a. abet update

a. ABET Update

i. Overview of documents submitted to ABET (Self-Study)

EWRE Retreat 8/2/2005

ii. What we need to do between now and ABET visit in November

/89

SELF-STUDY REPORT

Bachelor of Environmental Engineering

Submitted by

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering College of Engineering University of Delaware

Submitted to

Engineering Accreditation Commission Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology

June 2005

ObjectivesB.2. Program Educational Objectives

B.2.1 Mission Statements (University, College, Department)

B.2.2 Constituents (students, employers, alumni, faculty, graduate schools)

B.2.3 Educational ObjectivesB.2.3 Educational Objectives

1. Graduates will be prepared with a solid foundation in mathematics, sciences, and technical skills needed to analyze and design environmental engineering systems.

2. Graduates will possess strong written, oral, and graphical communication skills, and will be able to function on multi-disciplinary teams.

3. Graduates will be familiar with current and emerging environmental engineering and global issues, and have an understanding of ethical and societal responsibilities.

4. Graduates will have the ability to obtain professional licensure, and will recognize the need for engaging in life-long learning.

5. Graduates will have the necessary qualifications for employment in environmental engineering and related professions, for entry into advanced studies, and for assuming eventual leadership roles in their profession.

Potential Problem:

“Criterion 2. Program Educational Objectives

Although institutions may use different terminology, for purposes of Criterion 2, program educational objectives are broad statements that describe the career and professional accomplishments that the program is preparing graduates to achieve.”

CRITERIA FOR ACCREDITING ENGINEERING PROGRAMS Effective for Evaluations During the 2005-2006 Accreditation Cycle

B.2.4 Relationship Between Educational Objectives and Institutional Mission

B.2.5 Relationship Between Educational Objectives and Accreditation Criteria

B.2.6 How Curriculum and Processes Ensure Achievement of Objectives

B.2.7 Process Used to Establish, Review, and Revise Objectives

B.2.8 Ongoing Evaluation of Level of Achievement of Objectives

B.2.9 Revisions to Objective Assessment Process

Figure B.2.1. Educational Objective Evaluation Process

Ed. Obj’s Eval/Rev.

Employer &

Alumni Survey

Constituent Com. Mtg

Fall ‘05Fall ‘11

ABET Visit

Fall ‘06

Fall ‘08

Fall ‘09

Fall ‘10

Fall ‘07

Outcomes Assessment

OutcomesAssessment

Outcomes Assessment

OutcomesAssessment

OutcomesAssessment

Constituent Com. Mtg

Ed. Obj’s Eval/Rev.

Employer &Alumni Survey

Year -1

-2

-3

-4-5

-6

OutcomesAssessment

EBI Alumni Survey Use for Objectives

Table B.2.2(a). Selected EBI Questions to Assess Environmental Engineering Program Objectives

Objective 1: Graduates will be prepared with a solid foundation in mathematics, sciences, and technical skills needed to analyze and design environmental engineering systems.

Q51 Importance/Performance: Degree that your engineering education enhanced your ability to apply knowledge of mathematicsQ49 Importance/Performance: Degree that your engineering education enhanced your ability to apply knowledge of scienceQ10 Extent the engineering degree provided technical skills necessary to succeedQ23 Importance/Performance: Degree that your engineering education enhanced your ability to analyze and interpret dataQ25 Importance/Performance: Degree that your engineering education enhanced your ability to design a system, component, or process to

meet desired needsQ29 Importance/Performance: Degree that your engineering education enhanced your ability to identify or formulate engineering problems

Q31 Importance/Performance: Degree that your engineering education enhanced your ability to solve engineering problems

Objective 2: Graduates will possess strong written and oral communication skills. Q39 Importance/Performance: Degree that your engineering education enhanced your ability to communicate using written progress reportsQ41 Importance/Performance: Degree that your engineering education enhanced your ability to communicate using oral progress reports

Et cetera…

Results Table B.2.2(b). Summary of 2001 and 2004 EBI Alumni Survey results of Objective-related questions relative to programs at other institutions.

SCORE 2001 2004 UD Select 6 Carnegie All 10 UD Select 6 Carnegie All 10

Objective 1: Graduates will be prepared with a solid foundation in mathematics, sciences, and technical skills needed to analyze and design environmental engineering systems.

