Student Learning Assessment In Engineering Technology Programs With A "Graduation Exam"

The Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (TAC/ABET) is now incorporating student learning assessment criteria for engineering technology degree program accreditation. The Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology at IUPUI has determined that a senior level “graduation exam” similar to the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination will be the optimal student outcomes assessment tool for its Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) and Computer Integrated Manufacturing Technology (CIMT) degree programs. This paper reports on the format of the graduation examination along with faculty experiences and insights of using a graduation examination as one of the assessment tools in an engineering technology program. Included in the discussion is how the graduation examination results are being used for course improvement and enhancement activities. The paper also includes a statistical analysis of the examination results in terms of correlation with overall grade point averages and time to degree completion.