Learning Outcomes and PEOs

Program Educational Objectives

During the first few years after graduation, BSE graduates should be able to

1. Propose and implement solutions to large-scale engineering problems in various industrial sectors.
2. Lead and/or supervise teams to achieve project goals.
3. Obtain jobs of increasing responsibility applying engineering skills and knowledge to a wide range of problems in a wide range of industries.
4. Continue their education at the graduate level.
5. Obtain additional engineering certifications.
6. Design new and improve existing mechatronic systems.

Student Outcomes

At the time they graduate, BSE graduates should have:

1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

 Relationship of Student Outcomes to Program Educational Objectives

The following table shows which Student Outcomes support (+) and strongly support (++) the preparation of graduates to attain each Program Educational Objective (PEO), as explained below.

1. Identifying root causes and solving engineering problems require a strong foundation in experimentation and the analysis of data (6), in identification, formulation, and solution of engineering problems (1), and in the ability to apply engineering design (2).
2. A graduate must be able to contribute as an individual and to function well on teams. While we expect graduates to continue to grow in this area, to ensure that our graduates can function well on teams after they graduate, they must have achieved a certain level of performance on teams before they graduate (5). Achieving this PEO also requires an ability to communicate effectively (3).
3. Each Student Outcome helps prepare graduates to obtain jobs of increasing responsibility. We find that companies look strongly at the technical skills for initial hires (1), (2), and (6), but that moving further in a career requires a graduate to enhance teamwork (5) and communication (3) abilities, while also demonstrating ethical and professional responsibilities, making informed judgments in context (4), and continuing to acquire and apply new knowledge (7).
4. If we can help our students understand the importance of acquiring and applying new knowledge (7), they are more likely to seek to continue education at the graduate level. Since admission to graduate programs usually requires good scores on standardized test, the ability to apply math and science (1) and the ability to communicate effectively (3) also prepare students to attain this outcome.
5. As with graduate education, students are prepared to attain this outcome primarily based on their commitment to continuing to acquire and apply new knowledge (7).
6. An ability to apply engineering design (2) is necessary preparation for graduates to be able to design and improve systems after they graduate, but the design ability must be supported by other skills (3), (4), (6), and (7), especially those that provide the larger context for design and that support continued learning.