2014-2015 Annual Assessment Report - Mechanical Engineering Program

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 they 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
• analyze and interpret data
• design systems, components or processes to meet desired needs
• understand the processes used to manufacture products
• understand contemporary issues in mechanical engineering
• demonstrate professional conduct in academic and workplace environment
• demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills
• function effectively on multi-disciplinary teams
• understand professional and ethical responsibility
• understand the impact of engineering in a global and societal context
• 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?

No changes have been made to our curriculum goals since AY 13-14.  They are reviewed annually by our Undergraduate Chair and are up for formal reviews by our Industry Advisory Council in 2015 (educational objective) and 2016 (program outcomes).

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

In order to evaluate our curriculum's effectiveness at meeting the stated curriculum goals, the department has implemented a cyclical course review process.  As part of that process, each of our core courses is evaluated once every three years by a task force consisting of faculty, students, and staff.  In addition to that three year rotation, each of our core courses is reviewed by our Industry Advisory Council approximately once every six years. 

The data that our department relies on to evaluate learning outcomes specifically is from a combination of five sources: in-class focus groups, FCQ scores, FE data, pre/post concept inventories, and senior/post-grad/alumni/employer survey data.

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

MCEN1025: CAD & Fabrication

This course is a consistent favorite for our undergraduate students.  It is often cited as an example of a course that helps students engage with key mechanical engineering principles early on in the curriculum, when most of their coursework is focused on basic math and science.  The primary critique of the course was that there weren't a lot of advanced study options available for students interested in learning more about the course material.  Proposed solutions included integrating optional advanced lectures into the existing course or offering an upper division technical elective related to SolidWorks. The instructor for Fall 2015 indicated that he would be happy to look into increasing the range of optional lectures available.  It was also noted that additional faculty in the department have started to use SolidWorks more heavily in other courses (especially MCEN2063), which could at least partially address that request.  Opinions were mixed as to whether more geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) material should be included in the course, with the end conclusion that continuing to provide a brief overview was a reasonable plan.  The slot car project that has been used for a number of years will be replaced for Fall 2015 with a quadcopter project.  That is a much more modern approach and something that students are excited about, although it will require some additional coordination/support.  

MCEN2000: ME Professionalism & Career Development Seminar

Implemented for the first time during Fall 2014, in response to concerns about unprofessional behavior in the classroom and students’ level of preparation for industry.  Periodic surveys administered throughout the course indicated that students found a number of the topic areas valuable (i.e. international engineering, resumes/cover letters, etc.), but that they struggled to stay engaged during the lectures.  Student surveys also indicated that the class might benefit from a narrower focus, given its status as a one credit course.  Revisions and discussions related to the course are ongoing. 

MCEN3037/4037/4047: Data Analysis/Measurements

Strong support from both students and faculty for condensing the data analysis/measurements sequence into a single course.  Focus groups and senior survey data indicate that students would benefit from being able to apply their new statistics/probability knowledge as they’re learning it, rather than learning statistics/probability first and then focusing on experimental methods in a separate course.  Faculty and alumni have also consistently noted the high degree of overlap in MCEN4037 and MCEN4047, which means that combining the courses would be of benefit from an efficiency standpoint.  A staff member from the ITLL and faculty from both Mechanical Engineering and General Engineering Plus have volunteered to revise the curriculum and condense it into a single course.  The new class will be piloted in Fall 2015 and the old classes will be phased out slowly beginning with Summer 2015.  The emphasis in the new course will be on direct application of learned skills, problem solving, and moving beyond a “cookbook” approach to experimental design. 

MCEN4048/4085: Senior Design

The review process for this course is much more extensive than for our other classes, due to its role as a capstone for the remainder of the curriculum.  A full report detailing all assessment conducted through 2014 is available in the department’s records. The most important take away from that assessment is that our Senior Design program is very well regarded by both students and industry clients (with annual gains in targeted skills such as design and teamwork), but that there are a number of pressing challenges related to enrollment growth that the department will need to resolve in the next 2-5 years.  Challenges related to that growth include physical space for the design process, machine shop access for the build component of each project, recruiting industry partners, securing appropriate funding, and identifying/expanding faculty and staff roles to effectively support all of the design teams. 

MCEN4026: Manufacturing 

Course is in need of significant revisions.  Primary goal is to expose students to basic manufacturing concepts, while inspiring curiosity about how products are made.  Unfortunately, the material covered in the course has not been presented consistently over the past few semesters and has become very dry.  For future semesters, the department has prioritized improving, replacing, and/or expanding the existing lab modules to help increase student engagement.  The task force would also like to see the department identify a permanent faculty member who can teach the course consistently and invest the necessary time to improve it, rather than relying heavily on adjuncts hired to teach the course for a single term. 

Increase in Minimum Pre/Co-requisite Grade

Beginning with the incoming ME class of Fall 2015, the minimum passing grade for classes that are a pre or co-requisite will increase from a C- to a C.  The goal of that change is to ensure that students entering upper division courses are adequately prepared, with regards to both the prerequisite course material and the overall level of academic challenge they should expect.  The change was reviewed/approved by our Undergraduate Committee (including student representatives), the department faculty, and our Industry Advisory Council.  It was also supported by constituents from campus offices including the ITLL and BOLD Center, who emphasized that setting high expectations for student success is key to empowering students to excel.