Outcomes
TIDEE outcomes have been defined by considering the Accreditation Board
for Engineering and Technology (ABET) outcomes, while also looking forward
to performance expected from engineering graduates in the workplace. The
steps (in the sidebar) outline a process by which design education outcomes
are derived from longer-range capabilities of engineers such as the engineer
profile.
Engineer Profile
The engineer profile leads to definitions of engineering program outcomes, a subset of which is design education outcomes. In the TIDEE project, design learning outcomes have been defined at both the end-of-program and mid-program points.
The engineer profile was defined through a process involving people from numerous educational institutions, disciplines, and leading employers of engineering graduates. First, an initial set of attributes was drafted by TIDEE project leaders using a variety of publications and web sites as resources. This set of attributes was structured as a survey to obtain ratings of importance and universality for 12 attributes and 30 supporting key actions. Responses were received from 30 capstone (senior) design course instructors of various disciplines and 10 engineers in business and industry. These ratings and suggestions from respondents enabled TIDEE personnel to generate a revised draft of the profile, defining 12 attributes and 45 key actions that describe characteristics of high performing engineers.
The profile of an engineer characterizes the engineer who is productive after graduation and advancing rapidly in responsibility as a professional. These attributes span all of the ABET EC 3a-k outcomes plus additional abilities and attitudes important to the engineer’s working environment. Therefore, these attributes encompass the range of actions or attitudes desired in engineers at the time they graduate and others for which a bias toward learning is present at graduation. Many of these attributes are possible outcomes of capstone design projects that engineering students experience.
