An Assessment Of The Redesigned Computational Methods Course At The University Of Michigan

In the spring of 2000, the junior level Computational Methods for Engineers and Scientists course at the University of Michigan was redesigned as part of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering curriculum restructuring. The broad objective of the old computational methods course was to apply numerical methods to solve various problems in engineering and science. The redesigned course has similar objectives to the original course, however a computer laboratory section was added and the presentation of material was changed. Previously, numerous alternative solution methods were covered in a very deductive matter. Now, fewer solution methods are introduced and the class is taught more inductively with a problem solution approach. The instructors consider the redesigned course to be a vast improvement over the old course; however, a more quantitative evaluation of the effectiveness was desired. The first comparison was of the student evaluations for the two courses. While student evaluations are not the best indicator of a successful course, they can give an indication on how the course is being received. The second comparison was of the results of an assessment quiz that was developed for this study. The quiz consists of a multiple-choice test along with a qualitative rating system of course effectiveness. The quiz was designed to be administered one year after course completion to determine the effect the new course has on material retention and the overall student view of course usefulness. The assessment quiz was administered in April of 2000 to a group of students who completed the old version of the course. The quiz was subsequently administered in March of 2001 to students who completed the redesigned version of the course. The assessment quiz results provide an indication of how effective the redesigned course is at teaching numerical methods.