The mission of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering is –
 to build and enhance the excellent public program that the Department of
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering currently is, and to be recognized as such;
 to provide our students with experiences in solving open-ended problems of industrial and societal need through learned skills in integrating engineering sciences, and synthesizing and developing useful products and processes;
 to provide experiences in leadership, teamwork, communications — oral, written and graphic —, and hands-on activities, with the help of structured and unstructured real-life projects.
a.
Campus-Wide Student Learning Outcomes :
Programs must demonstrate that their graduates have:
I.
an ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
II.
an ability to think critically and analyze effectively.
III.
an ability to apply disciplinary knowledge and skills in solving critical problems.
IV.
an ability to function in diverse learning and working environments.
V.
an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility.
VI.
an awareness of national and global contemporary issues.
VII.
a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in, life-long learning. b.
ME Program Outcomes
The ME program has for many years been assessing program outcomes based on
ABET terminology. The current ME program outcomes are specified below.
Students graduating from this program should have:
(a) an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering
(b) an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data
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(c) an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability
(d) an ability to function on multidisciplinary teams
(e) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems
(f) an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
(g) an ability to communicate effectively
(h) the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context
(i) a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning
(j) a knowledge of contemporary issues
(k) an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice
(l) an ability to work professionally in both thermal and mechanical systems areas c.
Mapping Between Campus Learning Outcomes and ME Program Outcomes
The Campus Learning Outcomes and the ME Program Outcomes are very compatible. To avoid duplication of effort and confusion of assessment processes, the ME program will continue to assess and document the ME Program Outcomes.
Table 1 shows the correlation between the two sets of outcomes. Five of them are almost exact matches. Two of the Campus Learning Outcomes are addressed by multiple ME Program Outcomes. By satisfying the ME Program Outcomes, the
Campus Learning Outcomes will inherently be satisfied.
Table 1. Correlation of Campus Learning Outcomes to ME Program Outcomes
Campus
Learning Outcome
Corresponding
ME Program Outcome
1
2
3
4
5
6
7 g b, e a, c, e, k d f j i
2

Table 2 shows a correlation between specific Mechanical Engineering courses in the curriculum and the Outcomes. A similar correlation is given for Non-ME required courses in Table 3. This correlation is particularly important in addressing any assessed weaknesses in specific Outcomes, by indicating which parts of the curriculum are most directly relevant in affecting the particular Outcome. This table demonstrates that the majority of the required courses are expected to contribute to multiple Outcomes, and each Outcome is to be satisfied by many different courses.
Table 2. Correlation of Curriculum with Outcomes
ME Required Courses
Required Courses a b c d e f g h i j k l
ME 153 Intro to Manufact. Process x x x x x
ME 160 Dynamics
ME 161 Intro to Design x x x x x x x x x
ME 208 Machine Design
ME 211 Linear Systems in ME
ME 213 Machine Dynamics
ME 219 Thermodynamics x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
ME 221 Applied Thermodynamics x x x x x x x x x
ME 225 Heat Transfer x x x
ME 231Thermofluid Mechanics I
ME 240 Mech. Instrument. Lab
ME 242 ME Systems Lab x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
ME 261 Engineering Design x x x x x x x x x x x x
ME 279 Auto. Control of Mech. Syst. x x x x
ME 280 Control Systems Lab x x x x x x x x x x
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Table 3. Correlation of Curriculum with Outcomes
Non-ME Required Courses
Courses
Engl 20 Composition
Communication Elective
History elective
Economics elective
Literature elective
Hum/Soc. Sc. elective
Adv. Hum/Soc. Sc. elective
Math 14 Calculus I
Math 15 Calculus II
Math 22 Calculus III
Math 204 Differential Eqns.
Math/Stat elective
CSc 73/74 Basic Sci Program.
CSc 77/78 Comp Prog. Lab
Chem 1 General Chemistry
Chem 2 Gen. Chemistry Lab
Phys 23 Engineering Physics I
Phys 24 Engineering Phys II
EE 281 Electrical Circuits
FE 10 Study & Career in Eng.
IDE 20 Eng Design w/ Comp
EMgt 124 Principles of Eng. Mgt
EMgt 137 Econ. of Eng. Proj.
