Work in progress - External assessment through peer-to-peer evaluation of capstone projects

In 2006, the University of St. Thomas, Rowan University, and the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) completed an inaugural peer-to-peer assessment of final reports prepared by students during a capstone design course. The preliminary feedback has provided valuable information for modifying and improving the course. In addition, the results clearly indicate a need for refining the peer-to-peer assessment process to account for differences in curriculum and resources between the participating universities. Faculty are currently revising the evaluation process to develop a common assessment tool to enable inter-university benchmarking of student learning and performance. The updated process will provide a valuable tool in achieving external program assessment. Furthermore, the evaluation provides an avenue for sharing "best practices" amongst the faculty at participating schools.

Introduction

Engineering schools nationwide are continually searching for ways of improving student education and the achievement of program learning objectives. Common means of assessing achievement are through evaluation of student work in individual courses, student performance in the profession following graduation, or by surveys of students both during and after they have completed their academic program.