SYLLABUS
Assessment Techniques in Engineering Education
ENGE 5404
Instructor
Dr. Maura Borrego
Assistant Professor of Engineering Education
mborrego@vt.edu
McBryde 610
(540) 231-9536
Office hours: by appointment
Catalogue Description
Assessment issues and skills important for engineering faculty or staff members at a college or university are
addressed, including the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of quantitative and qualitative assessment
strategies. Assessment is framed as an integrated part of course design, and ABET engineering accreditation
criteria and procedures are discussed in-depth. Students will design and conduct an assessment in an
engineering course and learn important considerations in coordinating department or college resources in
preparation for an ABET review. (3H, 3C)
Learning Objectives
Having successfully completed this course, the student will be able to:
• Assess a learning unit in an engineering course
• Design and evaluate a course-level assessment plan
• Design a department-level assessment plan consistent with ABET accreditation criteria
Course Requirements and Grading
40% ePortfolio Assessment Project
20% In-Class Assessment Design (3-4)
10% Critique of Conference Papers (2 assignments)
20% Other Assignments
10% Attendance & Participation
LATE ASSIGNMENT POLICY
Assignments are due within the first 10 minutes of class on the specified date. If you are not physically in class
within 10 minutes of the start time, your assignment is considered one day late. After that, you may earn 90%
credit within the first 24 hours, 80% within the second 24 hours, and so on. Emailed assignments will be
accepted if prior arrangements are made for legitimate schedule conflicts.
ePortfolio Assessment Project: The major project this semester will be to devise a system for assessing the
ENGE PhD using electronic portfolios. Four class meetings are set aside for learning about eportfolios, defining
the project, working in groups, and presenting group plans.
In-class Assessment Design Exercises: Periodically students will be assigned to small groups to design an
assessment during class time. Group write-ups are due at the beginning of the next class. Grading will be based
on what can be accomplished by a group during a one hour meeting, so please do not spend any extra time on
the design after class has ended.
Critique of Conference Papers: Multiple times during the semester, students will be asked to access the
literature for current practice and controversy in assessment. The product in this case is usually a one-page
analysis of 1-3 articles, focusing on comparison or criticism of the articles with respect to course topics. The
three major sources of engineering education papers (about current practice) are:
1. ASEE Conference: http://www.asee.org/conferences/v2search.cfm
2. Frontiers in Education Conference: http://fie.engrng.pitt.edu/
(must search each year individually, or use any IEEE index)
3. Journal of Engineering Education: http://www.asee.org/publications/jee/search.cfm
Texts and Readings
Course Text (purchase online or use reserve copies at Newman Library):
Spurlin, J. E., Rajala, S. A., & Lavelle, J. P. (2008). Designing Better Engineering Education Through
Assessment. Sterling, VA: Stylus. Abbreviated “DBEETS” in syllabus.
Other Readings are available on Blackboard
Letter grades
93-100%
A
90-92.99% A87-89.99% B+
83-86.99% B
80-82.99% B77-79.99% C+
73-76.99% C
70-72.99% C60-69.99% D
<60% F
Professionalism
In this graduate level course students are expected to act professionally by attending all class meetings, arriving
on-time and prepared, actively participating, making logical arguments substantiated by evidence, and
respecting others.
Disability Statement
"The university makes reasonable accommodations to meet the needs of students with disabilities in the
university setting. In doing so, a variety of supplemental services are offered to help offset the functional
disadvantage of a disability and help increase students’ educational opportunities." Students should contact the
Virginia Tech Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD Office). “If you need adaptations or
accommodations because of a disability (learning disability, attention deficit disorder, psychological, physical,
etc.), if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case
the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment to meet with me as soon as possible.”