Met 121 Metallurgy for Eng
IDE 50 Statics
IDE 110 Mech of Materials
IDE 120 Materials Lab a
X
X
X b
X X
X X c
X
X
X d e
X
X
X
X f g
X
X X X h i j k
X
X l
X X X
X X X X
X X X X
X X X X
X X X
X
X
X X X
X X X
X X X
X X X
X X X X
X X X
X X X
X X X
X X X X X X
X X X X X X
X X X
X X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X
X X X X
X X
X X
X X
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The Mechanical Engineering Program is designed to prepare students for professional practice in a broad spectrum of industries and environments. The curriculum focuses on fundamentals, taught from a first-principles approach, complemented with a regular opportunity to engage in practical and experiential endeavors. The firstprinciples approach is important to prepare the graduates to be able to continue learning as they encounter new methods and technologies in their careers. The experiential aspect of the curriculum helps bridge the classic gap between academic knowledge and real-world engineering practice.
From the beginning of the curriculum to the end, students are oriented toward professional practice. In the Study & Careers in Engineering course (FE 10), the students are exposed to the practice of engineering, the various disciplines, the working environment, and the professional role and responsibility of the engineer.
The curriculum includes course work in engineering management, including various topics relevant to the professional interactions within an engineering team and a corporate environment. The senior capstone course includes a series of lectures, mostly by practicing engineers, covering various professional topics, e.g. ethics, intellectual property, environmental considerations, codes and standards, benefits and personal finances.
The ME program utilizes multiple assessment instruments to assess the outcomes.
The primary assessment instruments are (a) direct measurements from specific course assignments, (b) a graduating senior exit exam, and (c) the Fundamentals of
Engineering exam. Indirect survey instruments of graduating seniors and alumni are also used as checkpoints.
Table 4 shows the ME Program Outcomes subdivided into more specific measurable performance criteria. Also shown in the table for each performance criteria are the direct assessment instrument and the acceptable performance metric. For a given outcome to be considered achieved, all performance metrics must be met for all of the performance criteria associated with the outcome.
Table 5 summarizes for each campus outcome the specific performance criteria utilized, the type of evaluation tool, and whether the performance criteria and outcomes met the acceptable performance metric. This table was generated from data obtained in the spring of 2010. Additional data was gathered at the end of the Fall
2010 semester, but has not yet been organized and evaluated.
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Outcome
Table 4. Direct Measures of Outcomes for Mechanical Engineering
Performance Criterion Assessment Instrument Performance Metric
an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering. an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data. within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability. a.1 a.2
Ability to apply algebra, trig, calculus, and ordinary differential equations in modeling engineering problems.
FE exam. Exit Exam, problems come from math courses
Ability to identify and apply pertinent principles of science to
FE exam. Exit Exam, problems come from chem engineering applications. and physics courses
ME 261, final report, score based on rubric
ME 261, final presentation evaluation by panel of industry evaluators, score based on rubric
FE: average ≥ to national rates.
Exit Exam: 90% of students correctly answer ≥ 50%.
FE: average ≥ to national rates.
Exit Exam: 90% of students correctly answer ≥ 50%. a.3
Ability to apply the fundamental concepts of each of the engineering topics including thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluids, machine design, dynamics, and controls. b.1
Ability to design an experiment to measure a certain concept or phenomena.
FE exam. Exit Exam, problems come from ME 160,
FE: average ≥ to national rates.
208, 211, 213, 219, 225, 231,
279
Exit Exam: 90% of students correctly answer ≥ 50%.
ME 242 grade on design of experiment assignment
90% of students grade ≥ C b.2 Ability to acquire, analyze and interpret experimental data. an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired need c.1 Ability to formulate a problem statement. c.2 Ability to generate conceptual design solutions. c.3 Ability to bring a final design to realization. c.4 Ability to recognize and address realistic constraint issues.
ME 242 grade on last experiment report
90% of students grade ≥ C
ME 261, problem statement assignment, score based on rubric
90% of students grade ≥ C
ME 261, mid semester design review, score based on rubric
90% of students grade ≥ C
90% of students grade ≥ C
90% of students grade ≥ C
Ability to function on multidisciplinary teams. d.1
Actively participates in and effectively contributes to team assignments.
ME 261 peer evaluation d.2 Ability to lead and/or follow as appropriate in a team setting. ME 261 peer evaluation
90% of students≥ "meets expectations"
90% of students≥ "meets expectations"
an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems.
Ability to identify, formulate, and solve an appropriate e.1 mathematical model that represents an engineering problem from a descriptive statement.
Exit Exam, word problems from a.3 courses
90% of students correctly answer ≥ 50%.
