the process of identifying consistent performance criteria – from the technical communication...
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The process of identifying consistent performance criteria – from the Technical Communication Program
1. Brief overview of what we did for ABET 2006 visit.2. Current challenges
• We see inconsistency in grading rubrics, language confuses students.• We need common ground in performance criteria, shared values.
3. Surveys of faculty and upcoming work in focus groups.
Agenda:
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For the ABET 2006 visit, we mapped ABET Criteria against key assignments in our required Comm-B course, EPD 397.
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We then compiled data from direct assessment (grades across multiple sections) to show communication challenges for our EPD 397 students.
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Now we want to work on a consistent approach to communication teaching across disciplines in the College of Engineering.
College of EngineeringCommunication Pyramid
Sophomores may take EPD 275; will write lab reports
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A challenge: CoE faculty and Tech Comm instructors do not share a common approach to assessing communication skills.
ME 349 Senior Design Final Project Grading Rubric
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TC instructors break technical report assessment down into multiple performance criteria; one criterion is below:
Macro- and Micro-organization/Structure (Does the
report provide a clear purpose statement early enough to give the project momentum and unity? Is organization of the document logical?) – Clear transitions between paragraphs and sections? – Unified paragraphs with strong topic sentences?– Useful, meaningful section headings?– Section headings clearly distinguishable from sub-section
headings? – Section breaks too frequent or too infrequent?
Out of 15 pts._______
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Goal: We want to identify shared values in communication and create a common language across the CoE curriculum.
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We surveyed CoE faculty this spring (2009) to see what communication concepts they value in undergraduate writing.
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In the same survey, we asked CoE faculty to rank typical student outcomes on those communication performance criteria.
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Some preliminary conclusions
• CoE faculty value “organization,” but their performance criteria don’t typically employ that word.
• CoE faculty value communication with a diverse/ multi-disciplinary audience, but many of them don’t require students to practice those skills.
• Our instructors know both skills need further development and reinforcement across the college.
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Next steps for our program:
• Draw some conclusions from our recent meeting with our Industrial Advisory Board.
• Organize small focus groups to meet with individual CoE faculty to discuss performance criteria in depth.
• Identify and create online communication modules to meet multiple needs, approaching a more consistent language about communication teaching.