The curriculum goals of the unit, as currently stated in the catalog or other departmental documents, are as follows:
“The Environmental Engineering Program offers a B.S. degree in Environmental Engineering, drawing on the faculty of four CEAS departments: Aerospace Engineering Sciences (AES), Chemical and Biological Engineering (CBE), Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering (CEAE), and Mechanical Engineering (ME). With very limited exceptions, the program does not offer its own courses, but rather draws its curriculum from courses offered by other departments within CEAS and the College of Arts and Sciences.
The mission of the Environmental Engineering Program is to provide a multidisciplinary undergraduate environmental engineering education that emphasizes mastery of principles and practices, inspires service for the global public good, endows a desire for life-long learning, and prepares students for broad and dynamic career paths in environmental engineering.
The educational objectives of the EVEN BS degree are to produce students who reach the following achievements three to five years after graduation:
- EVEN graduates have become established in professional careers and/or earned advanced degrees;
- EVEN graduates have applied multidisciplinary approaches to manage the unique challenges and balance the competing social, political, economic, and technical goals of environmental problems and solutions; and
- EVEN graduates have served the needs of our society and protected the future of our planet in an ethical manner.
A list of program outcomes for EVEN graduates was developed which satisfies the requirements of the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) in the general criteria for baccalaureate programs and its specific criteria for environmental engineering programs as developed by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE). As defined by ABET, outcomes are “statements that describe what students are expected to know and are able to do by the time of graduation” (ABET, 2010).
The Environmental Engineering Program demonstrates that:
- EVEN graduates have sufficient knowledge of engineering, mathematics, and science fundamentals to succeed in environmental engineering practice or advanced degrees;
- EVEN graduates have sufficient knowledge of advanced environmental engineering applications and complementary natural sciences to succeed in environmental engineering practice or advanced degrees;
- EVEN graduates have sufficient knowledge of engineering approaches to problem solving (hypothesis, design, testing; team work) to succeed in environmental engineering practice or advanced degrees;
- EVEN graduates have sufficient knowledge of basic engineering skills and tools (computer, laboratory, and field) to succeed in environmental engineering practice or advanced degrees;
- EVEN graduates have adequate writing and oral presentation skills to succeed in environmental engineering practice or advanced degrees;
- EVEN graduates have adequate understanding of the social, economic, political, and ethical context of environmental problems and solutions;
- EVEN graduates have adequate opportunity to include service at the local, state, national, or global levels as an important part of their environmental engineering education; and
- EVEN graduates will recognize the importance of life-long learning by seeking advanced degrees and pursuing continuing education.”
Are these goals still accurate/current or do they need to be revised?
These goals are still accurate and current to our program. ABET’s general criteria and specific environmental engineering criteria have not been updated since the last annual report. The EVEN faculty reviewed and affirmed the program educational objectives and outcomes at a meeting in August 2010. The EVEN Professional Advisory Board (PAB) did the same in October 2010. The goals were submitted in June 2011 as part of the program’s AY 2011-2012 ABET review.
What is the unit’s schedule for reviewing the curriculum goals?
Significant changes to ABET criteria that need to be reflected in our curriculum goals would trigger review by the PAB and the faculty. In the absence of such changes, these goals are otherwise reviewed at a minimum every 3 years.
During the last review period, how has the department/program assessed how well it has accomplished its curriculum goals?
Annual assessment of performance in achieving curriculum goals is based primarily on results of surveys administered to EVEN students and alumni, and performance of EVEN students on the nationally normed Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, which students are required to take before graduation. The program director also monitors FCQ results for key courses in the curriculum, including supplemental FCQ questions that specifically address EVEN program outcomes. Critical information is shared with EVEN faculty, and at meetings of the program’s PAB. Additionally, as part of the program’s 2011 ABET self-study effort, in AY2010-2011 EVEN faculty conducted rubric-guided reviews of 15 courses that are uniquely required as part of the EVEN degree program or are key electives in the program. EVEN faculty also examined results for task force reviews of EVEN-required and key elective classes taught in Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and Applied Mathematics. This comprehensive assessment effort is documented in the Program’s ABET Self-Study Report.
What has the department/program concluded with respect to the outcomes of its undergraduate curriculum?