Calendar
Date
Topic and In-Class Activities
Overview, Assessment and
Mon Aug 25 Learning Outcomes
Backward Course Design
Wed Aug 27 (discussion) and Learning
Objectives (peer feedback)
Sharing and discussion of
Mon Sept 1 classroom assessment techniques
class WILL
meet
Wed Sept 3
Mon Sept 8
Work in pairs to identify
appropriate CATs for each ABET
criterion
Decide as a class which criteria
are most challenging to assess,
which methods are most popular
Review ABET activity
Add new methods to repertoire
Learning Theories and
Wed Sept 10 Assessment grid
Class example
Mon Sept
Develop criteria for good
15
assessment
Critiquing Current Practice in
Wed Sept 17 Engineering Assessment
Mon Sept
22
Survey Methods – pilot testing in
class; Discuss survey design and
administration, analysis and
reporting considerations
Validity and Grades - debate
Wed Sept 24
Rubrics – Lisa McNair
Mon Sept
29
Wed Oct 1
ISE Department ABET plan –
Eileen Van Aken (655)
Mon Oct 6
Concept Inventories and
Validation
Wed Oct 8
Concept maps – creating and
scoring
Assignments Due
(None)
2 copies of at least 5 learning
objectives for an engineering
course of your choice
One “unique” classroom
assessment technique adapted to
one of your learning objectives (be
prepared to describe it to class)
CATs for your assigned ABET
criteria
Individual written summary (1-2
pages) of discussion and
conclusions from previous class
Complete theory-assessment grid
One page: Which is the better
assessment plan and why?
Find a conference paper and
evaluate good and bad aspects of
assessment practice (1 page)
Rough draft of a survey instrument
for the class example content area
One page on both pros and cons of
Meyer’s approach to use of grades
Develop a rubric for an assignment
of the class example (use web site
for additional help)
Familiarize yourself with the ISE
self study document to be posted on
Blackboard (no written assignment)
Find a conference paper on a
sci/engr concept inventory, one
page how do/would you know it is
valid?
Be prepared to create a concept
map and use Table 4 rubric
Readings “Due”
Optional: DBEETS
Ch 2 Spurlin et al
Learning by Design
Ch 1
Classroom
Assessment
Techniques or
FLAG website
Optional: DBEETS
Ch 9 Raubenheimer
Classroom
Assessment
Techniques or
FLAG website
Olds, et al.
Knowing What
Students Know Ch 3
Kranov et al. and
Van den
Bogaard and
Saunders-Smits (2
readings)
Conference paper of
your choice
Suskie Chs 1-4
ABET whitepaper,
Meyer
TBA
ISE self study,
Optional: DBEETS
Ch. 3 Spurlin
(Conference Paper)
and Moskal et al.
Besterfield-Sacre et
al.
Date
Topic
Mon Oct 13
Qualitative Methods
Wed Oct 15
Working with Institutional
Research Offices and Assessment
Professionals - Roxanne Gile 655
Assessing Design – Marie Paretti
Assignments Due & Class
Activities
One page: Under what assessment
circumstances are qualitative
approaches more appropriate than
quantitative?
Do IRB training – bring certificate
to class for credit
(None)
Mon Oct 20
Readings “Due”
Leydens et al.
IRB training
materials
Trevisan and Davis
(2 readings)
Optional: DBEETS
Ch. 11 Meyer
Conference paper of
your choice
In-class assessment design:
Design an assessment for design
Critiquing Current Practice in
Engineering Assessment –
Hayden Griffin on ABET visit
(None)
Visit ISE ABET room (location
in Durham TBA)
ePortfolios and project problem
statement – Lisa McNair
Demo of VT ePortfolio system –
Marc Zaldivar (location TBA)
(None)
(None)
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
Mon Nov 10 Designing ePortfolio assessment
Wed Nov 12 for PhD program
Presentations of ePortfolio
Mon Nov 17 assessment plans
Politics and working with clients
Wed Nov 19 – Euan Lindsay
(None)
DBEETS Ch. 5
Hoey
(None)
Wed Oct 22
Mon Oct 27
[VT ABET
visit]
Wed Oct 29
Mon Nov 3
Wed Nov 5
Nov 24, 26
Find a conference paper and
evaluate good and bad aspects of
assessment practice (1 page)
Prepare slides, other visuals, and/or
handouts as appropriate
(None)
DBEETS Ch. 6
Hoey and Nault
No Class (Thanksgiving Break)
VT ABET visit – Bevlee Watford (None)
(None)
NSF Funding and Program
Assessment
Discussion of funding and program
assessment - jigsaw
RFP for NSF REU
or STEP or CCLI
(None)
Shuman et al.
(None)
(None)
Mon Dec 1
Wed Dec 3
In-class assessment design of an
ABET professional criterion
In class assessment design:
Wed Dec 10 system for collecting and
archiving department assessment
data
Mon Dec 8