STUDENT OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT PLAN
University of Northern Iowa
Department of Industrial Technology
Bachelor of Science: Electrical and Information Engineering Technology
I. Departmental Philosophy of Outcomes Assessment:
The two primary goals of the Department of Industrial Technology are to provide quality degree
programs designed to prepare (1) management-oriented technical professionals for careers in
goods producing industries and related technical service areas and (2) to prepare education
professionals (teachers and teacher educators) for industrial technology related programs in
secondary and post-secondary schools, colleges, and universities.
The purpose of student outcomes assessment in the Department of Industrial Technology is to
provide assurance that the various curricular programs within the department achieve the above
goals. This is especially important in view of the ever changing needs of students within a
society characterized by dynamic changes in technology.
The information obtained from assessments will not be used for student evaluation nor for
determining graduation eligibility. It will, rather, be used to enhance the students’ total
educational experience at the university. Staff development, instructional methods improvement,
equipment acquisition, and facilities modification and/or construction are some of the desired
results.
The overall philosophy and goals of the Electrical and Information Engineering Technology
major are encompassed in the mission statement for the area. This mission is to assist students in
developing their inherent potential of individual cognitive and affective capabilities. This will
enable the graduate with the Bachelor of Science to experience positive accomplishments in both
the professional and private areas of life. The primary goals of the Electrical and Information
Engineering Technology program are to provide an educational experience for the graduates
which prepare them for:

Engineering technology professions in technical fields of services and products
requiring the use of knowledge and skills of electrical and information
engineering technology in general.
Toward those ends, the Electrical and Information Engineering Technology Major enables the
student to prepare for a professional career either in a technical occupation related to the design
and/or production of electronic goods, the data acquisition, instrumentation, transmission and/or
processing of information flow, or the production, conversion, transmission and/or consumption
of electrical energy both in traditional and renewable; or in an engineering-related technical
occupation involved with the application of analog and digital electronics, sensors, wired and
wireless networking, power electronics, control systems, telecommunication systems to
commodities and/or service production. In either instance, the general education requirements
provide for the liberal educational experiences required of a Bachelor of Science degree. This
liberal educational experience was implemented to provide the graduate with a "well rounded"
educational experience. Within the major is the required core of mathematics, computer science
and physical science coursework which serves as a basis for the technical systems in the
electrical, electronics, telecommunication, and networking fields. There are also university
electives to enhance the students’ background knowledge of different areas. Faculty advisor may
recommend certain university electives to students based on their needs. As a capstone design
experience for the graduate in the Electrical and Information Engineering Technology major, the
senior design courses insure that the graduating senior will be required to demonstrate
proficiency in the world of problem solving that requires design and implementation.
II. Outcomes and Competencies:
The five principal objectives which a graduate of EIET major will be expected demonstrate
during the student outcome assessment are the following. Graduates of the Bachelor Degree
EET program will possess the following competencies upon graduation. (Letters in parenthesis
refer to Program Outcome requirements from Accreditation Board of Engineering and
Technology ABET-TAC Assessment Criterion 2).
Outcome 1. Students should display a depth of understanding of the basic theories and scientific
principles which are the basis of the electrical power and machinery, analog and digital
electronics, controls, instrumentation, networking, and telecommunication systems which our
society utilizes in the engineering technology area. (b, d).
Competency 1.1. Ability to effectively apply mathematics concepts such as equations and
inequalities, exponents, geometry, trigonometry, descriptive statistics and derivatives to
electrical, electronics, controls, networking, and telecommunication applications.
Competency 1.2. Should apply principles of mathematics and applied science, to perform
technical calculations and solve technical problems of the types commonly encountered in
electrical and information engineering technology careers. (a, b, f)
Competency 1.3. Exhibit proficiency in computer applications relating to occupational fields in
the electrical, electronics, controls, networking, and telecommunication industry.
Competency 1.4. Should function competently in a laboratory setting, making measurements,
operating technical equipment, critically examining experimental results, and properly reporting
on experimental results, including their potential for improvement. (a, b, c, f, g)
Competency 1.5. Should use modern computational tools for technical problem solving,
including scientific calculators, computers, process sheets, spreadsheets, flow charts and
appropriate simulation software in the electrical and information engineering technology area. (a,
b, f)
Outcome 2. The student should display the organizational and supervisory principles,
demonstrate a broad education and knowledge of contemporary issues in a global and societal
context, project team skills and practices which enable the technically based industry in this
society to function as a productive unit as necessary to develop professional and ethical
responsibility, including responsibility to employers and to society at large. (i, j)
Competency 2.1. Ability to identify and describe basic systems, resources, and coordinating
elements of electrical and information engineering technology.
Competency 2.2. Exhibit awareness and working knowledge of team project work techniques
and skills used in industrial work environments.
Competency 2.3. Assess personal abilities and skills needed to function effectively as a team
member, team leader, technical project manager, industrial supervisor or manager of an
industrial concern.
Competency 2.4. Demonstrate an ability to communicate and function effectively with members
of multi-disciplinary teams from a variety of backgrounds. (e, g, j);
Outcome 3. The student should be able to exhibit effective communication strategies with
members of multidisciplinary teams from a variety of backgrounds in written, oral and graphic
fashion as required to function as a technically literate team member, team manager, or
individual member of engineering technology society. (e, g, j)
Competency 3.1. Demonstrate ability to provide effective oral presentations, with or without
supplemental media, to explain a technological processes or procedures, to convince others of
the value of an idea, or to solicit group/team participation or cooperation.
Competency 3.2. Exhibit proficiency of written communication skills through examples such as
journal abstracts, technical summaries, case studies, term papers, lab reports, senior design
research proposals/reports, technical reports, and resumes.
Competency 3.3. Demonstrate an ability to analyze, synthesize, and propose solutions to
electrical and information engineering technological problems through individual and/or group
participation in research and development projects.
Competency 3.4. Develop appropriate visual aids for assisting in communicating ideas,
expressing a viewpoint, describing a product of process, and/or for marketing a product.
Outcome 4. Should recognize the need for life-long learning and possess the skills to maintain
and improve technical and non-technical abilities. (h,k)
Competency 4.1. Identify the principle needs for life-learning opportunities in the electrical and
information engineering technology area.
Competency 4.2. Demonstrate interest, and enthusiasm for workshops, seminars, senior design
presentations, and other learning events in school and work environments.
Outcome 5. The student should possess fundamental knowledge of the characteristics of the
research, development, and capstone design activity in the engineering technology field such that
the student can function in that setting.
Competency 5.1. Able to describe the importance of the research activity in the engineering
technology setting to the welfare of a technological society.
Competency 5.2. Demonstrate the ability to identify, formulate, and present creative solutions to
technical problems in a variety of specialty areas within the broad fields of electrical and
information engineering technology. (d)
Competency 5.2. Describe a typical progression of activities from applied research on a new
electronic, electrical, or telecommunication concept through the development phase to
integration into an existing system.
Competency 5.3. Discuss major technological advances in electronic, electrical, and
telecommunication systems throughout history with respect to their social, economic, and
environmental significance.
Competency 5.4. Display an awareness of and sensitivity to human and environmental concerns
in relation to application of developments in the electrical power, analog and digital electronics,
controls, networking, and telecommunication fields.
III. Frequency of Assessment:
Student outcomes assessment will take place on regularly scheduled intervals. Initial outcomes
assessment for all majors will occur within a three week period upon declaration of major or
acceptance of a transfer into the program. The second assessment will occur upon the student
obtaining junior status or completing 90 credit hours toward graduation. The third will occur
during the spring semester prior to the student's graduation. Because Research and Development
courses, like Senior Design, are used in the Electrical and Information Engineering Technology
major as a vehicle for partial assessment and because these courses are taken during the students
senior year prior to his/her graduation, the courses reflect a "capstone" experience. This
assessment will serve as the "exit interview" for the Electrical and Information Engineering
Technology major. The final outcomes assessment will occur within five years after the
student's graduation. Additional follow-up surveys are presently being used by the Electrical and
Information Engineering Technology major and will continue to serve as ongoing assessment
activities.
