Central Washington University
Assessment of Student Learning
Department and Program Report
Please enter the appropriate information concerning your student learning assessment activities for this year.
Academic Year of Report: _ 2012-2013 _ College: CEPS
Department ETSC_____________ Program: M.S., Engineering Technology
1. What student learning outcomes were assessed this year, and why?
The MSET program has six learner outcomes. The assessment plan uses elements from each course in the core, plus the IET526, Engineering
Project Cost Analysis. The outcomes are listed below:
1. Access information databases on details of recent technological innovations in areas such as materials, manufacturing, electronics,
design, and instrumentation;
2. Learn how to conduct research in an efficient manner;
3. Present results of research in a clear and concise manner, both verbal and written;
4. Understand how products are designed and developed in the commercial sector with knowledge of design, manufacturing processes,
materials, and information transfer;
5. Develop analytical and practical techniques to analyze systems of related components such as manufacturing facilities, machinery, and
fluid/thermal systems; and
6. Develop an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving by utilizing knowledge of electronics, mechanics, materials, manufacturing and
economics.
The following sections demonstrate how the MSET learning outcomes are tied to I&ET, CEPS, and university goals and mission:
MSET Learning Outcome 1
Access information databases on details of recent technological innovations in areas such as materials, manufacturing, electronics, design, and
instrumentation
I&ET Goal 10: Promote lifelong learning for students, faculty and staff.
CEPS Goal 1: Provide for an outstanding academic and professional growth experience.
University Mission: Encourage professional growth
MSET Learning Outcome 2
Learn how to conduct research in an efficient manner
I&ET Goal 10: Promote lifelong learning for students, faculty and staff.
CEPS Goal 1: Provide for an outstanding academic and professional growth experience.
University Mission: Encourage professional growth
MSET Learning Outcome 3
Present results of research in a clear and concise manner, both verbal and written
I&ET Mission: Prepare students for professional technical employment.
CEPS Mission: Prepare students to enhance their professions.
University Mission: Encourage professional growth
MSET Learning Outcome 4
Understand how products are designed and developed in the commercial sector with knowledge of design, manufacturing processes, materials,
and information transfer
I&ET Mission: Prepare students for professional technical employment.
CEPS Mission: Prepare students to enhance their professions.
University Mission: Encourage professional growth
MSET Learning Outcome 5
Develop analytical and practical techniques to analyze systems of related components such as manufacturing facilities, machinery, and
fluid/thermal systems
I&ET Mission: Prepare students for professional technical employment.
CEPS Goal 2: Prepare students to participate in an increasingly diverse economy.
University Mission: Encourage professional growth
MSET Learning Outcome 6
Develop an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving by utilizing knowledge of electronics, mechanics, materials, manufacturing and
economics
I&ET Mission: Prepare students for professional technical employment.
CEPS Mission: Prepare students to enhance their professions.
University Mission: Encourage professional growth.
2) How were they assessed, 3) What was learned, & 4) What will the program do as a result of that information?
MSET Learning Outcome 1
Access information databases on details of recent technological innovations in areas such as materials, manufacturing, electronics, design, and
instrumentation
Course #
IET501
Course Name
Industrial and Academic
Research Methods
Term Learning Outcome
Fall
Students will be able to
identify and find sources of
information for conducting
reviews of literature.
Assessment Method
Literature review portion
of the research project
prospectus paper (class
term project).
IET523
Emerging Technologies
Fall
Class term project.
Students will be able to
locate, interpret, and
synthesize information about
emerging technologies in
various disciplines.
Standard of Mastery
Students will identify and
obtain a sufficient amount of
credible information sources
to justify the need for their
proposed study and justify
their selected research
method.
Students will identify and
obtain a sufficient number of
information sources to foster
ideas for the proposed
innovations in their term
projects and to support their
plans for protecting the
intellectual property that
could result from their
proposed innovations.
Data for Learning Outcome 1
There is now enough data to report longitudinal results from IET501 and IET523. The data from IET501 represents the number of references
that were cited from resources that were sufficiently rigorous for the purpose at hand. The data for IET523 represents student scores for Phase
II of the term project, in which students devise a plan for identifying customer needs in a product development project. Project scores reflect
the appropriateness of the information gathering plans.
IET501
IET523
AY2011-2012
No Data
87%
AY2012-2013
86%
90%
AY2013-2014
87%
Offered W14
What Was Learned?
Most students demonstrated a high level of ability to locate information resources that were appropriately rigorous for the purposes at hand.
