TY - JOUR
T1 - EET Nationally-Normed Assessment Exam
T2 - 118th ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition
AU - Grinberg, Ilya
AU - Land, Ronald E.
AU - Hall, Thomas M.
AU - Lacroix, Kelly Ann
AU - MacHo, Steve
AU - Eastman, Mike
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - In 2010 the first production run of the EET Nationally-Normed Assessment Exam developed by IEEE, SME, and Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology Department Heads Association (ECETDHA) took place with 19 different programs participating. The intent of such an exam was to provide programs with a reliable direct assessment tool to be used in the continuous improvement process within the realm of ABET accreditation1. Major emphasis in preparation and development of this exam was given to competencies in core technical areas of electrical and electronics engineering technology. It is clear that such an important assessment tool provides objective measurements of students' competencies in these areas as well as allows for benchmarking and identifies the areas of programs' improvements. Organizing and administering the EET exam revealed several opportunities for expanding the value of the test beyond that of simply an objective test of students' technical competence. It became clear that the exam also provided strong indications of students' application of several essential non-technical skills. Students volunteering for the exam displayed characteristics of team work (study groups during preparation for the exam), engagement in life-long learning, as well as commitment to quality, timeliness and continuous improvement. These important outcomes, if not initially intended, manifested themselves during the process. The paper will concentrate on the importance of the exam in assessing continuous improvement metrics from a technical perspective. Additionally, the potential opportunities to connect the exam to some of non-technical skills associated with employability are also investigated. Finally, faculty observations and student experiences will be described. The paper incorporates quantitative and qualitative data organized in mixed method study design.
AB - In 2010 the first production run of the EET Nationally-Normed Assessment Exam developed by IEEE, SME, and Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology Department Heads Association (ECETDHA) took place with 19 different programs participating. The intent of such an exam was to provide programs with a reliable direct assessment tool to be used in the continuous improvement process within the realm of ABET accreditation1. Major emphasis in preparation and development of this exam was given to competencies in core technical areas of electrical and electronics engineering technology. It is clear that such an important assessment tool provides objective measurements of students' competencies in these areas as well as allows for benchmarking and identifies the areas of programs' improvements. Organizing and administering the EET exam revealed several opportunities for expanding the value of the test beyond that of simply an objective test of students' technical competence. It became clear that the exam also provided strong indications of students' application of several essential non-technical skills. Students volunteering for the exam displayed characteristics of team work (study groups during preparation for the exam), engagement in life-long learning, as well as commitment to quality, timeliness and continuous improvement. These important outcomes, if not initially intended, manifested themselves during the process. The paper will concentrate on the importance of the exam in assessing continuous improvement metrics from a technical perspective. Additionally, the potential opportunities to connect the exam to some of non-technical skills associated with employability are also investigated. Finally, faculty observations and student experiences will be described. The paper incorporates quantitative and qualitative data organized in mixed method study design.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85167051371&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - ???researchoutput.researchoutputtypes.contributiontojournal.conferencearticle???
AN - SCOPUS:85167051371
SN - 2153-5965
JO - ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings
JF - ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings
Y2 - 26 June 2011 through 29 June 2011
ER -