Purpose

This handbook has been designed to support engineering departments and engineering faculty in

• creating assessment plans
• conducting direct assessments of student learning
• conducting indirect assessments of student learning, and
• using assessment data to identify curricular strengths and opportunities for improvement.

Special Features for Engineering Educators

This handbook is tailored for engineering educators.  The structure and the language of the handbook are aligned with trends in engineering education.  Careful attention has been given to the influences of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).  The arrangement of specific assessment methods is based on courses and assignments that are common within engineering curricula.  Examples are pertinent to engineering courses.

About the Authors

The Office of Student Affairs (OSA) at CoE created this handbook to help answer questions from CoE faculty pertaining to assessment.  Jeanne P Murabito, Executive Director for Student Affairs, oversaw the project and Honor J. Passow, P.E, a member of the OSA staff, is the lead developer for the handbook.  She is an engineer who learned the reality of engineering classrooms while teaching undergraduate engineering courses, and her experience with CoE assessment has been enhanced by graduate education specializing in university-level assessment.  We welcome your feedback to improve this handbook (assessment@umich.edu).