However, there was a minority of students during each term in IET501 who frequently did not cite references from sufficiently rigorous sources.
In my opinion the concepts were properly conveyed during course instruction, because most students performed very well on this item. I am
not sure if the minority of students who consistently failed to meet this requirement did so because of a lack of understanding or due to a lack of
affective appreciation for academic rigor.
What Will Be Done as a Result?
As mentioned above, a small number of students consistently underperformed on this item. I don’t know whether the failure was cognitive or
affective, but I will address the issue by instituting counseling sessions with students prior to completion of the assignment so that I can
reinforce what they learned in class and give students a chance to correct deficiencies before turning in their work.
MSET Learning Outcome 2
Learn how to conduct research in an efficient manner
Course #
IET501
Course Name
Industrial and Academic
Research Methods
IET501
Industrial and Academic
Research Methods
Term Learning Outcome
Fall
Students will be able to set up
full- and fractional- 2k
industrial experiments using
standard design of
experiments procedures,
conduct the experimental
runs, and analyze the results.
Fall
Students will be able to write
a research proposal and
outline the body of a research
report and a thesis paper
according to university and
APA style requirements.
Assessment Method
Class design of
experiments (DOE)
assignments.
Research project
prospectus paper (class
term project).
Standard of Mastery
The experimental design will
assess the effects of the
project’s control factors,
using the minimum amount
of trial runs while
maintaining the desired
alpha level.
The student’s proposed
research method will be
correctly matched to the
problem statement and will
not contain any extraneous
elements.
Data for Learning Outcome 2
The two data points from IET501 represent composite student performance on DOE assignments and student scores on the research prospectus
paper assignment.
DOE Assignments: Average of all Scores
Average of all scores on prospectus paper assignment
AY2011-2012
95%
87%
AY2012-2013
93%
87%
AY2013-2014
96%
87%
What Was Learned?
Performance data has remained nearly constant over the past three years. However both the DOE assignments and the prospectus assignment
have become more well-defined and more demanding over the same time period. While the student performance has risen with the
expectations, it has not improved relative to expectations.
What Will Be Done as a Result?
I will be focusing particularly on improving performance on the prospectus paper assignment in the fall of 2014, since it helps students to build a
foundation of knowledge and skills for their research projects.
MSET Learning Outcome 3
Present results of research in a clear and concise manner, both verbal and written
Course #
IET501
Course Name
Industrial and Academic
Research Methods
Term Learning Outcome
Fall
Students will be able to
present results of research in
a clear and concise manner,
both verbal and written.
Assessment Method
Conduct a design of
experiments (DOE)
project, write a report,
and present the results.
Standard of Mastery
The student’s analysis will be
presented in writing with
tabulated summary results
and supporting analytical
graphs when necessary. The
information flow will be
logical, following standard
procedures for DOE analysis.
The oral presentation will be
sufficiently clear so that
every audience member
understands the student’s
interpretation of the results.
Data for Learning Outcome 3
Composite data from written student DOE assignments is included in the table below. Oral reporting requirements have not yet been
implemented, but oral follow-up discussion of DOE assignments began in the fall quarter of 2013.
DOE Assignments: Average of all Scores
AY2011-2012
95%
AY2012-2013
93%
AY2013-2014
96%
What Was Learned?
As mentioned in regards to Learning Outcome 2, performance data on written DOE assignments has remained nearly constant over the past
three years. However the DOE assignments have become more well-defined and more demanding over the same time period. While student
performance has risen with the expectations, it has not improved relative to expectations.
What Will Be Done as a Result?
In order to improve student performance relative to expectations, oral follow-up discussion of DOE assignments will be formative rather than
summative, meaning that the discussions will occur after data collection, but while students are still working on the analysis of their
assignments. Students will then formally present their findings in an oral presentation, and their performance will be evaluated.
MSET Learning Outcome 4
Understand how products are designed and developed in the commercial sector with knowledge of design, manufacturing processes, materials,
and information transfer
Course #
IET521
Course Name
Product Design and
Development
Term Learning Outcome
Fall
Design a product that applies
the principles of Design for
Manufacturability, Design for
Assembly, and Design for
Quality, and user ergonomics.
Assessment Method
Final project evaluation
Standard of Mastery
The student’s product will be
designed in such a way that it is
safe and easy to use. The design
will also be such that the product
can be fabricated and assembled
in a quality manner, within
specified budget and production
rate constraints.
Data for Learning Outcome 4
The following data represents composite scores on team product development term projects from IET521.
