Preparing for Accreditation Under EC 2000: An Experience Report
Preparing for an accreditation evaluation under Engineering Criteria 2000 is a demanding task. For many programs, the most challenging requirements of the criteria have to do with establishing mechanisms to obtain input from various constituencies, formulating objectives on the basis of these inputs, formulating outcomes corresponding to each objective, establishing a range of assessment mechanisms to evaluate the program and outcomes, and establishing feedback mechanisms to use the results of the assessment to improve the program. This paper presents the experience of one program and some of the lessons learned.
Validating & implementing engineering graduate attribute rubrics in a biosystems engineering curriculum
This study was designed to validate and implement a set of graduate attribute rubrics in the Biosystems Engineering curriculum in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba in Canada. One researcher worked individually with ten professors to develop 14 rubrics for 12 courses. Content-related and substantive-related validity were established. Pre and post surveys were conducted to measure professors' understanding of graduate attributes and rubrics, and their perceptions regarding this study. Findings showed that while working with the researcher, some professors were channeled to think deeply about teaching and assessing, often in ways that were new to them. There was evidence of the professors achieving constructive alignment by engaging in reverse curricular design. The use of the rubrics ranged from supporting learning outcomes, to marking students' work, to developing course materials. The professors appreciated the efficiency and effectiveness of receiving individual support to develop these assessment tools, as they cited time as an impediment to designing and using rubrics. Overall, continued individual support in developing assessment tools would be valuable in facilitating the change in practices and beliefs that is required to sustain outcomes-based education and importantly, to effectively support student learning.
The micro-mechanical behaviour of artificially cemented sand particles under compression and shear
The mechanical behaviour of cemented sands at macro-scale has been widely studied in the past, while there is still a lack of laboratory test data for the micro-mechanical response. Therefore, a series of uniaxial compression and tangential shear tests on artificially cemented sand particles have been conducted using a microscope to observe their behaviour. First, the consistency of cemented particles with different cementing agents is discussed. Three breakage modes are proposed according to the images taken using a microscope camera. A new parameter named ‘local roundness at contact’ is introduced to emphasise the effect of contact morphology on sample strength. Moreover, the effect of bond thickness on the mechanical response of cemented particles has been investigated. Finally, the shear strength parameters of artificially cemented sand samples have been determined for two different sample diameters.