ASEE CIEC Conference Phoenix, AZ, February 6-10, 2013

1. Industry Involvement in Developing Soft Skills for Students in the College of Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona ASEE CIEC ConferencePhoenix, AZ, February 6-10, 2013 Dr. Norali Pernalete, Dr. Cordelia Ontiveros and Dr. Phil Rosenkrantz, California State Polytechnic University, PomonaThomas Cossio, The Boeing Company Cal Poly Pomona

2. In MemoriamTom CossioDirector, Quality IntegrationThe Boeing Company1962-2013 Cal Poly Pomona

3. Cal Poly Pomona One of the largest engineering programs in California One of 24 California State University campuses Over 5000 engineering students, seven departments, 11 undergraduate degrees, 5 masters degrees Highly ranked among non-research universities Tournament of Roses Parade float co-built each year with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Cal Poly Pomona

4. Outline of Presentation - 1 • Senior project symposium used for assessment • Added Symposium Survey in 2008 to get higher level assessment data • First Year Results • Three year initiative for • Communications • Teamwork • Problem Solving Cal Poly Pomona

5. Outline of Presentation - 2 • Second Year Results • Five Year Results and Trends • Overall • By department • By evaluator classification •  Conclusion and Future Plans: • What worked and what didn’t work • Future plans & Ideas • Broader Goals Cal Poly Pomona

6. Each Spring approximately 75 industry friends attend Project Symposium Day and evaluate over 200 senior projects. • Historically each program uses their own rubrics and processes for evaluation and assessment. • In 2008 the College of Engineering Assessment Committee conducted a post-symposium survey of industry representatives to assess seven outcomes from a college-wide perspective. • Projects Symposium URL: http://www.csupomona.edu/~engineering/events/symposium/index.htm Projects Symposium Day Cal Poly Pomona

7. Excerpt from Typical Project Presentation Assessment Rubric Cal Poly Pomona

8. Project Symposium Survey • On-line survey sent via email to industry representatives that attended the symposium • 43 responses in 2008 • 44 responses in 2009 • 48 responses in 2010 • 50 responses in 2011 • 32 responses in 2012 • Approximately a 2/3 response Cal Poly Pomona

9. SurveyMonkey Survey Designed and Sent to Symposium Attendees Cal Poly Pomona

10. 2008 Results - Number of Industry Representative Visits by Department Cal Poly Pomona

11. Qualities Rated on the Survey Knowledge - Ability to apply knowledge of math, science, and engineering Conduct Experiments - Ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data Design a System - Ability to design a system to meet desired needs Multidisciplinary Teams - Ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams Solve Engineering Problems - Ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems Communications - Ability to communicate effectively Use Engineering Tools - Ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice ABET a-e, g, k Cal Poly Pomona

12. Average importance for engineering graduates? (5 = very important) Cal Poly Pomona

13. Effectiveness of the Cal Poly Pomona educational experience? Cal Poly Pomona

14. Gap Analysis Comparison(gap = effectiveness – importance) Cal Poly Pomona

15. Gap analysis showed three areas needing greatest improvement: • Communications • Ability to solve engineering problems • Multidisciplinary teamwork • College adopted a three year plan to address these three focus areas Analysis Cal Poly Pomona

16. Annual Themes Adopted in Fall 2008 Three-Year College Plan 2008-2009: Communications 2009-2010: Multi-disciplinary Teamwork 2010-2011: Problem Solving Cal Poly Pomona

17. 2008-2009: Communications • The ability to communicate orally, visually, and in written form • Includes critical thinking and comprehension skills as well as interpersonal communication skills • Leads up to the teamwork theme in 2009-2010. Cal Poly Pomona

18. 2009-2010: Multi-disciplinary Teamwork • The ability to perform as an effective team leader or team member in multidisciplinary situations. • This theme could align very well with the teamwork approaches found throughout the business world today and embodied in various quality management systems and strategies (e.g., Six Sigma Quality, AS 9100, ISO 9001:2004, etc.). • There are several “High Performance Team” models that could be considered and adopted under this theme. Cal Poly Pomona

19. 2010-2011: Problem Solving • Almost every engineer will need problem solving skills. • These skills include: • Problem identification • Prioritizing • Root cause analysis • Problem diagnosis • Creative and innovative problem solving • Implementation Cal Poly Pomona

20. “Professor for a Day” panel discussion plus class speakers. • Engineering Futures presentation on communications by ΤβΠNational Office • Liberal Arts and Science faculty attended Senior Project Presentations. STEM Committee formed to work on joint projects. • Three workshops for faculty led by invited experts from inside and outside the COE. • Pilot project requiring presenters to provide a one-page abstract usable for immediate assessment of writing skills . • Pilot project using English M.A. students to coach students preparing presentations. Communications Program2008-2009 Cal Poly Pomona

21. Same assessment process followed at Project Symposium Day in 2009 • Program changes: • Added Showcase presentations • Change in makeup of industry visitors • Changes may confound results Second Assessment Cycle 2009 Cal Poly Pomona

