TY - JOUR
T1 - A proposed doctoral assessment procedure and rubric for science and engineering
AU - Vaccari, David
AU - Thangam, Siva
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - Learning outcomes assessment has been ascendant throughout higher education, but little has been developed at the doctoral level. An assessment procedure for the doctoral studies is proposed that has two parts: (1) an evaluation of publication rates within two years after completion of the degree, and (2) an assessment of the dissertation and the defense using a number of criteria. The criteria were based on a review of the online literature plus additional criteria developed ourselves. Common criteria include originality, advancing of the state of the art, and demonstration of a high degree of mastery. The additional criteria include: demonstration of mastery of the literature; the work has academic or practical utility; the work uses advanced or novel techniques; the work has elements of both theory and experiment. Several other criteria are linked to our institution's mission, including: The work may lead to marketable technology; the candidate demonstrates ability to communicate orally and in writing at a high level. Note that not all these criteria are requirements for success; some are intended to be used to evaluate the program, and not the candidate. A detailed rubric for the evaluation of the doctoral dissertation and the oral defense was developed. A rubric makes evaluation of the criteria less subjective, and can serve as a guide for both the dissertation committee as well as for the doctoral candidate. The rubric was pilot-tested with several engineering doctoral defenses in engineering programs. The results validated the rubric against concerns that dissertation committees would be reluctant to rate a dissertation that the committee passed with anything less than top scores. The results also were revealing of the actual standards used by doctoral dissertation committees in evaluating the dissertation and defense.
AB - Learning outcomes assessment has been ascendant throughout higher education, but little has been developed at the doctoral level. An assessment procedure for the doctoral studies is proposed that has two parts: (1) an evaluation of publication rates within two years after completion of the degree, and (2) an assessment of the dissertation and the defense using a number of criteria. The criteria were based on a review of the online literature plus additional criteria developed ourselves. Common criteria include originality, advancing of the state of the art, and demonstration of a high degree of mastery. The additional criteria include: demonstration of mastery of the literature; the work has academic or practical utility; the work uses advanced or novel techniques; the work has elements of both theory and experiment. Several other criteria are linked to our institution's mission, including: The work may lead to marketable technology; the candidate demonstrates ability to communicate orally and in writing at a high level. Note that not all these criteria are requirements for success; some are intended to be used to evaluate the program, and not the candidate. A detailed rubric for the evaluation of the doctoral dissertation and the oral defense was developed. A rubric makes evaluation of the criteria less subjective, and can serve as a guide for both the dissertation committee as well as for the doctoral candidate. The rubric was pilot-tested with several engineering doctoral defenses in engineering programs. The results validated the rubric against concerns that dissertation committees would be reluctant to rate a dissertation that the committee passed with anything less than top scores. The results also were revealing of the actual standards used by doctoral dissertation committees in evaluating the dissertation and defense.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85029099887&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85029099887&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Conference article
AN - SCOPUS:85029099887
JO - ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings
JF - ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings
T2 - 2010 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition
Y2 - 20 June 2010 through 23 June 2010
ER -