IV. Methods of Assessment:
The mechanism of choice for assembling the assessment information for each student into an
aggregate collection for consistent evaluation and appraisal will be a portfolio/folder. This folder
will reside within the departmental student files (not to preclude the student from maintaining a
complete file of her/his own). When a student declares a major, the portfolio-based assessment
plan will be introduced to the student by the student's advisor. The advisor will explain the
purposes of the assessment folder, the intended contents, and the process by which it will be
reviewed. The intent is to use the portfolio to house documents for program and career planning,
program progress reports and student survey results. Contents of student portfolios will be
periodically analyzed to obtain estimates of the success with which intended learning occurs.
Folder/portfolio content and responsibilities:
The Admissions and Registrar Offices are responsible for providing copies of items 1-6 (see list
below) to the Industrial Technology Department for inclusion in the student's folder/portfolio.
The complete folder of each EIET student will be located in the departmental file cabinet
accessible to both the student and advisor.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
requirements.

Items to be included at declaration of major or acceptance of transfer.
High school GPA and class rank.
ACT scores.
Current university transcript.
Most recent copy of University program audit.
Registrar's reports of low midterm grades, if any.
For transfer students, copy of accepted transfer credits and remaining major
Items to be added during the educational program.
7.
Statement of student's career goals as currently conceived.
8.
Copy of student requests and petitions, if any.
9.
Yearly copies of graded brief works related to major course work in the EIET area
(e.g., journal abstract, case study, project/lab report).
10.
Yearly copies of a graded, written paper, or essay exam discussing the structure of
the EIET related industry, the nature of technology, or the impact of a specific technology with
relation to its potential socioeconomic, and/or environmental impacts.
11.
Yearly copies of a graded, written research paper or report related to industrial
organization, resources, processes, or managerial technology.
12.
Statement of self-assessment of progress by student with respect to program
progress, attainment of expected outcomes and competencies as they relate to career goals for
mid-program review.
13.
A graded summary report from the Senior Design course specifying the
contribution of the student.
14.
Results of student survey instrument (exit interview) administered during the
semester of graduation.
15.
Placement resume including career objective for pre-graduation review.
16.
Other items as requested by advisor for assessment of specific competencies.
(May include external technical certification evaluations.)
Concluding comments on assessment methods.
The overall responsibility for assembling the required outcomes assessment materials will be the
students. The student's advisor will be responsible for orienting the student in what is required in
the folder and will have joint responsibility with the student in scheduling assessment meetings.
The suggested follow-up survey to be undertaken on one to five year intervals will be the
instrument that is presently being used for collecting data on EIET graduates. The student
survey (or exit interview) could be a departmentally developed and administrated instrument.
Further, two selected members of the EIET major advisory group will serve as an assessing body
for direction, continuity and relevance of the major. The response from the assessment group in
conjunction with student outcome assessment should enable the EIET area to maintain a close
correlation of the needs of the technical community with the course content.
V. Analysis-Interpretation and Reporting of Results:
A committee consisting of the Electrical and Information Engineering Technology area
coordinator and faculty members from the area will review selected student's outcomes folders
during the spring semester each year. This will occur on a yearly basis during a designated and
scheduled day (Assessment Day) set aside for the review. The committee will summarize the
extent to which the competencies and outcomes are being realized by the student. During the
first two years (the trial period for determining the appropriateness of this activity), the
committee will also prepare a short report in evaluation of the outcomes assessment process to be
submitted to the department Head for appropriate distribution at the mandated reporting date.
It is important to remember that the outcomes assessment program is designed for improvement
of the academic effort within the degree program, department and university. The evaluation
reports on the outcomes assessments procedure will be used to refine and further modify the
outcomes strategy. Appropriate adjustments in the overall program will be made as needed and
time is available.