6.31 5.84 5.78 5.77 6.46 5.45 5.60 5.55 Objective 2: Graduates will possess strong written and oral communication skills.

5.75 5.39 5.33 5.45 5.80 5.25 4.96 5.02 Objective 3: Graduates will be familiar with current and emerging environmental engineering and global issues, and have an understanding of ethical and societal responsibilities.

5.63 5.47 5.20 5.35 6.03 4.53 4.93 4.85 Objective 4: Graduates will have the ability to obtain professional licensure, and will recognize the need for engaging in life-long learning.

6.38 6.17 6.09 6.18 6.10 5.55 5.70 5.66 Objective 5: Graduates will have the necessary qualifications for employment in environmental engineering and related professions, for entry into advanced studies, and for assuming eventual leadership roles in their profession.

5.96 5.37 5.56 5.31 6.30 5.25 5.42 5.43 Average and standard deviation for all five objectives

6.00 5.65 5.59 5.61 6.14 5.20 5.32 5.30 0.35 0.36 0.36 0.25 0.40 0.36 0.35 0.35

Employer Survey

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

(a) Q1-demonstrate a solid foundation in math, sciences, and technical skills as

needed to analyze/ design environmental

engineering systems

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

(b) Q2-possess strong written communication

skills

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

(c) Q3-possess strong oral

communiction skills

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

(e) Q5-have an understanding of

ethical and societal responsibilities

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

(f) Q6-have the ability to obtain

professional licensure and

recognize the need for engaging in life-

long learning

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

(g) Q7-have the necessary qualifications for employment

in environmental engineering, entry into advanced studies, and

assuming eventual leadership roles in their profession.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

(d) Q4-familiar with current and

emerging environmental

engineering and global issues

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

(e) Q5-have an understanding of

ethical and societal responsibilities

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7




long learning

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7




long learning

Number of Rankings Out of 8

Table B.2.1. Summary of Employer Survey Results

Survey results agree (roughly)

Objective

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 2 3 4 5 Overall

Sco

re (1 to

7) .

Employer Alumni

Outcomes

B. 3. Program Outcomes and Assessment 33

B.3.1 Program Outcomes 33

B.3.2. Process for Producing Outcomes 41

B.3.3 Assessment Process 41

B.3.4 Application of Results to Program Development and Improvement 51

B.3.5 Results of Assessment and Changes Implemented To Improve Program 52

B.3.6 Materials Available for Review During Visit 61

Table B3.1 Matrix Showing Relationship Between Program Educational Objectives and Program Outcomes

Environmental Engineering Outcomes

Educational Objectives

1. M

ath

& S

cien

ce

2. F

orm

ulat

e &

Sol

ve

3. E

xper

imen

ts

4. M

oder

n T

ools

5. D

esig

n

6. P

rob.

Bas

ed E

xp.

7. P

rof.

Pra

c

8. E

thic

s &

Res

p

9. C

onte

mp

Issu

es

10. L

ic&

LL

L

11. T

eam

s

12. C

omm

unic

atio

n

1. Foundation in math, science, etc

2. Communication skills

3. Env. engg. & global issues; ethical responsibility

4. Licensure & lifelong learning

5. Employment, grad. school, leadership

Table B3.2 Relationship of UD Environmental Engineering Outcomes to ABET “(a) through (k)” Criteria and Environmental Engineering Program Criteria

UD Environmental Engineering Outcomes

1.

Mat

h &

Sci

ence

/Eng

g

2.

Fo

rm &

Sol

ve

Pro

bs

3.

Ex

per

imen

ts/A

nal

ysi

s

4.

Mo

der

n E

ng’g

Too

ls

5.

Fu

nct

ion

and

Des

ign

6.

Pro

b. B

ased

Exp

/Des

gn

7.

Pro

f. P

ract

ice

Issu

es

8.

Eth

ics

& R

esp

onsi

bil

ity

9.

Con

tem

por

ary

Iss

ues

10. L

ic&

Lif

e L

ong

Lea

rng

11

. Mu

ltid

isc.

Tea

ms

12

. C

om

mu

nic

atio

n

a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j.

