NWCCU Computer Engineering Assessment

Program Assessment Process

The Computer Engineering (CE) program utilizes seven student outcomes. Each outcome is assessed every year.

Two instruments (independent sources of information) are used in the assessment process:

  1. Direct: Student coursework (homework, exams, projects, lab exercises, reports, etc.)
  2. Indirect: Exit interviews with graduating seniors

Feedback from the department Industry Advisory Committee (IAC) is also utilized where appropriate.

Evaluation of the assessment process is conducted by the ECE Assessment Committee, which meets annually at the end of each academic year (May) to review all assessment data. Results are then reviewed during the annual fall department faculty meeting (August) and at the IAC meeting (typically in the spring). If outcomes needing improvement are identified during that review, recommendations for improvement will be made by the Committee (and/or course instructors) and that outcome will be reevaluated the following year during the annual review.

Student Course Work

Each student outcome is decomposed into several performance indicators. The performance indicators are mapped to required courses. Each time a course is taught, the instructor assesses the attainment of the performance indicator by evaluating each student’s performance on a specific work product such as a homework problem, quiz or exam question, lab report, project report, or other assignment that is relevant to that outcome. Student performance on this work product is rated on a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Each assessment result is documented in a standardized form and archived electronically in Box. There is a spreadsheet for each student outcome and a separate tab in the spreadsheet for each performance indicator.

Each performance indicator has an associated performance target. Most of these targets are that at least 80% of the students will receive a 4 or 5 score for each of the student outcomes.

Graduating Senior Exit Interviews

Graduating seniors complete an anonymous online exit interview to provide feedback about the computer engineering program and rate their perceived progress in meeting each of the outcomes. The performance target is to have at least 80% of the students rating their attainment as “met” (rating of 4 or 5). Though this is a subjective self-evaluation, these exit interview results are taken as a general indication whether students feel they are meeting the outcomes.

The annual Assessment Committee reports are posted here: