Effective assessment of student outcomes in computer engineering programs using a minimalistic framework

Abstract

Effective frameworks for the assessment of student outcomes are vital to the success of a technical higher-educationprogram. While ensuring the accuracy of the student outcomes assessment usually translates to employing complicatedsetups, thoughtful abstraction can lead to the desired reliability of assessment with great simplicity. In this paper, aminimalistic framework for the assessment of student outcomes is proposed. The proposed framework is based on seniordesign experiences of undergraduate computer engineering students. Senior design experiences provide unique opportu-nities for students to demonstrate their abilities, skills, and experiences that are attained throughout a Bachelor ofEngineering program. The proposed framework is based on capstone design projects and a selection of senior designcourses of complementary nature. The learning outcomes of the proposed selection of courses are carefully designed tomap to all student outcomes. The proposed minimalistic assessment framework leads to results that are only marginallydifferent from those based on a large bouquet of courses ranging from sophomore to senior years of study and thusdemonstrates its reliability. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is supported by evaluative and comparativestatistical analysis of student outcomes assessments within a multi-year case-study.