Program: Mechanical Engineering Department, Carnegie Institute of Technology
Assessment: Supervisor Questionnaire to Assess Program Effectiveness

Purpose:

One of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology’s criteria for assessing success in meeting program objectives is to examine the accomplishments of our alumni three to five years after graduation, but the program had no data from the supervisors of our alumni. The purpose of this questionnaire is to gather information from work supervisors or graduate advisors on how effectively we prepare our alumni for their professional responsibilities.

Implementation:

A three-item survey was created to solicit work supervisors and graduate advisors’ opinions on the success of our alumni. Each item was assessed through a simple five-point rating scale. The department mailed a cover letter and survey to each alum who graduated between 2000 and 2002. The cover letter explained the survey’s purpose and asked the alums to give the survey to their current supervisors or advisors, who were asked to mail the completed survey to our department.

Results:

The first survey was mailed in the spring of 2005 and returned in the summer of 2005. Survey responses were tabulated and summarized to gauge our program’s effectiveness and contribute to discussions of curriculum revision.

Comments:

The department intends to conduct their survey every three years in order to gather data on our graduates in three-year cohorts.

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