AB

ET

(a)-(

k)

k. Env. Engineering Program Criteria (See Table B3.4)

Other (see text)

Table B3.4 Relationship of UD Environmental Engineering Outcomes to AAEE Environmental Engineering Program Criteria

UD Environmental Engineering Outcomes

1. M

ath

& S

cien

ce/E

ngg

2. F

orm

& S

olv

e P

rob

s

3. E

xp

erim

ents

/An

aly

sis

4. M

od

ern

Eng

’g T

ools

5. F

un

ctio

n an

d D

esig

n

6. P

rob.

Bas

ed E

xp/D

esg

n

7. P

rof.

Pra

ctic

e Is

sues

8. E

thic

s &

Res

pon

sib

ilit

y

9. C

onte

mp

orar

y I

ssu

es

10. L

ic&

Lif

e L

ong

Lea

rng

11.

Mu

ltid

isc.

Tea

ms

12.

Co

mm

un

icat

ion

1a.

1b.

1c.

1d.

1e.

1f.

1g.

Proficiency

1h.

Introductory level

knowledge 2a.

3a.

3b. Ability

3c.

4a. AA

EE

Env

iron

men

tal

En

gin

eeri

ng P

rog

ram

Cri

teri

a

Understanding 4b.

Outcome Assessment Tools

(1) Alumni Questionnaire(2) Educational Benchmarking, Inc. (EBI) senior survey(3) Student Focus Groups(4) student sample work(5) Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam results(6) Faculty Course Self Assessment (FCSA)

Figure B.3.3. Annual Outcomes Assessment ScheduleSeptember

December

March

June

FE Exam

FE ExamStudent Focus Groups

EBI Senior Survey for mid-year graduates

Student sample work and FCSA forms for fall semester submitted

EBI Senior Survey Alumni Reunion –

Complete questionnaires

Student sample work and FCSA forms for spring semester submitted. Faculty synthesize all assessment results

Group retreat. Changes to courses and curriculum are proposed and discussed Student sample

work collected

Student sample work collected

Annual scheduleMonth Activity

September Fall semester begins. Implement course, curriculum, and assessment changes established in the previous year. Faculty begin collecting outcome-specific student sample work for their assigned outcomes.

October Fundamentals of Engineering exam.

December Fall semester ends. Faculty complete FCSA forms and assessment of the student sample work they have collected. Seniors graduating in December complete the EBI Senior Survey.

January FCSA forms and student sample work collected for the fall semester.

February Spring semester begins. Faculty begin collecting outcome-specific student sample work for their assigned outcomes.

March Alumni Reunion is arranged by the UD Environmental Engineering Student Association. The Alumni questionnaire is completed.

April Fundamentals of Engineering exam. Student focus groups convened.

May Spring semester ends. Seniors complete EBI Senior Survey. Faculty complete FCSA forms and assessment of the student sample work they have collected.

June FCSA forms and student sample work collected for the spring semester. Faculty analyze all assessment results as assigned.

July-August

The Environmental Engineering Faculty Retreat is held. Faculty discuss assessment results, decide on recommended changes to the curriculum and assessment process, record results. Implementation is complete.

Table B.3.11. Curriculum

Modifications and Supporting

Metrics from 2001-2005.

Metrics Used Problem Noted Changes Effected When Developed

Academic Year Effective

Focus Groups Student Attrition Too many Credit hours

Eliminate second Quantitative Chemistry course (CHEM120)

Followed Chem. Engg. (1999)

Course evaluations, FE Exam

Student Attrition Too many Credit hours

Eliminate second Physics course (PHYS 208)

Nov. 2000

Focus Groups, FE Exam

Redundancy in course topics

Consolidate CIEG 431, 432 into CIEG 438

1998-2001

FE Exam Redundancy in course topics

Consolidate CIEG 441, 442 into CIEG 440

April 2001 - Paralleled Civil Engineering

Focus Groups ABET Program Criteria

Add Earth Science requ July 2001

(Faculty) Civil Engineering changed the course offerings

Changed conc. reqs for Environmental Facilities Design and Construction

Paralleled Civil Engineering

2001-2002

Alumni Reunion Interest in area Created conc. in Environ-mental Biotechnology

July 2001 2002-2003

Focus Groups, Alumni Reunion

Fortran outdated. Replace with C+

Computer Science course (CISC106 CISC 105)


(Faculty) MATH 450 no longer offered

STAT/MATH450 CIEG315


2004-2005

Course enrollment trends, Constituent Committee

Interest in area Created conc. in Water Resources and Water Quality

June-July 2005

Constituent Committee


Reduced CHEM 111,112,119 to CHEM 103,104 for 3 of four concs.

