Engineering Technology Workplace Competencies Provide Framework for Evaluation of Student Internships and Assessment of ETAC of ABET Program Outcomes

The Department of Bioresources Engineering at the University of Delaware has used a competency-based assessment approach as one means of demonstrating program outcomes for Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission (ETAC) of ABET accreditation of its 4-yr Engineering Technology (ET) program. Fourteen ET workplace competencies1 were derived from Iowa State University (ISU) workplace competencies used for EAC of ABET accreditation of ISU engineering programs2. To avoid the complexity and interdependence of ETAC of ABET a-k program outcomes, each workplace competency was designed to be “clear, concise and independent of all others.” Mastery of each competency is demonstrated by performance of a “set of observable and measurable key actions.” The ET workplace competencies were validated by mapping them to the ETAC of ABET a-k program outcomes and showing that mastery of the workplace competencies was necessary and sufficient to address achievement of the program outcomes. Undoubtedly, the best venue for demonstrating mastery of workplace competencies is in the workplace. The University of Delaware (UD) has a general education requirement for all students to engage in a 3-credit “Discovery Learning Experience” that involves substantial outside of the traditional classroom learning. Such experiences typically include internships, service-learning, independent study, undergraduate research, and study abroad. ET students at __ are encouraged to satisfy the requirement with a “Technical Practicum in Industry” – an internship. Students are required to keep a reflective journal documenting their work activities and time on the job, which must reach 120 hours for a 3-credit course. The students also submit a final report summarizing their experience. The ET workplace competencies provide an excellent framework around which the students can organize their journals and final reports. Artifacts consisting of work products generated by the students can be provided and discussed in the narrative to demonstrate mastery of specific workplace competencies. Students are encouraged to document significant workplace experiences using the behavioral interviewing response technique known as “STAR” – Situation/Task, Action, Result3. At the conclusion of the internship, the students’ supervisors are requested to complete a brief evaluation of their advisees that is based on achievement of the workplace competencies. This process yields excellent direct assessment data that can be used for ETAC of ABET accreditation purposes and a solid basis for assigning a grade to a student’s internship efforts. Introduction/Background: The Department of Bioresources Engineering (BREG) at UD offered a B.S. degree in Engineering Technology (ET) that was an ETAC of ABET-accredited4 general ET program from 1988 through August of 2013. The program typically graduated 20 to 25 majors per year. There are now a handful of students who are being allowed to finish their degrees after the department P ge 24510.2 and program’s elimination effective February 2013. In 2009, the department had instituted changes to its curriculum and adopted assessment of workplace competencies as a direct assessment tool for evaluating achievement of ETAC of ABET program outcomes1. The changes were based on pioneering work conducted at Iowa State University (ISU) where 14 engineering “workplace competencies”2 were developed and determined to be “necessary and sufficient” to demonstrate the 11 EAC of ABET General Criterion 3, Student Outcomes4. Because the EAC of ABET program outcomes were (and are) complex, interdependent, and difficult to measure, the definition for each workplace competency was designed to be “clear, concise and independent of all others”2. Each competency was associated with a specific set of “observable and measureable Key Actions”2 that when demonstrated by students confirm achievement of that particular competency. Definitions of all the ISU competencies and Key Actions (now expanded to 15 in number) are available at ISU Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering web site5. As an example, one of the ISU workplace competencies, communication, along with its associated key actions is defined as follows: Communication Competency: Clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the message.