The purpose of this project is to create a web-based library of proven engineering education evaluation instruments to help build evaluation capacity for this community. The community itself is growing rapidly and there is a significant market for this resource. Many engineering educators are educational innovators, but few evaluate resulting discoveries and impacts adequately so that others might confidently adopt effective new practices. This project is focused on reversing this situation.
This resource's materials will be expert-mediated and will enable engineering educators to better document and transfer impacts of their innovations and develop additional superior evaluation instruments. This library, known as the Appraisal System for Superior Engineering Education Evaluation-instrument Sharing and Scholarship (ASSESS), expands upon proof-of-concept work led by the project investigators. The earlier work created a preliminary database and convened a national panel of 30 engineering education and evaluation professionals, who confirmed the value of a resource like ASSESS. The panel refined the design of the proposed database and recommended developing and testing an online library to: 1. test its effectiveness in enabling engineering educators to locate and use evaluation instruments to support engineering education improvement projects; and 2. support the engineering education evaluation community in the identification and refinement of evaluation instruments with potential to become major assets to the profession. ASSESS users will be guided in instrument selection and implementation to ensure credible evaluation and interpretation of findings. Peer input will identify promising instruments and guide their development.