June-July 2005

Constituent Committee, Focus Groups, Special Questionnaire, Alumni Survey

Decreasing use of programming languages in profession

CISC105 CIEG 126 June-July 2005

Constituent Committee, Focus Groups, Alumni Reunion, Special Questionnaire, FE Exams


Removed CHEG325 from 3 of four concs.

June-July 2005

2006-2007

Figure B.3.4. Averaged Results for Alumni Questionnaires 2001-2005.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Sco

re (o

ut o

f 10) .

Importance How well

Figure B.3.6. Average Score Ratio for all Outcomes, UD/All Respondents.

UD Score / Mean for All Institutions

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

1.1

1.2

1.3

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

EBI Senior Survey Results

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Abso

lute

Sco

re (R

ange

1 to

7)

.

UD

All Institutions

Figure B.3.8. UD Percent Passing the FE Exam

Environmental Engineering FE Exams 2001-2005

78.7%

87.0% 85.9%

69.6% 71.4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

U of D National Carnegie I Carnegie II Carnegie III

Perc

en

t P

assin

g .

Figure B.3.9. UD Results for FE Exam by General Subject Area

FE Exam Results by AM Subject

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20

1.40

1.60

1.80

UD

Sco

re/N

atio

nal

Sco

re

Average and Range 2001-2005

Engineering Economics vs. Time

FE Results - Engineering Economics

0.740.80

0.97

0.47

1.09

0.69

1.11

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

Apr.2001 (5) Oct.2001 (5) Oct.2002 (3) Oct.2003 (4) Apr.2004 (1) Oct.2004 (4) Apr.2005 (1)

UD

Sco

re /

Nat

ion

al S

core

Engineering Economics – Sr. Design

Table B3.12 ’05 Senior Design Assessment Results

Instructor Outcome

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 Average

1 An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics and science to engineering

5 5 3 3 4 4.00

2

An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems in the following major civil engineering disciplines: structural, environmental, and water resources, transportation, and geotechnical engineering

5 5 5 5 5 5.00

4 An ability to use the techniques, skills , and modern tools of engineering

5 5 5 5 5 5.00

5 An ability to design a system, component, or process 5 5 3 3 4 4.00

6 An ability to perform civil engineering design by means of problem-based experiences integrated throughout the curriculum

3 5 3 3 4 3.60

7

A knowledge of professional practice issues, such as procurement of work, biding versus quality-based selection processes, and the interactions of design and construction professionals in executing a project

3 5 3 5 4 4.00

8 An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility 5 5 5 5 4 4.80

9a understanding of the impact of engineering in a global societal context

3 5 3 3 3 3.40

9b A knowledge if contemporary issues 5 5 5 5 4 4.80

10 An ability to engage in lifelong learning 5 5 5 3 4 4.40

11 The ability to function on (multidisciplinary) teams 5 5 5 5 5 5.00

12a An ability to communicate effectively (written) 5 5 5 5 5 5.00

12b An ability to communicate effectively (oral) 5 5 5 5 5 5.00

Environmental Engineering Specialty Topics

FE Exam Specialty Results by Subject

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

UD

Sco

re /

Nat

ional

Environmental Engineering Specialty Topics

FE Exam Specialty Results - Overall

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

UD/National UD/Carnegie I UD/Carnegie II UD/Carnegie III

UD

Sco

re / R

efer

ence

Sco

re

Faculty Course Self Assessment Forms

UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

Faculty Course Self-Assessment (FCSA) Form

Purpose: This document is part of the regular course, curriculum, and program review process. The primary instructor for a course should complete the FCSA form within one month of the end of the semester. When completed, the FCSA document will be a starting point for consideration of modifications the next time the course is offered, and will also provide useful information for updating prerequisites, course sequencing, and curriculum effectiveness.

