Evaluation Of Assessment Tools For Outcome Based Engineering Courses

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. I. Background about Alabama A&M University’s Mechanical Engineering Program Alabama A&M University (AAMU), is a land grant historically black university. It is located in the northeast outreach of Huntsville, Alabama, an important world center of expertise for advanced missile, space transportation and electronic research and development. Among the leading industry and government agencies located in the area are NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Army Aviation and Missile Command Center (AMCOM), Redstone Arsenal Testing Center, The Boeing Company, Northrup Grumman, Lockheed Martin Aerospace and many others associated with high-tech endeavors. These industries and government agencies require large numbers of highly trained engineers, in the areas of manufacturing and propulsion. Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright 2003, American Society for Engineering Education In 1997, the Mechanical Engineering program at AAMU was created as the result of a legal desegregation law suit resolution in the civil case CV 83-M-1676. To respond what is important around north Alabama, the Mechanical Engineering program at AAMU was formulated into two options: Manufacturing and propulsion system. The Mechanical Engineering Program’s mission is to provide an environment conducive for students to build their self-confidence, develop engineering and professional competences, and elevate the quality of their scholarly and professional endeavors. The ME program is aimed to develop engineering core competencies in manufacturing and propulsion systems to better serve industry and government organizations and P ge 843.1