Alumni Survey Results
The College of Engineering and Applied Science has administered surveys to its undergraduate alumni since 2005. For EVEN, these surveys are sent out each summer to alumni who graduated three or six years earlier. The surveys ask about alumni satisfaction with their educational experience, including coursework and extracurricular activities; employment status; post-graduate education; and professional licensing and other certifications. Eleven EVEN alumni completed the summer 2011 survey, a 46% response rate. Nine of the 11 alumni who completed the survey responded they were employed; eight indicated they were employed in engineering or engineering management. The average rating of how close the respondents’ jobs aligned with their degree was 3.9 on a scale of 1 (not at all related) to 5 (very closely related). Four of the 11 respondents were planning to continue their education, two were working on an advanced degree and three had completed advanced degrees. Three of the respondents had obtained their professional license and five others were intending to do so. These results support the conclusion that we are achieving the objective of seeing our graduates in professional careers and/or in progress toward obtaining advanced degrees. The results also indicate our alumni are achieving program criteria viii: “EVEN graduates will recognize the importance of life-long learning by seeking advanced degrees and pursuing continuing education.”
Insight into how well EVEN alumni perceive their degree to be serving them in their careers is also provided by verbatim comments in the Alumni Survey. The survey asks respondents “If you were starting college again, would you choose the University of Colorado Environmental Engineering (EVEN) Program and degree again?” Among the 2011 survey respondents, 8 answered yes and 3 said no. Of those responding “no”, one of the respondents indicated their work had primarily been in Chemical Engineering, one said they might have chosen Civil Engineering or Mechanical Engineering to work in the renewable energy field, and one felt the EVEN program suffered from having numerous required classes taught outside EVEN and geared towards other majors. Three of the eight respondents who said they would choose EVEN again also provided comments, stating:
- “It was a great education and taught me what I needed.”
- “Great school and profs.”
- “Yes... for sure... just look at the market today... Everyone want[s] to be clean, green and develop a sustainable future.”
In addition to providing information about their professional status, the alumni survey asks respondents to answer 14 questions related to the objectives or student outcomes of the EVEN program. A rating of 3.45 (where 3 = moderate agreement and 4=high agreement) was the lowest average response on whether the objective or outcome is appropriate. This rating was assigned to the outcome that students be exposed to the arts and humanities, which corresponds to an ABET outcome requiring a broad education. The lowest average response on whether an objective or outcome was achieved was 3.7 for computer learning experiences, which corresponds to the EVEN outcome that graduates have sufficient knowledge of engineering skills and tools including computing to succeed in practice. Therefore, all of the objectives or outcomes seem to be appropriate and achieved. No significant weaknesses requiring changes in the curriculum were identified.
Post-Graduation Survey Results
Post-graduation surveys are also administered by the College of Engineering and Applied Science. These surveys are targeted to alumni about 6 months after they graduate to determine if they are employed, pursuing graduate studies, etc. EVEN graduates’ response rates on the post-graduation survey have been low in some years, but the survey does provide some data on alumni before the three-year anniversary of their graduation. In 2010, three EVEN graduates responded to the post-graduation survey. One of the respondents reported being employed full-time in engineering. One respondent reported their status as unemployed and looking for a job. One respondent reported he/she was working on an advanced degree and the other two were considering future graduate study. All three respondents indicated they were pursuing or planning to pursue professional licensing. Though the post-graduation surveys represent a small sample, the results are broadly consistent with those from the Alumni Surveys, and support the conclusion that EVEN graduates are embarking on professional careers and/or progressing toward advanced degrees. The one student who reported being unemployed and looking for a job is not surprising given the recent downturn in the economy, and the number of respondents is low enough to not warrant concern at this point.
Senior Survey Results
Results from senior surveys conducted by CEAS for December 2010 and May and August 2011 graduates have become available since the previous report. Nine students responded to the survey for December 2010 and eight (including one incomplete response) for May/August 2011. On average, the December and May/August graduates rated their overall satisfaction with their major as 4.6 and 4.3, respectively, on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being extremely satisfied and 4 being very satisfied. Seniors’ ratings of satisfaction with staff advising averaged 4.7 in December and 4.6 in May/August; corresponding ratings for faculty advising averaged 4.2 and 4.1. The students also rated how well their engineering education equipped them in 16 ABET skill areas, using a scale of 1 (not at all) to 5 (extremely well). In the December 2010 survey, all areas averaged 3.7 or above, except for computing skills (3.67), field skills (3.56) and service (3.44). In the May/August 2011 survey, all areas averaged 3.7 or above except for math skills (3.63) and computing skills (3.13). The skill ratings and satisfaction with the major scores support the conclusion that we are generally achieving our program outcomes. However, some attention to the issue of computing skills appears warranted.
Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam Results
All EVEN students must take this national exam before they graduate. Student performance is normed to performance of environmental engineering majors nationwide. The overall pass rate and the percentage of questions on specific topics that the students correctly answer are reported. For the last review period, we received results from students who took the exam in fall 2010 and spring 2011. A total of 7 CU EVEN students took the exam in fall 2010 (all taking the environmental engineering subject in afternoon), with 6 passing, for a pass rate of 85.7%. The national average for this exam (with the environmental engineering portion in the afternoon) was 80.2%. EVEN students performed better than national averages on all subject areas on the fall 2010 exam except for chemistry (1 point below the national average), statics (1 point below the national average), strength of materials (15 points below), electricity and magnetism (3 points below) and water and wastewater (1 point below). In spring 2011, a total of 21 CU EVEN students took the exam, with 20 completing the environmental engineering subject exam in the afternoon and one completing the chemical engineering exam. All 21 students passed. In comparison, the national pass rate for the spring 2011 exam (with the environmental engineering exam in the afternoon) was 87.1%. For the spring 2011 exam, our students earned percentage scores that were above the national averages on all subjects except for strength of materials (4 points below the national average) and air quality (2 points below the national average). Strength of materials has traditionally been an area where EVEN students have performed below national average levels; this has not been viewed as a critical problem as EVEN students are not required to take strength of materials, and expertise in this area is not especially critical for environmental engineers. Differences between EVEN students’ performance and national averages on other topics are not believed to be significant. Overall, our students’ performance on the FE exam supports the conclusion that we are achieving our student outcomes.
Freshman Survey Results
CEAS administers a freshman survey each spring. Eleven EVEN students responded to the survey in spring 2011. The median number of hours that the students indicated that they studied outside of class was 21 – 25 hours/week in fall semester, which is somewhat below the recommended rule of thumb of 2-3 hours/week per credit hour. Students rated themselves averages of 4.1 and 3.2 and 3.1 for their degree of preparation in mathematics, physics and chemistry, respectively on a scale of 1 – 5 with 5 corresponding to “most prepared” and 1 corresponding to “least prepared.” They expressed an average degree of certainty about their major choice within engineering of 3.9 and an average degree of certainty they will stay in engineering until graduation of 3.6, both on a scale of 1 – 5, with 5 being “completely certain” and 1 corresponding to “not at all certain.” Students rated staff advising at 3.9 out of 5 and faculty advising at 2.4 out of 5, with 2 corresponding to “slightly satisfied”, 3 to “satisfied” and 4 to “very satisfied.” Survey respondents highlighted GEEN 1400 as a course they particularly enjoyed. Several mentioned physics, chemistry or computing as “the worst part” of their fall semester experience, which is not surprising as those are perennially viewed as challenging subjects for entering engineering students.
Professional Advisory Board Review
As part of our on-going curriculum review efforts, EVEN’s Professional Advisory Board met in October 2010 to review two of our courses: CVEN 4434 Environmental Engineering Design, and CVEN 4404/4414 Water Chemistry and Water Chemistry Laboratory. Both courses were favorably reviewed. Suggestions from the PAB for improving the design course included changing to a two-semester model, or increasing the credits from 3 to 4. PAB members also recommended ensuring that smaller design projects are included in earlier classes to help prepare students for the capstone experience, and that the capstone course further increase the variety of projects offered. To accommodate increased enrollment and broaden project offerings, the PAB also recommended engaging more faculty as co-instructors or project mentors.
ABET Self-Study
The EVEN program conducted its self-study for re-accreditation by ABET during 2010-2011, submitting the self-study report in June 2011. Self-study activities conducted in 2010-2011 included convening faculty task forces to review all of the courses in the EVEN program that are uniquely required for EVEN (and thus not necessarily included in course reviews conducted by the departments in which the courses are offered); obtaining feedback on the capstone design and water chemistry classes from the Professional Advisory Board; and taking a multi-year view of survey results and FE exam data.
What has the department/program concluded with respect to the outcomes of its undergraduate and (and if applicable, graduate) curriculum?
Primary conclusions drawn from the curricular assessment results are discussed above, for each assessment method. A broader issue that we are watching as it may impact our outcomes is our growing enrollment, which increased from 47 students in the major in 2005-2006 to 187 students in 2010-2011. We continue to track enrollments in individual classes and communicate actively with the departments that offer them to ensure EVEN students can be adequately accommodated.
What changes in the curriculum or in major requirements have occurred as a result of your assessment of undergraduate program?
Effective for spring 2012, the number of credit hours assigned for CVEN 4434 Environmental Engineering Design was changed from 3 to 4 credits, in order to better reflect the importance and workload associated with this course. At the same time, the requirement for credits in the area of probability and statistics was changed from 3 to 2 credits, in order to keep the total required for graduation to 128 credits. This change allows EVEN students to take MCEN 3037 Experimental Design and Data Analysis (2 cr) to fulfill their probability and statistics requirement.
In Spring 2011, Engineering Dean Rob Davis provided additional instructional support to the Departments of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, with the requirement that they use some of these resources to help address EVEN’s increased enrollments, including providing additional sections of fundamental engineering courses our students take in the other CEAS departments.