Department

Program Objectives & Outcomes

The objective of the undergraduate program in Electrical Engineering is to offer students an education which will enable them to be productive in the electrical engineering profession, compete effectively for jobs with medium and large international companies, and to be active, contributing citizens of the nation and the world. In order to meet this overarching objective we have established several more specific objectives. These specific objectives are to:

1. Provide students with a good base understanding and skill level in mathematics, science, and basic electrical engineering which will allow them to succeed in more advanced courses and will serve them well in later years as they need to understand new technology.
   
2. Provide students with an understanding in adequate detail about a few specific areas of electrical engineering as a first step in career selection.
   
3. Provide students experience in the application of knowledge acquired in the classroom, to enable productive solutions to practical electrical engineering problems.
   
4. Provide students with training and experience in technical and decision-making processes, and the human interactions necessary to produce viable technological solutions.
   
5. Encourage students to develop a positive interest in electrical engineering of the type which leads to life-long learning and adept functioning in society.

The Role and Mission statements for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are found on page 3 of the Undergraduate Bulletin. The statement on teaching is: "The University's teaching mission is distinguished by its comprehensiveness. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln offers instructional programs in a wide variety of disciplines and professions; provides a high degree of specialization at all levels within its education programs; and bears a major responsibility in Nebraska for graduate education." The significant constituencies of the program are current students, the graduates of the program, and the employers of these students.

Process Description

The Program Educational Objectives were originally drafted by a committee of EE faculty and approved by the entire Department of Electrical Engineering faculty. Assessment data related to the achievement of program objectives is acquired every three years through employer surveys and annually from alumni surveys. This information is reviewed and possible actions are recommended by the Undergraduate Advisory and other committees of the EE faculty, the EE External Advisory Board, and the EE Student Advisory Board. Implementation of these recommended actions is facilitated through the Undergraduate Advisors, faculty Advisory and faculty Curriculum Committees, and the Department Chair. Follow-up is overseen by the Department Chair and faculty Advisory Committee. In addition, review of the program objectives themselves occurs during the years that assessment data is collected by the same entities that review the survey information.

Program Outcomes

The Department of Electrical Engineering's programs outcomes are listed below with the mapping of program outcomes a-m to criterion 3a-k shown in parenthesis.

Electrical Engineering Program Outcomes. All graduates of the electrical engineering program are expected to have:

1. A knowledge of mathematics including differential and integral calculus and differential equations. (ABET Criterion 3a and EE Program Criterion)
   
2. A knowledge of basic sciences. (ABET Criterion 3a)
   
3. A knowledge of a basic core of electrical engineering sciences necessary to analyze electrical and electronic devices, software, and systems. (ABET Criterion 3a)
   
4. An ability to apply the knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering to the analysis of electrical engineering problems. (ABET Criterion 3a)
   
5. An ability to design and conduct experiments, analyze and interpret the data, and to report on the results. (ABET Criteria 3b & g)
   
6. An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet a desired need and to demonstrate the results to a diverse audience. (ABET Criteria 3c & g)
   
7. An ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams. (ABET Criterion 3d)
   
8. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve novel engineering problems including the planning, specification, design, and implementation of processes leading to a demonstrable product. (ABET Criteria 3e & g)
   
9. An ability to communicate effectively, especially technical topics in writing and orally. (ABET Criterion 3g)
   
10. The recognition of the need for and ability to engage in life-long learning. (ABET Criterion 3i)
    
11. A broad education and knowledge of contemporary issues necessary to understand the impact of technology in a global and societal context. (ABET Criteria 3h & j)
    
12. An understanding of ethical responsibility and professional conduct. (ABET Criterion 3f)
    
13. An ability to use techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools, especially computer based tools, for the solution of engineering problems and design, so as to succeed in engineering practice. (ABET Criterion 3k)

Process Description

Beginning with the Fall 2005 semester, final exams consisting of problems constructed to test specific course objectives will be used in ELEC 215, ELEC 304 and, on an annual rotating schedule, ELEC 305, ELEC 316 and ELEC 370. These courses were chosen because they represent significant milestones in the required electrical engineering curriculum and provide strong coverage of program outcomes a) through f) and m). The course objectives being tested will be made explicit for each problem on the final exam. In addition to overall scores on the exam, per problem scores will also be compiled. The Department has established a metric of a 70% for the problems associated with a particular course objective. Note that this roughly corresponds to an overall course grade of a C, which is consistent with our previous metric. In order to measure student achievement with respect to program outcomes g) through l) the Department will use the laboratory courses ELEC 307 and ELEC 494/495.