22. Number of Industry Representative Visits by Department Cal Poly Pomona

23. Average importance for engineering graduates? (5 = very important) Cal Poly Pomona

24. Results show consistency in responses from year-to-year • Same three areas most important: • Communications • Engineering problem solving • Multidisciplinary teamwork Analysis Cal Poly Pomona

25. Effectiveness of the Cal Poly Pomona educational experience? Cal Poly Pomona

26. Averages dropped in four areas: • Ability to design experiments and analyze data • Ability to design a system • Communications • Ability to use engineering tools • Averages increased in three areas: • Knowledge • Multi-disciplinary teams • Problem solving Analysis Communications dropped the most of all the outcomes assessed Cal Poly Pomona

27. Gap Analysis Comparison Cal Poly Pomona

28. The gaps were smaller in all areas except: • Ability to Design Experiments and Analyze Data • Communications • Ability to use engineering tools • Three focus areas still have largest gap Analysis Communications continues to be one of our areas in need of improvement Cal Poly Pomona

29. Q6-How willing would you be to refer someone to the Cal Poly Pomona College of Engineering? Cal Poly Pomona

30. Question 6 Implications • 9-10: Promoters – (-12%) People who are selling your programs through word-of-mouth • 7-8: Passives – (+10%) People who are satisfied, but have reservations about recommending the program to others. Usually not satisfied with one or more aspects. • 1-6: Detractors – (+2%) People who are probably saying negative things about the program. Cal Poly Pomona

31. Slight decrease in scores using the scale given • Written comments show strong support and confirm concerns about communications • Overall analysis • Communication skills are growing in importance • Valuable program but: • Did not reach enough students or faculty • Need to continue and expand Analysis Cal Poly Pomona

32. 2009-2010 ProgramMulti-disciplinary Teamwork Initial Observations Team projects are used in many classes but very few teamwork skills are taught Many students are learning negative teamwork skills as the result of being on dysfunctional teams and witnessing traits like slacking or dominating. Lack of resources for instructors and students Difficult to evaluate team member performance FYE is not enough. More reinforcement at sophomore level. Cal Poly Pomona

33. 2009-2010 ProgramMulti-disciplinary Teamwork • Develop a program with the following goals: • Develop resources for faculty such as on-line and face-to-face workshop and on-line resources that can be used in class • Provide resources for students • Collaboration with other colleges to help our students in GE and support courses • Results: • Held one workshop for faculty • One very well attended presentation by alumni Cal Poly Pomona

34. 2010-2011 ProgramProblem Solving • Faculty were too busy preparing for ABET to put in proper effort on this program • Ultimate goal is to prepare resources for faculty and students • Held one very well attended panel discussion by alumni for students • Resources developed but deployed on a limited basis Cal Poly Pomona

35. Five Year Overall Results for Importance Cal Poly Pomona

36. Overall Five Year Results for Effectiveness Cal Poly Pomona

37. Overall Gap Analysis Cal Poly Pomona

38. Question 6 – Five Year Results How willing would you be to refer someone to the Cal Poly Pomona College of Engineering? Cal Poly Pomona

39. Department Level and Position Level Results Cal Poly Pomona

40. Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering Gap Analysis Cal Poly Pomona

41. Gap analysis was presented to the IME Department Industrial Advisory Council Members in November 2012. • They were asked if the result were valid. The unanimous response was that the results were loud and clear… • Communications and teamwork are important for industrial and manufacturing engineers and we need to do a better job. Interpretation of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering Results Cal Poly Pomona

42. Aerospace Engineering Gap Analysis Cal Poly Pomona

43. Aerospace Engineering Presentations were not traditional senior projects—rather were class design projects which probably confounded the results • No noticeable improvement over time • Communications had the largest overall gap • First three outcomes were large gaps compared to other majors Interpretation of Aerospace Engineering Results Cal Poly Pomona

44. Chemical Engineering Gap Analysis Cal Poly Pomona

45. Problem Solving and Communications were the biggest gaps • All areas showed improvement over time • Probably some of the smaller gaps among all the departments Interpretation of Chemical Engineering Results Cal Poly Pomona

46. Civil Engineering Gap Analysis Cal Poly Pomona

47. Based on Large Team Projects • Communications showed the biggest gap • 2011 was an anomaly compared to other years • No real trends in the gap results over time • Civil was very proactive in improving communications -- need to question effectiveness of efforts Interpretation of Civil Engineering Results Cal Poly Pomona

48. Electrical & Computer Engineering Gap Analysis Cal Poly Pomona

49. Communications was the largest gap category • Program had some of the smallest gaps in the college • Mixed as to improving or regressing – two categories showed improvement over time and the rest were scattered Interpretation of Electrical & Computer Engineering Results Cal Poly Pomona

50. Mechanical Engineering Gap Analysis Cal Poly Pomona