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an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility. an ability to communicate effectively.
Recognizes the ethically salient features of dilemmas and can Exit Exam, questions from f.1 suggest options for the ethical resolution of dilemmas. ethics professor f.2
Familiarity with the Code of Ethics for Engineers as published by NSPE.
Exit Exam, questions from
Code of Ethics g.1 Effectively communicates in oral presentations. g.2 Effectively communicates in written technical reports. h.1
Ability to relate engineering issues within an historical context.
ME 242, oral report, score based on rubric
ME 242, grade on last lab report
Exit Exam, questions from
H/SS faculty the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context. h.2
Ability to critically analyze the impacts of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
Exit Exam, questions from
H/SS faculty a knowledge of contemporary issues. i.1
Recognizes the value of pursuing advanced educational opportunities. a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning. i.2
Recognizes the value of engagement with the technical community. i.3
Ability to conduct literature survey or background study to pursue a given project. j.1
Demonstrates awareness and knowledge of critical contemporary issues relevant to engineering. an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice. an ability to work professionally in both thermal and mechanical systems areas.
Senior exit survey, intention
Senior exit survey, intention
ME 261, Section of final report, score based on rubric
Exit Exam, questions from
H/SS faculty
Demonstrates awareness of current affairs at the national and Exit Exam, questions from j.2 global level. current news items k.1
Ability to use modern software packages in modeling and solving engineering problems.
(ME 211, 219, 213, 225, or
280), grade on specific assignments k.2 k.3 Ability to use CAD software. l.1 l.2
Ability to acquire experimental data using data acquisition and instrumentation
Ability to apply fundamental concepts from thermodynamics,
Exit Exam, collective score on problems from ME 219, heat transfer, and fluids
225, and 231
Ability to apply fundamental concepts from machine design, dynamics, and controls
ME 240, grade on design of experiment project
ME 161, pass rate on CAD proficiency exam
Exit Exam, collective score on problems from ME 208,
211, 213, and 279
90% of students correctly answer ≥ 50%.
90% of students correctly answer ≥ 50%.
90% of students grade ≥ C
90% of students grade ≥ C
90% of students correctly answer ≥ 50%.
90% of students correctly answer ≥ 50%.
90% of students "expect to pursue advanced education".
90% of students "expect to engage with technical community".
90% of students grade ≥ C
90% of students correctly answer ≥ 50%.
90% of students correctly answer ≥ 50%.
90% of students grade ≥ C
90% of students grade ≥ C
90% of students pass
90% of students correctly answer ≥ 50%.
90% of students correctly answer ≥ 50%.
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Table 5. Program Outcomes Assessment Methods and Administration
Assessed Spring 2010. Evaluated Fall 2010.
Learning
Outcomes
Measure/
Performance
Criteria
Data
Collection
Method
Administered by
Results
Reviewed by
Criterion achieved?
Outcome achieved?
Recommendations
(See Section 5)
Outcome
1
Outcome
2
Outcome
3
Outcome
4
Outcome
5
Outcome
6
Outcome
7 g.1 g.2 b.1 b.2 e.1 a.1 a.2 a.3 c.1 c.2 c.3 c.4 e.1 k.1 k.2 k.3 d.1 d.2 f.1 f.2 j.1 j.2 i.1 i.2 i.3
Course assignment
Course assignment
Course assignment
Course assignment
Exit exam
Exit exam
Exit exam
Exit exam
Course assignment
Course assignment
Course assignment
Course assignment
Exit exam
Not yet implemented
Course assignment
Course assignment
Course assignment
Course assignment
Exit exam
Exit exam
Exit exam
Exit exam
Exit exam
Course assignment
Course assignment faculty faculty faculty faculty faculty faculty faculty faculty faculty faculty faculty faculty faculty
N/A faculty faculty faculty faculty faculty faculty faculty faculty faculty faculty faculty
Assoc. chair
Assoc. chair
Assoc. chair
Assoc. chair faculty faculty faculty faculty
Assoc. chair
Assoc. chair
Assoc. chair
Assoc. chair faculty
N/A
Assoc. chair
Assoc. chair
Assoc. chair
Assoc. chair faculty faculty faculty faculty faculty
Assoc. chair
Assoc. chair
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
N/A
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
None
None
None
None
Calibrate exit exam
Calibrate exit exam
Calibrate exit exam
Calibrate exit exam
None
None
None
None
Calibrate exit exam
None
Evaluate for action item
None
None
None
Calibrate exit exam
Calibrate exit exam
Calibrate exit exam
Calibrate exit exam
Calibrate exit exam
None
None
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a.
