Resumen de Outcomes-based assessment in action: engineering faculty examine graduate attributes in their courses
Jillian Seniuk Cicek, Sandra Ingram, Nariman Sepehri
In 2009, the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) called for the assessment of 12 graduate attributes in all Canadianaccredited engineering programs. As part of this process, data are required from a variety of stakeholders, including the facultiesresponsible for teaching the host of courses offered in Canada’s diverse engineering programs. This paper describes the second yearof a three-year study in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba that explores how the CEAB graduate attributesare manifested and measured in its curricula. The four attributes targeted were Problem Analysis, Use of Engineering Tools,Communication Skills, and Ethics and Equity. Fifteen instructors from each of the Departments of Biosystems, Civil, Electricaland Computer, and Mechanical Engineering considered the presence of these attributes in one of their engineering courses taughtin the academic year 2012–13, using a self-administered checklist. Findings indicated that the traditional attributes in engineeringwere assessed more frequently than the professional attributes, and that specifically, there was little assessment evidence of Ethicsand Equity and theOralfocus of Communication Skills. There was some evidence of formative assessment, but generallyassessments were limited to traditional quantitative, summative assessments. Competency levels were expressed in a variety of ways,highlighting the need for the development of a common language for assessment. The study underscores the different rolesassessment can take and the complexity of sustaining a faculty-wide, outcomes-based assessment protocol.
