Thesis
Active assessment in engineering design using a systems approach
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2007
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/100086
Abstract
A major challenge for faculty is how to develop a "culture of evidence" in the classroom that supports student-centered formative learning and aligns with program and accreditation goals. Another challenge is the development of assessment tools that lighten, rather than add to, faculty workload. In this study, a systems approach is used for gathering evidence centered on the development of group artifacts. Specifically, online project management (PM) and knowledge management (KM) resources are purposefully developed by students at the intersection of working, learning, and assessment. The KM and PM archives are assessed using a multi-method approach, with three criteria in mind: 1) ease of implementation, 2) real-time documentation of improvements, and 3) alignment of course assessments with program and institutional goals. A wiki is used for documenting social knowledge in the context of an industrially-based capstone design course and for assessing group learning. Students create a course wiki for the explicit purposes of sharing lessons learned with wider audiences and engaging in active group assessment, where students actively develop the product to be assessed. Because students are encouraged to verbalize in their own words concepts learned in class, the KM wiki reinforces learning and serves as a formative assessment tool, or perception check, for students and professors. Similarly, Basecamp, a web-based PM tool, is used by students to manage the day-to-day tasks and communication required to produce a deliverable on time that meets customer needs. This quantitative and qualitative study involved collecting feedback from key stakeholders, including professional skills evaluations, focus group interviews, student ownership surveys, temperament surveys and mid-term feedback. A difference approach was used to analyze industry partner perceptions of actual and expected performance. An average improvement score, based on a rubric, was obtained that maximizes reliability for small, variable groups like advisory boards.
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Details
- Title
- Active assessment in engineering design using a systems approach
- Creators
- Kelley Ann Racicot
- Contributors
- Dawn M. Shinew (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Teaching and Learning, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900524809601842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis