scholarly journals Understanding CEAB's Graduate Attributes Criterion As A Department: The University Of Manitoba Biosystems' Experience

Author(s):  
Danny D Mann ◽  
Jason Morrison

With the approach of the accreditation visit by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board, it falls to the faculties and departments to interpret, understand and transition into use the latest accreditation criterion on graduate attributes. Over the past two years Biosystems has utilized our small size to perform several preparatory exercises to understand graduate attributes and how they relate to classes offered by our department. This has included several iterations of assessing the level of competency expected from students, an explanation of how attributes are developed by each course, development of learning outcomes, an integration of these ideas into course outlines and a preliminary investigation into how to report these items in a summative and informative manner. This work presents the process followed, observations on how it could be shortened and a brief discussion of the difficulties aligning course-based assessments to curriculum wide needs.

Author(s):  
Susan McCahan ◽  
Lisa Romkey

The Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto has been working through the development of a continuous curriculum improvement process for the past two years. The main group working on this is the Graduate Attributes Committee (GAC) which is made up of faculty representatives from each department. In this paper and presentation we will describe the process we have developed. In addition, we will show examples of the materials that the GAC has produced. Of particular interest are the extensive rubrics that have been developed that can be used as a starting point for professors tasked with assessing the learning outcomes identified for the Graduate Attributes. Faculty have begun to customize these generic rubrics for particular assignments, and examples will be shown of this work. The development process has resulted in reflection and discussion on our curriculum. The development process has also led to reflection on the difficulties involved in assessing the Graduate Attributes and compiling the data we collect. These issues will be explored briefly in the paper.


Author(s):  
Jillian Seniuk Cicek ◽  
Sandra Ingram ◽  
Nariman Sepehri

This paper describes the third year of a studyat the University of Manitoba aimed at exploring how theCanadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB)graduate attributes are manifested and measured in theFaculty of Engineering’s curriculum. Instructors from theDepartments of Biosystems, Civil, Electrical andComputer, and Mechanical Engineering were asked toconsider the presence of four attributes and theirsubsequent indicators in one engineering course taught inthe 2013-14 academic year. The attributes were: AKnowledge Base for Engineering, Individual and TeamWork, Impact of Engineering on Society and theEnvironment, and Economics and Project Management.Data were gathered using a self-administered checklist,which was introduced to instructors in a workshopsetting. The checklist has evolved over the three years inan effort to define student attribute competency levels andto create an assessment tool that meets the needs of boththe researchers and the instructors, as we work togetherto examine the graduate attributes in our courses andimplement an outcomes-based assessment protocol. Thedata from this third year give us the ability to report onhow the remaining four CEAB graduate attributes arepresently manifest and measured in our engineeringfaculty, to look for evidence of outcomes-basedassessment, to evaluate the checklist as an assessmenttool, and to reflect on the overall process.


Author(s):  
Donald S. Petkau

At the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba research has been undertaken to determine the level of student competency in the graduate attributes as set forth by the CEAB accreditation process. This study takes an alternative view and seeks to understand the current industry requirements for a new graduate employee based on the graduate attributes. It consisted of a questionnaire completed by two groups of engineers working in a major energy corporation in the Province of Manitoba. One group consisted of senior engineers with a minimum of 15 years experience while the other was of new graduates with at minimum 18 months of service. The groups were asked to complete a questionnaire on the level of competency they felt was required for new graduates entering the workplace. This paper describes the process and the analysis of the information. Results were compared with an assessment of a new graduate’s competency levels. The information shows that while a student’s competency levels at graduation may be lower than expected they still generally meet the requirements of the workplace. Information also shows that areas of concern are not in the technical areas but rather in the professional skills.


Author(s):  
Jillian Seniuk Cicek ◽  
Sandra Ingram ◽  
Nariman Sepehri

This paper describes the findings from athree-year longitudinal study at the University ofManitoba designed to explore how the CanadianEngineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) graduateattributes are manifested and measured in the Faculty ofEngineering’s curriculum. Instructors from theDepartments of Biosystems, Civil, Mechanical, andElectrical and Computer Engineering were asked toconsider the presence of four of the 12 CEAB attributesand their subsequent indicators in one engineering coursetaught in one academic year. Each year, four differentattributes were targeted, chosen to reflect both thetraditional/technical and the professional/workplacecompetencies. Data were collected using a selfadministeredchecklist, which evolved over the three yearsof the study in an effort to more clearly define studentattribute competency levels, and to develop a commonlanguage and understanding in regards to the graduateattributes and the process of outcomes-based assessment.This final phase of the study enables us to understand howall 12 of the CEAB graduate attributes are manifest andmeasured across our engineering curricula, to discussour findings within the context of outcomes-basedassessment and accreditation protocols, and to strategizeways to close the loop.


Author(s):  
Peter Wolf ◽  
Warren Stiver

In 1987, the University of Guelph introduced Learning1. CurricKit Outcomes Mapping has been created to support intentional curriculum development through aggregating faculty input on course outcomes to a program perspective.2. Progression Maps have been created to aid in the visualization of a program’s curriculum structure, through courses, semesters and program years3. A Portfolio System has been developed to permit student, educator and program portfolios to be built. These portfolios allow for reflection and for assessment of learning outcomes based on the artefacts of student work.This presentation will share current status and Guelph’s visions for the future - a future in which every student has a learning outcomes based portfolio and every program has an intentional curriculum map and a program level portfolio.By the end of this session, participants will be able to:• Describe the processes and tools being used at the University of Guelph,• Consider how to apply or adapt them for use in theirObjectives for all of its undergraduate programs. In 2004, the NSERC Chairs in Design Engineering released a white paper on Engineering Design Competencies. In 2009, the Province of Ontario mandated University Undergraduate Degree Level Expectations (UUDLEs). And finally, in 2010, the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) began reviewing and assessing progress towards twelve graduate attributes. These initiatives are based on an outcomes philosophy towards curriculum development that is distinctly different from our historical, and still common, inputs based approach. Success in a learning outcomes approach relies on engaging students,educators and program leaders and is data-informed, educator- and student-driven, intentional and assessed. Guelph has been developing a combination of tools and processes to advance learning outcomes pedagogy:local context.


Author(s):  
Ryan Clemmer ◽  
Jennifer Spencer ◽  
Dale Lackeyram ◽  
Jason Thompson ◽  
Bahram Gharabaghi ◽  
...  

Electronic portfolios (ePortfolios) can be a beneficial tool to facilitate student learning, evaluate learning outcomes and showcase skills and experience. At the University of Guelph, the School of Engineering piloted the use of ePortfolios within the third year design course of the engineering design sequence of courses. With the implementation of graduate attributes by the CEAB, more “soft skill” attributes like individual and teamwork, project management, and lifelong learning are important skills developed by students within the design courses and can be assessed within an ePortfolio environment.Students submitted guided reflections related to major deliverables within the course. The reflections were assessed for the level of insight through rubrics in the learning management system. Overall, students improved their ability to reflect and provided good insight into their learning and roles within their group project. The response to the reflections by students was mixed. Many students found value in reflecting on their experience while other students were frustrated by the method of filling the reflection form.In the future, the objectives for reflection should be made clearer with supplementary documentation to the lecture material. Adjusting the timing of the reflections to correspond to less stressful periods of the semester and improving the ePortfolio process will help with student engagement.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Maxwell ◽  
Alejandro Armellini

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce an evidence-based, transferable framework of graduate attributes and associated university toolkit to support the writing of level-appropriate learning outcomes that enable the university to achieve its mission to Transform Lives + Inspire Change. Design/methodology/approach An iterative process of co-design and co-development was employed to produce both the framework and the associated learning outcomes toolkit. Findings There is tangible benefit in adopting an integrated framework that enables students to develop personal literacy and graduate identity. The toolkit enables staff to write assessable learning outcomes that support student progression and enable achievement of the framework objective. Research limitations/implications While the framework has been in use for two years, institutional use of the toolkit is still in its early stages. Phase 2 of the project will explore how effectively the toolkit achieves the framework objective. Practical implications The introduction of a consistent, integrated framework enables students to develop and actively increase personal literacy through the deliberate construction of their unique graduate identity. Social implications Embedding the institutional Changemaker attributes alongside the agreed employability skills enables students to develop and articulate specifically what it means to be a “Northampton graduate”. Originality/value The uniqueness of this project is the student-centred framework and the combination of curricular, extra- and co-curricular initiatives that provide a consistent language around employability across disciplines. This is achieved through use of the learning outcomes toolkit to scaffold student progression.


Author(s):  
Margaret Gwyn ◽  
Joel B. Frey ◽  
Leo Spalteholz

This paper describes the progress made over the past year on UVic’s project to redesign their co-op work term requirements. The new requirements are intended to increase the amount of instruction and assessment of higher-level Graduate Attributes in the program, to improve student engagement with and performance on work term requirement, and to replace a final year technical writing course that does not seem to be achieving its intended outcomes. A pilot of the one component of this project will run from May – August 2019. In this paper we will describe the material that has been developed for the pilot. We will also discuss the process by which the material was developed and the details of organizing the pilot.  


1994 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-6
Author(s):  
Ken Chamberlain

Reflections on three facets of professional art librarianship as experienced by the author over the past twenty years: the status of librarians, the status of the art library, information storage and retrieval. The University of Manitoba Faculty Association was one of the first in Canada to accept professional librarians as equal to faculty, a major step for the profession. Canadian librarians have played significant roles in the development of the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) which from the beginning interested itself in collection development, technical practices of art libraries, and the needs, qualifications and physical surroundings of art librarians. The major technological development of the eighties for art libraries was not the widespread automation of major academic and public libraries, but the introduction of relatively inexpensive personal computers and attendant technology, which gives any library the capacity to access national and international databases and to assemble their files in a format which makes them readily available to a wider public.


Author(s):  
Jillian Seniuk Cicek ◽  
Sandra Ingram ◽  
Nariman Sepehri ◽  
J.P. Burak ◽  
Paul Labossiere ◽  
...  

This paper discusses the evolution of a set ofrubrics for the 12 CEAB graduate attributes in theFaculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba. Therubrics are intended as a pedagogical assessment tool forinstructors of individual courses as applicable, and forassessment at the program level. Individuals from faculty,industry and the University of Manitoba Centre for theAdvancement of Teaching and Learning have beeninvolved in the process of evaluating and revising boththe content and wording of the rubrics in order that theymeet the following criteria: (i) the foci and indicatorsadequately communicate the knowledge, skills, attitudes,values and behaviours that our engineering stakeholdersagree do define each attribute; (ii) the competency levelfor each indicator is representative of what engineeringeducators and stakeholders agree defines proficiency;and (iii) the language in the rubrics is consistent andagreeable to all engineering stakeholders. These rubricsare expected to accomplish a number of outcomes-basedpedagogical and accreditation goals, including: dividingthe attributes into teachable and measurable foci andindicators; defining competency levels; and becoming avehicle for the development of a common language forfaculty, students and industry when they discuss, teach,assess and acquire the knowledge, skills and behavioursof the CEAB graduate attributes. This paper reports onthe evolution of these rubrics, and outlines plans for theircontinued development and use within the faculty.


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