Student Portfolios For Learning, Cqi, Accreditation, And Industrial Ties

Student portfolios are defined as “a purposeful collection of materials capable of communicating student interests, abilities, progress, and accomplishments in a given area.” The authors have initiated student portfolios in biological and agricultural engineering, and agricultural construction and systems management courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, and are now extending this assessment method across curricula and universities. The core objectives are to (1) enhance student-centered learning, (2) obtain immediate feedback for continuous quality improvement (CQI) in the courses, (3) address accreditation issues that are of great importance as biological engineering programs prepare for new evaluative strategies set forth by ABET EC 2000, and (4) encourage industrial ties and community service such that graduates of biological engineering curricula will have more opportunities for employment. The authors detail their methodologies and discuss progress with regard to implementing portfolios across curricula and universities, addressing accreditation, and building industrial ties. MARYBETH LIMA Marybeth Lima is an Assistant Professor in Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Louisiana State University, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Food Science. She received her Ph.D. in Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering from The Ohio State University in 1996. EVANGELYN C. ALOCILJA Dr. Evangelyn C. Alocilja is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering at Michigan State University. She has degrees in Systems Science/Electrical Engineering, Soil Science, and Chemistry. ANN D. CHRISTY Ann D. Christy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering at the Ohio State University. She earned both her B.S. in agricultural engineering and M.S. in biomedical engineering at the Ohio State University, and her Ph.D. in environmental systems engineering at Clemson University. She is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Ohio. JAMES C. PAPRITAN James C. Papritan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering at the Ohio State University. He earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Agricultural Education at the Ohio State University. P ge 561.1 MARGARET E. OWENS Margaret E. Owens is a Graduate Research/Teaching Associate in the Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering at the Ohio State University. She is a doctoral candidate in Agricultural Education at the Ohio State University. MICHAEL H. KLINGMAN Michael H. Klingman is a Research Associate in the Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering at the Ohio State University. He holds degrees in Combined Sciences from Youngstown State University and in Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering from the Ohio State University.