IET521 Product development projects
Project was not yet implemented.
AY2011-2012
No Data*
AY2012-2013
94%
AY2013-2014
92%
What Was Learned?
Average team performance data was good, and most teams did great work on their product development projects. During both years there was
a student team that performed substantially worse than the others. It is possible that this was merely a function of the team members
themselves, but regardless of the cause the instructor would like to help all teams perform at a high level.
What Will Be Done as a Result?
Because the project requirements are complex, the instructor will implement some student-to-teacher feedback activities to insure that all
project requirements are understood. The instructor will also increase the amount of team mentoring during the course of the project.
MSET Learning Outcome 5
Develop analytical and practical techniques to analyze systems of related components such as manufacturing facilities, machinery, and
fluid/thermal systems
Course #
IET525
Course Name
Systems Analysis and
Simulation
Term Learning Outcome
Assessment Method
Fall
Students will be able to model Simulation project.
and simulate simple
manufacturing, construction,
and decision making problems
using commercially available
software.
Standard of Mastery
The student’s simulation
project will employ correct
process modeling
procedures, it will include all
operations in the production
of the department’s Toys for
Tots project, and it will
function properly using Pro
Model software.
Data for Learning Outcome 5
Student performance on the project continued to be strong.
Academic Year
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
# Students
27
12
13
Project Score
97%
100%
100%
What Was Learned?
Students continue to perform well. One item not reflected in the data is that the MET345 course project (toy manufacturing), which used to
serve as a basis for student simulation projects in IET525, is no longer being conducted.
What Will Be Done as a Result?
A new manufacturing process is being developed to make promotional items in the Hogue Hall labs. When fully developed, this process will
serve as the basis for future IET525 simulation projects. It will be a manufacturing process that can be run by IET525 students when needed,
independent of another class (MET345).
MSET Learning Outcome 6
Develop an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving by utilizing knowledge of electronics, mechanics, materials, manufacturing and
economics
Course #
IET521
Course Name
Product Design and
Development
Term
Fall
IET526
Engineering Project Cost
Analysis
Fall &
Spring
IET555
Engineering Project
Management
Learning Outcome
Design a product that applies
the principles of Design for
Manufacturability, Design for
Assembly, and Design for
Quality, and user ergonomics.
Demonstrate an
understanding of the
theoretical and conceptual
basis upon which the practice
of financial project analysis is
built.
Winter Student will demonstrate the
ability to establish budgets,
assign resources, draft
proposals, and implement
plans.
Assessment Method
Final project evaluation
Exams
Given a project scenario,
along with requirements,
constraints, and resource
information, students will
create a project baseline
plan and budget.
Standard of Mastery
The student’s product design
will employ materials that
balance product quality and
safety requirements with
process constraints such as
the capabilities of available
mechanical and electronic
manufacturing equipment.
Students will achieve at least
80% scores on course exams.
The project’s baseline plan
will be able accomplish all
required deliverables within
the time and budget
constraints.
Data for Learning Outcome 6
The data below represents the average student performance on 1) the IET521 product development project, 2) the IET526 exams, and 3) the
IET555 term project.
AY2010-2011
IET521 Project
No data*
IET526 Exams
93%
IET555 Term Project
98%
*Project not yet implemented
AY2011-2012
No data*
90%
96%
AY2012-2013
94%
91%
93%
AY2013-2014
92%
85%
Course not offered yet
What Was Learned?
Student performance was strong on all items. However there appears to be a downward trend in the IET555 term project scores. It is
impossible to determine whether the drop in IET526 scores during AY2013-2014 was due to actual difference in performance, or due to the fact
that a different instructor taught the course, or due to a combination of these factors.
What Will Be Done as a Result?
The instructor will continue monitor the trend in IET555 project scores to see if it continues downward. If so, the instructor will compare
examples of projects and attempt to identify whether particular elements of the project are trending downward, and then take corrective
actions.
5. What did the department or program do in response to last year’s assessment information?



A new instructor has taken over IET521. New class projects have been developed and assessment items have been standardized for
longitudinal assessment.
Longitudinal assessment has commenced for items measured in IET501, IET526, and IET555, as determined in the AY2011-2012 AOSL.
For learner outcome 3, oral follow-up discussions were conducted after students completed DOE assignments. Formal oral
presentations by students of their DOE analyses have not yet been implemented.
6. Questions or suggestions concerning Assessment of Student Learning at Central Washington University:
Reduce the frequency of reporting.