Instructions: This form should be completed with the aid of the course Outcomes Matrix and Outcomes Matrix Worksheet, and the results of the student Online Course Evaluation (available online at https://www.mis4.udel.edu/CourseEvaluations/admin, note that is a secure site address “https”). Transfer the Outcomes, Course Element and Target Learning Levels from the course Outcomes Matrix to columns (1), (2) and (3) of the form. Record the mean student assessment score from the evaluation results in column (4). Record the faculty self-assessment score for each relevant outcome in column (5). Complete the sections at the end of the form on Notes, Assessment results and Suggested Changes.

Course Name/Number: Environmental Eng. Lab/CIEG 337 Semester/Year Offered: 03S Instructor: P. Imhoff Number of Students: 11 First Time Taught: Most recent semester taught: Date Completed:

Learning Level Course Outcomes

(1) Corresponding Course Element

(2) Target Level

(3)

Student Assessment

(4)

Faculty Assessment

(5)

Notes (6)

1. Ability to apply knowledge of mathematics and science to engineering.

Use algebra and differential equations in engineering design 3 3.33 3

2. Ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems in these areas: water supply/resources, environmental chemistry, wastewater, solid waste and hazardous waste management, atmospheric systems and air pollution control, and environmental/occupational health.

Formulate and solve a problem involving groundwater contamination. This real-world problem forms the background upon which the laboratory exercises are based. 3 3 3

Faculty Course Self Assessment Forms

Notes: (faculty comments regarding differences between Target Learning Levels and Assessment Levels)

1. Students currently do not design any experiments. The course should be modified to include experimental design in future years, perhaps as part of a homework assignment.

2. Students think they know more than they actually do because an almost ideal natural system was selected for the final project. Real data from an actual groundwater site should be used in the final class project so students gain an appreciation for the complexity of natural systems.

3. What does N/D mean? A key should be provided.

Assessment results: (a summary of major results of all assessment)1.

Suggested Changes: (faculty recommendations on course changes)

1. Show and/or incorporate more realistic data into the final group project to give students a better appreciation of the difficulty in modeling pollutant fate and transport in natural systems.2. While it may be difficult for students to design experiments that they then conduct, it is relatively simple to ask students to come up with an experimental design as part of a homework assignment or exam. This should be done in future years.

Summary (in Steve’s Opinion)

1. Program credentials are extremely good

2. We are shaky on having established “closed loops” with a regular, cyclical routine

3. Our Objectives may be too much like Outcomes

4. Some outcomes and Objectives are not assessed with much specificity

5. We have lots of things to do for November

ii. What we need to do between now and ABET visit in November

B.3.6 Materials Available for Review During Visit

The following materials will be available for review during the site visit:

Outcome Binders: For each environmental engineering Outcome, a binder will be available that includes samples of student work that tests their level of achievement in that Outcome. Also included is the faculty assessment of the work. The materials will be broken down according to semester. For any given semester there will be samples of student work from a variety of courses and from different years in the curriculum.

Course Binders: For each environmental engineering course, a binder will be available that includes the course syllabus and samples of student work (from the previous year or the last time the course was offered). The sample work will typically include homework assignments, quizzes, exams, project reports and/or laboratory reports. Samples of good, average, and poor work will typically be provided. The textbook used in the course will also be available with the binder.

Summaries by Year: Reports will be available for academic years 2002–03, 2003–04 and 2004–05 that summarize all of the assessment results and findings for the year and changes made to the curriculum and the assessment process. The supporting data from the various assessment methods will also be available (Minutes of Student Focus group meetings, etc).

ABET Issues

Summary (in Steve’s Opinion)

ABET Issues

ABET IssuesOutcomes Outcomes

andand

ABET Issues

Summary (in Steve’s opinion)

1. ABET doesn’t care how good the program is – just whether you have the process running smoothly

2. We’d better do what we still have to do

3. There are so many details and requirements that any program is still at the mercy of the program evaluators

a. abet update

Documents

engineering degree

engineering education

educational objectives1

visit fall

achievement of objectivesb

revise objectivesb

technical skills necessary

accreditation criteriab