I. Process used to develop the plan

The development of this plan was coordinated by Professor Ian Robertson (Associate Head) in consultation with Professors David Cahill, David Payne, Jian-ku Shang and Phil Geil. The plan was presented at various stages in its development to all faculty for discussion and approval. The plan reflects many of the assessment tools that have been used for a number of years in The Department of Materials Science and Engineering to assess and improve the quality of our undergraduate and graduate programs.

II. Desired Learning Outcomes

The mission of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering is to meet the needs of society and our profession through excellence in education, research and service; to educate scientist and engineers who will become leaders in their chosen field; and to generate new science and engineering- based knowledge for the benefit of society and the profession.

III. Specific Goals of the Program

1. Undergraduate Program

1. To provide undergraduate students with an understanding of the underlying principles of synthesis, characterization and processing of materials and of the interrelationships among structure, properties and processing.
2. To prepare graduates for professional careers in a wide variety of industries as well as for advanced study.

2. Graduate program

1. To provide students with expertise in the principles of synthesis, characterization and processing of a materials area and of the interrelationships between structure, properties and processing.
2. To prepare graduates for positions of leadership in industry, government and academia.

IV. Department Educational Objectives

1. Undergraduate Program

1. To provide students with the necessary foundation for entry level industrial positions in materials related industries or advanced study programs through rigorous instruction in the fundamentals of materials science and engineering.
2. To provide students with an introduction to team work and communication techniques to prepare them for successful careers in industry or advanced study programs.
3. To provide students with the opportunity to broaden their education in engineering and science or expand their knowledge in a particular technical area by offering a choice of technical and free electives. To provide students with the opportunity to participate in the Co-op and Study Abroad programs.
4. To provide students with opportunities to learn and grow as individuals, contribute to society and to appreciate the ability to achieve their goals through life-long learning.

2. Graduate program

1. To provide graduate students with the necessary foundation for advanced level positions in materials related industrial, government, and academic positions.
2. To provide graduate students with the opportunity to perform original research either individually or as a member of a team.
3. To provide graduate students with the opportunity to develop and utilize written and oral communication skills.
4. To provide graduate students with the opportunity to broaden their knowledge base through a choice of courses in materials related subjects.
5. To provide graduate students with opportunities to learn and grow as individuals, contribute to society and to appreciate the desirability of life-long learning.
   

V. Educational Outcomes

1. Undergraduate program

The educational outcomes for undergraduate students are determined by the educational outcomes set by ABET. Undergraduate students will have

1. An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science and engineering to materials science and engineering problems.
2. An ability to design and conduct experiments.
3. An ability to analyze and interpret data.
4. An ability to design systems or processes to meet needs.
5. An ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams.
6. An ability to identify, formulate and solve engineering problems.
7. An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility.
8. An ability to communicate effectively.
9. A broad education.
10. A recognition for the need to engage in life-long learning.
11. A knowledge of contemporary issues.
12. An ability to use techniques, skills and tools necessary for materials engineering practice.
13. Familiarity with chemistry, physics and advanced mathematics.

2. Undergraduate program

Graduate students will have:

1. An ability to conduct original research.
2. An ability to utilize and evaluate existing literature.
3. An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science and engineering to materials science and engineering problems.
4. An ability to design and conduct experiments.
5. An ability to analyze and interpret data.
6. An ability to design systems, components or processes to meet needs.
7. An ability to identify, formulate and solve materials science and engineering problems.
8. An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility.
9. An ability to communicate effectively.
10. An in-depth and broad knowledge of materials science and engineering.
11. A recognition for the need to engage in life-long learning.

VI. Measurement Instruments

1. Graduate Record Examination

We will begin to accumulate data on the test scores of students in Materials Science and Engineering that take the Graduate Record Examination. Test scores of students entering the graduate program at the University of Illinois are available. According to the benchmarking survey conducted by Georgia Institute of Technology, the Graduate Record Examination scores of graduate students entering our program are among the highest in the nation.

2. National and International Fellowships and awards received by Materials Science and Engineering Undergraduate and Graduate Students.

An incomplete list of graduate and undergraduate students that have received awards has been compiled and is available on request. Where possible the number of awards won is compared with those won by students at peer institutions.

3. Employment Statistics

Data is available showing the positions accepted by undergraduates, starting salaries, and percentage of graduates continuing their education. Comparison with national averages will be made if and when that data becomes available. Typically, job placement has not been a problem.

4. Alumni and Employer Surveys

The College of Engineering and the University of Illinois perform surveys of alumni at regular intervals. The College of Engineering surveys alumni at 5, 10, 20, 25 and 30 years after graduation. In addition the University, through the Center for Teaching Excellence, surveys the graduating seniors. The results of these surveys are examined closely to identify areas that are consistently identified as needing attention. The results of the surveys are available.

5. Alumni

The Department has an Alumni Board, the members of which are primarily drawn from industry, with a few members from national laboratories. The current board has about 20 active members. The board meets biannually and provides the Department with an industrial perspective, which provides direction for curriculum modifications. Program changes are discussed with the Alumni Board. The members of the board also provide feedback on the effectiveness of the education they received in preparation for their careers. Based on feedback from this group, a required course on data analysis (IE 230) was included in the undergraduate curriculum. In developing the new undergraduate curriculum, the importance of communication and teamwork skills was incorporated throughout the undergraduate curriculum.

