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

"The educational objective of the undergraduate program in mechanical engineering is to prepare graduates so that, within three years of graduation, they will have successfully established themselves in professional careers and/or obtained a graduate degree, and will have begun to generate new knowledge or exercise leadership in their positions to the benefit of society.

Each graduate of the mechanical engineering program is expected to:

  • apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering;
  • identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems;
  • use computers to solve engineering problems;
  • use modern instrumentation;
  • design and conduct experiments, including the use of probability and statistics;
  • understand contemporary issues in mechanical engineering;
  • analyze and interpret data;
  • design thermal systems, components, or processes to meet desired needs;
  • design mechanical systems, components, or processes to meet desired needs;
  • understand the processes used to manufacture products;
  • understand contemporary issues in mechanical engineering;
  • make effective oral presentations;
  • write effectively;
  • function effectively on multi-disciplinary teams;
  • understand professional and ethical responsibility;
  • understand the impact of engineering in a global and societal context; and
  • engage in lifelong learning. "

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?

Based on feedback from ABET during the last review cycle, the Department of Mechanical Engineering has elected to combine its outcomes regarding thermal and mechanical system design into a new outcome that will read "design systems, components, or processes to meet desired needs".  The rationale for that change is that students' most substantive design experience in the program comes as part of their Senior Design project, which will focus on either mechanical or thermal design systems rather than providing equal exposure to both subfields.  Students reported (on average) a higher level of both perceived importance and competency with regards to mechanical than thermal systems.  While the mean thermal systems response was still above the 3.0 threshold that we use to determine success in meeting a learning outcome, it was among the lowest scores for the program.

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

The Department of Mechanical Engineering uses five primary strategies for assessing our curriculum goals:

Senior Survey

The Senior Survey is administered annually by the College of Engineering and Applied Science and has a specific section that asks students to rate both the importance of each of their graduating department’s learning outcomes and their ability with regards to each outcome.  Detailed statistics from that survey are viewable in the "MCEN ABET" section of this document.  All of the mean scores for both importance and ability were above 3.0 for AY 12-13, which indicates that our learning outcomes have been met for the majority of graduating students.  That said, our department review process includes revisiting outcomes with a mean ability score below 4.0, to determine how they could be better addressed.  Learning outcomes with scores greater than 3.0 and less than 4.0 for AY 12-13 were computational skills (3.6), ability to use modern instrumentation (3.9), ability to conduct experiments (3.8), thermal design ability (3.3), understanding of manufacturing processes (3.7), understanding of current issues (3.2), and understanding of the social context of engineering (3.8).  More details about work in progress related to some of those areas is included in #2 (thermal system design) and #4 (current issues, social context).

Post-Grad Survey

The College of Engineering and Applied Science’s Post-Grad Survey is distributed to new alumni approximately six months after graduation.  The most recent survey results indicated that 94% of respondents were either employed or enrolled in graduate school at the time when they completed the survey.  Those numbers include 25 students who indicated that their primary occupation was a job and 4 respondents who indicated that their primary occupation was graduate school.  That is good progress towards the department’s goal of preparing graduates to establish themselves in their professional careers and/or obtain a graduate degree within three years of completing their initial postsecondary degree. 

Alumni Survey

The College of Engineering and Applied Science’s Alumni Survey is distributed to alumni approximately three years after graduation.  The survey administered during Summer 2013 had a low response rate for MCEN graduates (n = 14), but the responses they provided were very positive.  The mean responses for questions regarding satisfaction with their engineering field of study overall (4.7), major field of study (4.5), and extent to which their engineering education contributed to their success (4.0) were all well above 3.0.  In addition, 79% of alumni indicated that their program of study at CU-Boulder “definitely” met their educational goals.  The remaining 21% responded that it had “somewhat” met their educational goals, with no respondents selecting the “not at all” option.  That indicates that overall, the department is doing a good job of preparing its graduates for successful post-graduate careers. 