Findings
The exit exam and the course-based direct assessment instruments are new, and are utilized to assess many of the outcomes. As was anticipated, after the first assessment cycle, it is more important to evaluate and calibrate the instruments than to try to draw conclusions regarding achievement of the outcomes. Consequently, the indications of whether the outcomes were achieved in Table 5 are not particularly meaningful at this time and will not be itemized. Analysis of the results pointed out several issues.
An example of one of these issues is that the scores from several of the course-related assessment instruments were generally very high. Some of this is due to the nature of grading on project-based assignments and on presentation skills. More rigorous rubric-based assessment guidelines are being developed for the more subjective assessment tools. This is expected to provide more valuable feedback regarding specific areas needing attention. This issue also pointed out the value of tracking the average scores in addition to the minimum Performance Metric, in order to determine areas for improvement, even when the minimum metric is achieved. An example is
Performance Criteria i.3, relative to an ability to conduct a literature survey or background study. Though the Performance Metric is satisfied with 95% of the students achieving greater than the required rubric score of 2, it is clear from comparison of the average scores that this is the lowest scoring area. Accordingly, it will be targeted as an area to improve.
The scores from the first Exit Exam were found to be generally lower than hoped.
While it is desirable for the exam to be sufficiently rigorous to focus attention where needed, the students’ performance appears to indicate even the best students performed below many of the target performance metrics. The faculty endeavored to generate questions that were realistically expected to reflect knowledge and understanding that should be retained even years after covering the material. For a new comprehensive, concept-focused exam, it is necessary to validate and calibrate the exam itself before using the results to make significant changes in the curriculum.
Initial observation of the exit exam data shows several questions in which the percentage of correct answers is exceptionally low, even under 5% in a few cases.
These questions certainly warrant close scrutiny to validate that they are clear and accurate. Since the number of questions in any particular category is small, sometimes as low as four, any anomalies in the makeup of the questions can have significant impact on the percentage of students achieving the performance metric.
Another issue regarding the validity of the Exit Exam results is whether the students took it seriously. There was no penalty for poor performance. Observations at the time of the exam administration indicated that the students were anxious to finish and move on to other assignments. While the exam questions were designed to need little
9

calculation, many of them do need some thought. The eventual plan is to link the exam performance to a portion of the grade for the capstone design course to provide an incentive for the students to put forth their best effort. The original plan was not to associate the exam with the students’ grades until the exam had been validated. It turned out that it is very difficult to validate the exam without first making it clear to the students that it will have an impact on their grades. For the second administration of the exam, students were informed that a reasonable performance indicating a goodfaith effort was mandatory to receive a final grade for the capstone design course.
Screening of the exam results indicated that all of the students made an effort to complete the exam.
Statistical data from each question and from specific sets of questions have been generated through custom programming by campus Testing Center personnel.
Statistical information from specific questions was sent back to the appropriate committee of instructors that generated the questions. The committees evaluated the data to determine if the questions were believed to accurately reflect the knowledge expected. Revisions were made to improve the clarity of the questions, to eliminate or revise questions (or answer choices) that are deemed to be ambiguous, and to hone in on questions better targeted to determine desired information. The faculty is convinced that the Exit Exam will be an excellent assessment tool that will provide much greater feedback to the curriculum than has been available from the FE exam.
Accordingly, significant effort is being devoted to working out the details. In the meanwhile, though the current metrics are not very meaningful regarding whether the outcomes have been achieved, a substantially new system of direct measurements is now in place.
The revised exam was administered at the end of the Fall 2010 semester. Initial screening of overall results indicates significant improvement from the first administration. The exam statistics will be organized and evaluated by the faculty for continued improvement and calibration of the exam during the Spring 2011 semester.
After the Spring 2011 exam is administered, the faculty will evaluate all the assessment data during its annual assessment meeting in Fall 2011. b.
Use of results
As explained in the previous section, the action items associated with this assessment cycle are focused on improvement and calibration of the new assessment tools. The following actions are underway:

Implement more rigorous rubric-based evaluations of the assessment tools associated with course assignments, particularly in ME 242 and ME 261.

Evaluate and improve the exit exam to ensure its validity as an assessment tool. The first round has already been done for the second administration of the exam. Another round will be undertaken in the spring of 2011.
10