Alumni not on the Board have the opportunity to provide feedback on the program through discussions with faculty.

Through both channels the alumni provide important feedback on their perceptions of the program, which compliments the information obtained from alumni surveys.

6. Instructor Course Evaluation System

The instructor course evaluation system (ICES) is used by students to evaluate the instruction they receive in each course. Summaries of the ICES scores are used to identify faculty who are continually ranked below average in terms of teaching performance. These faculty are then advised to participate in the teaching improvement programs available within the University. This effort has resulted in a consistent increase in the overall quality of instruction offered in the Department.

7. Student work

Student homework and class tests are used by the course instructor as a method of assessing how well students are learning the course material. Identified problem areas may require that the material be taught again. The final examination is used to assess the knowledge students learned and can now apply.

1. Undergraduates

Capstone Design Course.

All students are required to take a capstone design course in their senior year. In this course students use the knowledge they have learned throughout the program to solve a problem. Students can take independent study projects with faculty. A written report is required at the end of the course. These reports will be collected to illustrate the quality of work done by the students in these courses.

In the senior laboratory courses in the new curriculum, all students are required to identify a problem, plan and perform an experimental program to address the problem. Students may work independently or as a member of a small team. This component of the laboratory experience requires students to use the knowledge they have gained throughout their undergraduate program. A written report and oral presentation of the results of the project are required. The Project reports will be collected to illustrate the quality of work done by the students in these projects.

To evaluate the work done in the design course, a committee consisting of the faculty teaching the courses will be established to evaluate the standard of performance of the students in the different courses. Separate groups will evaluate the work in the capstone design and the senior laboratory courses. Students working on an independent research topic will be required to submit a written report to the Department, which will be evaluated by the undergraduate affairs committee.

2. Graduate Students

Candidates for an MS degree are evaluated on course work and most are required to perform research that culminates in a thesis. Copies of the thesis are available in the Department to illustrate the quality of work performed by these students.

All Ph.D. students are required to take the Qualifying examination, the Preliminary examination and the final. The Qualifying examination currently consists of four course-based examinations, two of which are written and taken by all Ph.D. candidates in Materials Science and Engineering and two are oral and are related to the students area of study. These examinations assess the knowledge base. The Preliminary examination assesses a student’s ability to identify an area of research, to evaluate and utilize existing literature in that area, to design a program, and to perform original research.

Ph.D. students are required to perform original research that culminates in a dissertation. Copies of dissertations are kept in departmental files and demonstrate the quality of the work performed by these students.

Copies of technical publications of graduate (and undergraduate students) will be collected and a list of presentations made at national and international meetings will be compiled.

1. Undergraduate Student Liaison Group

   In addition to the program evaluation obtained from surveys and alumni, the undergraduates in the program are invited to a student organized meeting to provide feedback on the current program. This group meets once a semester. After the meeting the student organizers report to two faculty members who in turn report to the Head of Department. Solutions to the problems are discussed and the appropriate action taken. This helps identify program deficiencies early.

2. Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

   The undergraduate program is evaluated on a six-year rotation by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

3. National rankings of materials science and engineering programs.

   In all past surveys, the undergraduate and graduate programs are consistently ranked in the top 5 in the nation.

   Information from these surveys will be compiled and the record maintained in Department files.

VII. Process for using the results

The results from the different program assessment methods are evaluated first by the Head of Department in consultation with the Advisory Committee and when necessary by appropriate faculty committees or all faculty. We have used and will continue to use the different assessment methods to continuously improve the quality of the program that we offer. The nature of the improvements is necessarily wide ranged and can be as simple as the course instructor improving the quality of lecture notes, to improvement in teaching effectiveness, to introduction of new courses, to major revisions in the curriculum. Depending on the nature of the change, an individual faculty member or all faculty may become involved. Situations requiring major program changes generally involve formation of a committee of faculty charged by the Head of Department to assess the problem and provide a solution. Before the changes are implemented, the matter is discussed by all faculty and, if necessary, appropriate changes are made.

The original undergraduate program was first introduced in 1990. Minor program deficiencies were identified and corrected, but these produced additional problems that were identified by the faculty, undergraduates and alumni. A new curriculum was developed by the faculty with input from students and alumni. The revised curriculum was approved by the University in 1999 and is currently being implemented. The graduate program is currently under revision.

VIII. Timetable for Implementation

We are in the process of preparing for the North Central Association visit in fall 1999. This plan was prepared as part of the preparation for that visit. In preparation for the next ABET visit in 2001 we formed a committee in Fall 1998 to evaluate our program to insure that we comply with ABET 2000 criteria, which is an outcome-based assessment system, and to begin the groundwork for the evaluation.

IX. Support needs

The volume of information that may need to be collected to show that the plans are being implemented and the information used to improve programs will be substantial. The University should continue to collect, analyze and present to the Department survey type information. If the Department needs to conduct its own survey, expert help in designing the survey, collecting and interpreting the data should be made available.

Procedures for the collecting, storing and accessing the volume of data collected from students need to be developed. It would be beneficial if a common system was adopted and the resources needed to develop the system made available.