2012-2013 Annual Assessment Report - Chemical Engineering Program

The curriculum goals of the unit, as currently stated in the catalog or other departmental documents, are as follows (as shown on the departmental website):

"The department prepares our graduates to make significant contributions in many diverse areas.  Specifically, within a few years of graduation our graduates will have achieved one or more of the following attributes:

  • In their chosen field, be established in a professional career, be pursuing an advanced degree, or be seeking advanced certification.
  • Be recognized as academic, industrial, or entrepreneurial leaders.
  • Be successfully working and communicating in a variety of technical fields.
  • Be adapting to new technologies and changing professional environments.

Program Outcomes

At the time of graduation, graduates will demonstrate:

  • an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering
  • an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data
  • an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability
  • an ability to function on multidisciplinary teams
  • an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems
  • an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
  • the appropriate written and verbal communication skills required to communicate effectively
  • the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context
  • a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in, lifelong learning
  • a knowledge of contemporary issues
  • an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice"

During the last review period, what revisions, if any, have been made to your curriculum goals as stated in the CU course catalog? What is your schedule for such curriculum review?

There have been no changes to the curriculum goals during the last review period.  The curriculum goals were last revisited/modified during the 2011/2012 academic year.  Input is obtained from Alumni Surveys with regards to curriculum goals as well as from the Undergraduate Education Advisory Council, which meets approximately every 3 years.  Curriculum goals will be revisited during the 2014/2015 academic year.

Summarize the means you have employed to assess your success in attaining those curriculum goals.

The Department has in place a process for evaluating to what extent the program goals are met.  The program relies on surveys of our alumni (Alumni Survey) as well as surveys of employers of our graduates (Employer Survey) and graduates post-graduation (Post-Grad Survey).  At the conclusion of each academic year, the Alumni Survey is sent to alumni who graduated roughly 4 years prior.  The Employer Survey is sent out in January of every third year; this was last administered during the spring semester of 2011.  Furthermore, the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam is also used to assess program goals of students at the time of graduation.  The Undergraduate Committee compiles survey results and compares the results to the targets that were previously set.  In this way, the committee can identify areas of weaknesses and synthesize recommendations for the faculty.  Finally, changes are implemented to address these areas of weakness.                                                                                                              

  • Senior Survey (data from December 2012 and May 2013 graduates) – assessment of program outcomes
  • Post-Grad Survey (given to alumni about 6 months after graduation; data from May/Aug. 2012 and December 2012 available)
  • Employer Survey - A college-level Employer Survey was implemented for the first time in the spring of 2008 and most recently administered in the spring of 2011.  This survey was administered to employers of our graduates and these employers many times have worked with the employees for roughly 3-5 years.
  • Alumni Survey - Approximately 4 years after graduation from the ChBE program, alumni are asked questions that relate directly to attainment of the Program Educational Objectives.  Data from the summer of 2013 are included here.
  • Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam - The results of the FE exam are used to evaluate objectively how our students compare to other students nationwide in a variety of engineering areas and the exam also allows us to determine any deviations or changes in various topic areas over time.  In this analysis, scores from the October 2012 and April 2013 exams were evaluated.

Specify what actions you have taken as a result of employing your assessment protocols.

The program has taken several actions to address the below-target areas with regards to student outcomes.  Many of the weak areas are related to the “soft skills” (communication, ethics, contemporary issues).  Consequently, these areas have been addressed in the lab courses (to address writing) and the Introduction to Chemical Engineering and Senior Seminar courses:

  • Understanding of professional and ethical responsibility - This outcome continues to be addressed in the Introduction to Chemical Engineering and Senior Seminar courses.  In particular, over the past 3-4 years an assignment has been added in which students must read an ethical dilemma and respond in writing.  They must discuss their response/decision in terms of one or more codes of ethics.
  • Ability to communicate effectively in writing - Students' ability to write technical reports (written communication) has been below expectations for several years.  Attempts have been made to improve this outcome primarily in the lab courses, where technical writing is emphasized.  Specifically, assignments have been added in both the Senior and Junior Lab courses that emphasize Executive Summary and Results section writing.  Additionally, the instructors of Junior Lab have adopted a small textbook that will be a mandatory text in the future.  This book covers report writing and oral presentations, among other things.  Finally, about an hour of lecture was devoted to the Junior Lab course at the beginning of the semester to cover important aspects of writing, including presentation of results (figures and figure captions), grammar, proper citation style, and other aspects of technical writing.

Knowledge of contemporary issues - This outcome is one of the poorest performing areas by students of all outcomes.  Attempts were made during the last two years in the Senior Design courses to improve knowledge of contemporary issues.  In particular, a mandatory “Current Events” presentation was assigned to each student group in the Senior Design course.  Current events could be chosen from not just engineering-related topics but any area that may influence/affect graduates in the near future.  There are similar current events assignments in the Introduction to Chemical Engineering and Senior Seminar courses that have been added in recent years.