Unit: Mechanical Engineering
Program: Mechanical Engineering (MS)
Degree: Master's
Date: Tue Oct 23, 2012 - 12:10:02 pm

1) Below are your program's student learning outcomes (SLOs). Please update as needed.

 The Department of Mechanical Engineering adheres to the student learning outcomes (SLOs) of the Graduate Division:  “In general, a student who has successfully completed the graduate degree requirements should be able to

1. Demonstrate mastery of the methodology and techniques specific to the field of study.

2. Communicate both orally and in writing at a high level of proficiency in the field of study.

3. Conduct research or produce some other form of creative work.

4. Perform in their field of study at a professional level.”

2) Your program's SLOs are published as follows. Please update as needed.

Department Website URL: http://www.me.hawaii.edu/
Student Handbook. URL, if available online:
Information Sheet, Flyer, or Brochure URL, if available online:
UHM Catalog. Page Number: 228
Course Syllabi. URL, if available online:
Other:
Other:

3) Select one option:

Curriculum Map File(s) from 2012:

4) For your program, the percentage of courses that have course SLOs explicitly stated on the syllabus, a website, or other publicly available document is as follows. Please update as needed.

0%
1-50%
51-80%
81-99%
100%

5) Did your program engage in any program assessment activities between June 1, 2011 and September 30, 2012? (e.g., establishing/revising outcomes, aligning the curriculum to outcomes, collecting evidence, interpreting evidence, using results, revising the assessment plan, creating surveys or tests, etc.)

Yes
No (skip to question 14)

6) For the period June 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012: State the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goals. Include the SLOs that were targeted, if applicable.

The goals of Assessment Activities are to assess the level of achievements of the Department SLOs on Course, Thesis/Report, and Seminar Requirements by our MS graduates and ensure that our MS graduates have acquired our SLOs 1 through 4 (see responses to Question 1), and hence SLOs 1 through 4 were assessed. The assessments for Courses are done by the ME Faculty/Instructor at the time of the course offering as well as the Graduate Chair towards the completion of the degree. Thesis/Report are assessed by the students’ advisors (and the thesis committee members). For the Seminar, the faculty in charge of the Seminar for that semester, makes the assessment.

7) State the type(s) of evidence gathered to answer the assessment question and/or meet the assessment goals that were given in Question #6.

6.1. Assessment at Admission Level:

Degree Entry Requirements:  Admission to the graduate program in Mechanical Engineering depends on undergraduate performance, TOEFL, and GRE scores, letters of reference, any program course deficiencies, and the applicant’s Statement of Objectives. To be accepted by the Graduate Division, applicants must have the equivalent of a B average at the University of Hawaii (determined by Graduate Division). Foreign students from universities that do not teach in English must pass the TOEFL examination with minimum scores of 550, or 600 (Paper-based, or an equivalent on a Computer or Internet based) for teaching assistants. All students must submit a record of their GRE scores. Students with above-average scores normally are accepted into the M.S. program. TOEFL and GRE scores as well as course transcripts are useful in evaluating skills needed to pursue graduate study. Letters of recommendation generally must be positive. Applicants from Mechanical Engineering programs at some universities and from fields other than Mechanical Engineering might not have a sufficient background to pursue an M.S. degree in the chosen area of concentration. The Graduate Chair bases acceptance on an acceptable number of deficiency courses. For those applicants who are accepted, the Graduate Chair has an initial advising session with the applicant to make a final determination of any deficiency courses that must be taken in addition to the course requirements for the M.S. degree. An applicant’s Statement of Objectives is helpful in determining if the applicant’s career goals can be met by the Department’s programs and available resources.

6.2. Assessment at Program Level:

Course Requirement (SLO 1):  There is a minimum GPA to maintain in course work via grade-based written and, occasionally, oral exams. Written exams in courses are used to assess mastery of subjects pertinent to a student’s area of concentration for M.S. programs.

Research Requirement, Thesis/Report (SLOs 1 thru 4):  Students must demonstrate a novel contribution made to their area of concentration by writing and orally defending a thesis documenting their work. The thesis committee members in case of Plan A and the advisor in case of Plan B assess the quality and the level of acceptability of the students’ performances. For the Master’s degree, a thesis (Plan A) or report (Plan B) is required. In addition, the student must make an oral defense of these documents. The thesis and oral presentation are judged and must be approved by the student’s M.S. committee comprised of three faculty members in case of Plan A. The report and presentation for Plan B should be approved by the advisor.

Seminar Requirement (SLOs 2 & 4):  To ensure that our students are able to communicate orally and in writing at a high level of proficiency and are able to perform in their field of study at a

professional level, the students submit 15 reports over the course of their MS studies in our Department and give a presentation on their research topics and achievements during their last semester prior to graduation. The faculty in charge of the Seminar makes the assessment and recommends improvements.

8) State how many persons submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.

About 20 students.

1. Course Requirements & Performances (Assessed by Faculty Instructor)

2. Seminar Requirements & Performances (Assessed by Faculty Instructor)

3. Research Requirements &Performances (Thesis, Report, Oral Presentations; Assessed by Thesis Committee Members)

4. Conference & Journal Publications (Assessed by External Peer Reviewers)

9) Who interpreted or analyzed the evidence that was collected? (Check all that apply.)

Course instructor(s)
Faculty committee
Ad hoc faculty group
Department chairperson
Persons or organization outside the university
Faculty advisor
Advisors (in student support services)
Students (graduate or undergraduate)
Dean/Director
Other:

10) How did they evaluate, analyze, or interpret the evidence? (Check all that apply.)

Used a rubric or scoring guide
Scored exams/tests/quizzes
Used professional judgment (no rubric or scoring guide used)
Compiled survey results
Used qualitative methods on interview, focus group, open-ended response data
External organization/person analyzed data (e.g., external organization administered and scored the nursing licensing exam)
Other:

11) For the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goal(s) stated in Question #6:
Summarize the actual results.

Currently, the number of courses offered at graduate level is not sufficient (as also voiced by the graduate students), due to insufficient number of faculty members. Although the Dean’s office agreed to give the Department additional positions, these positions are contingent to the availability of funds. The MS Plan A students write an average of one conference and/or one journal paper at the completion of their degree. Also, the Department Graduate Handbook should be updated.

12) State how the program used the results or plans to use the results. Please be specific.

Any possible modifications of problems are reported to the Graduate Curriculum Committee chaired by the Graduate Chair of the Department. The committee considers recommendations for

modifications and takes actions. Also, the Chair and Graduate Chair will be updating the Department Graduate Handbook.

13) Beyond the results, were there additional conclusions or discoveries?
This can include insights about assessment procedures, teaching and learning, program aspects and so on.

The faculty and students expressed that the number of courses offered at graduate level was not sufficient both related to research work and for graduation. This is caused by a significant increase of undergraduate students and shortage of faculty members.  The Department Chair and the Dean  have requested for additional positions to solve the problem.

The Graduate program has recently been reviewed by an external review panel and the result is mostly positive.  The course availability and shortage of faculty problems were mentioned in the review report. 

14) If the program did not engage in assessment activities, please explain.
Or, if the program did engage in assessment activities, please add any other important information here.

The assessments tools explained here are implemented continuously every year.