Getting From Anecdotal To Measured Outcomes Assessment For Out Of Class Experiences

It has been said that internships, co-ops, involvement in student organizations, and international experiences add value to engineering students’ education. Industry representatives send a clear message that grade point average is not the only thing considered when making hiring decisions. Can the value of such activities on the educational experience be measured? The Biological Systems Engineering Department and the Student Programs staff in the College of Engineering & Technology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are developing methods to get from anecdotal information to tangible, measurable outcomes. The process is being guided by: i) ABET program outcomes (A-K) 1 ; ii) the need for “quantitative” information; iii) ease of access to students in time and place; iv) a goal of having an effective and efficient process for obtaining and interpreting results and; v) the desire to measure outcomes longitudinally. To accomplish this task, several surveys have been developed for completion by students through various stages of their engineering education. The surveys focus: a) “work”-related experiences; b) international experiences; c) academic advising; d) involvement in student organizations; and e) post-graduate placement. The goal is to get the right survey to the right student, at the right time. This paper discusses the process for developing the surveys, the means in which the data is collected, and preliminary results from over 400 students who took the “work”-related and international surveys in the fall of 2003.