Advising Guidebook: Accreditation and Assessment
The M.E. curriculum is fully accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Accreditation is a process of continuous improvement that uses a series of assessment tools that measure how well the program is achieving the objectives listed above. As a student, you can expect to take part in the following evaluations during (and after) your academic career at CU:
- Faculty Course Questionnaire (FCQ) – You will evaluate every course you take at the end of every semester, including your assessment of how well the learning objectives for the course were met. The results are posted online at www.colorado.edu/pba/fcq, enabling you to see previous semesters’ student evaluations of instructors, courses, and workloads.
- Focus Groups – Every semester, we evaluate three required courses in depth. As part of that process, you may take part in a 25-minute in-class session to elicit detailed information on course strengths and on areas for possible improvement.
- Concept Inventories – These exams focus on conceptual understanding in the core courses of mechanical engineering. They are administered as pre- and post-tests in selected courses. They have been methodically developed and systematically tested to measure learning gains in comparison to national norms. These exams also provide input for our continuous improvement cycle.
- Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam – This national exam is the first step toward professional registration as an engineer and all M.E. students are required to take the exam prior to graduation. Students with senior standing may apply. Exam dates are in October and April.
- Senior Exit Survey – In your last semester, you will be asked to fill out a two-part survey that asks how well the outcomes listed above were met, and your overall satisfaction with the program, department, faculty, etc.
- Alumni Survey – We will also send you a similar survey three years after graduation.
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