplines including engineering management. In particular, the criteria for accrediting engineering technology programs stipulates that programs must demonstrate that graduates have a commitment to quality, timeliness, and continuous improvement (Technology Accreditation Commission, page 33). At the program level or at the individual student level, a commitment to continuous educational process improvement characterized by routine, outcomes assessment has evolved to become one of the key elements of success for engineering and engineering technology programs alike. This article examines the application of the principal of outcomes assessment during a course dealing with topics very typical of engineering and construction management related curricula – construction planning, budgeting, and scheduling. Just as program and graduate assessments rely on well defined outcomes, goals, and objectives, this article presents a program of student assessments and performance oriented teaching based on clear, published course learning objectives. These internal course assessments effectively ascertained the level of student learning and provided an array of interactive teaching techniques that created opportunities to correct diagnosed student deficiencies in learning that served to rapidly realign the student back within course expectations.