FE Results

All students graduating from the Department of Mechanical Engineering are required to complete either the FE Exam or an approved substitute exam that corresponds with their career goals.  Our students’ pass rates for the FE Exam were 91.2% (52/57) for Fall 2012 and 90.8% (59/65) for Spring 2013.  Those numbers compare favorably with both historical scores in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the national averages (81.1% and 82.6% for Fall 2012 and Spring 2013).  With regards to specific subject areas, our students scored above the national average in every subject except Mathematics, Engineering Ethics, Engineering Economics, Strength of Materials, and Thermodynamics.  For Mathematics, the score difference was so slight as to be statistically insignificant (75% NAT, 74.9% CU).  Information related to the other subject areas is included in #4 below. 

Course Reviews

The Department of Mechanical Engineering completes a comprehensive review of each of its core undergraduate courses once every three years.  For AY 12-13, the courses that came up for review were MCEN3021, MCEN3032, MCEN3043, and MCEN4043.  Details regarding those course reviews are included in the “MCEN Course Reviews” section of this document.  

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

Both Senior Survey and FE data has indicated that our students' understanding of topics related to the Social Context of Engineering, Engineering Ethics, and Current Events is not at the level that we would like to see.  In response, the department is in the process of adding a new Professionalism Seminar to the curriculum for Fall 2014.  The course will be required for all students entering the program beginning with Fall 2013 and will include topics related to current events, ethics, professional communication, and teamwork.  The emphasis will be on encouraging students to develop skills in those areas that they can then apply throughout their undergraduate studies.

Other areas identified through the FE Exam as potentially in need of attention include Engineering Economics, Strength of Materials, and Thermodynamics.  No specific changes to the curriculum have been implemented with regards to Strength of Materials or Thermodynamics since receiving the AY 12-13 FE scores, but the department is aware that those are areas that could benefit from continued attention and potentially future revision.  With regards to Engineering Economics, the Undergraduate Committee decided during Spring 2013 to begin allowing students to count one Engineering Management course as an ME Technical Elective as a means of encouraging students to gain some level of proficiency with regards to related business and economics principles. The substitution was previously allowed only for students completing the full four class sequence to receive a certificate in Engineering Management.

The information on this page was gathered through the Department of Mechanical Engineering's course review process.  That process consists of a focus group involving students currently enrolled in the course, followed by a task force meeting the following semester.  The task force reviews the data collected through the focus groups and evaluates potential changes to the course learning objectives, structure, content, etc.  The members of each task force include faculty who have taught the class, students who have recently completed it, and at least one representative from the Undergraduate Committee.  The following courses were reviewed:

MCEN3021: Fluid Mechanics

An evaluation of relevant learning objectives indicated that while most categories are being covered sufficiently with the current class format, improvements could be made related to shear and velocity gradients, manometers, turbulent flow, and dimensional analysis.It was recommended that screen casts could be used as a means of both strengthening the course overall and better addressing concepts noted as current deficiencies. The task force also provided revised versions of both the course description and prerequisite list, which have since been updated at the catalog level.

MCEN3032: Thermodynamics 2

Students indicated that a substantial percentage of the course was spent reviewing material previously covered in MCEN3012 (Thermo 1).It was suggested that the course title be changed to "Application of Thermo Fluids Fundamentals" to allow the curriculum to differ more substantially from MCEN3012.However, further review of that suggestion by the Undergraduate Committee indicated that the title change would not necessarily be consistent with how the course is taught by all faculty members.The task force also indicated that there could be a benefit in both moving the course after MCEN3037 (Measurements Lab) in the curriculum and integrating in additional use of computational tools.Those recommendations continue to be an area of interest for the department, although they have yet to be implemented.

MCEN3043: Dynamics

The strongest recommendation from the focus group data for MCEN3043 was that the lab component be removed from the course.Specific supporting details from the task force were not included, but the labs were removed as a required course component beginning during AY 13-14.That change may have had something to do with the assessment feedback, but it was primarily a result of increased course enrollments making it difficult to secure appropriate TA support and lab space.If not for those constraints, the Undergraduate Committee would have preferred to pursue options for improving the labs rather than removing them from the course.

MCEN4043: System Dynamics

Task force discussion focused on the pros and cons of replacing the project aspect of the course with shorter, structured labs throughout the semester.That change is on track to be implemented beginning during Fall 2013.There was also a recommendation that the department consider offering an additional controls class, so that students with an interest in that area could receive additional training outside of MCEN4043.That did not end up being possible for AY 13-14 due to instructional constraints, but is an area of continued interest for future years.