This project is refining, validating, and disseminating an assessment instrument, the Signals and Systems Concept Inventory (SSCI), for a core course in the electrical and computer engineering curricula. The SSCI, modeled after the Force Concept Inventory for Newtonian mechanics, consists of 25 multiple choice questions emphasizing conceptual understanding, not rote problem solving. The incorrect answers, or distractors, capture common student misconceptions. A group of faculty member from 12 diverse institutions, referred to as the Development Team, are providing pretest and posttest SSCI scores linked to grades, gender, and race data. These data are being used to examine the construct validity of the instrument and to check for evidence of bias in the results. The Development Team is assessing the content validity of the instrument through expert peer review of the SSCI questions. A test/re-test protocol is being used to calibrate the reliability of the instrument. Student interviews are providing additional data for the validity analysis. The group is preparing a SSCI Instructor Manual that will describe which student misconceptions are captured by each distractor. This manual will also guide the interpretation of results by providing baseline data on student performance and pretest/posttest gains for the SSCI. Annual meetings of the Development Team are being used to monitor progress toward the project's objectives, each of which has been translated into a set of measurable outcomes and evaluation questions. Journal articles, conference presentations, the signals-and-systems.org website, and workshops at signal processing and engineering education conferences are being used to disseminate the SSCI and the study results.
