Using The Fundamentals Of Engineering (FE) Exam As An Assessment Tool .
Paper ID #33155 Using the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam as an Assessment Tool for Engineering Schools and Their Libraries Ms. Jean L. Bossart, University of Florida Jean Bossart is an Associate Engineering Librarian at the University of Florida (UF). She assists students with research, data support, and citation management. She investigates and integrates creative technologies, such as 3D printing into the STEM discipline library services. She has a BS in chemical engineering and MS in environmental engineering from UF, over 20 years of experience in industry and consulting, and is a licensed professional engineer in Florida. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2021
Using the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam as an assessment tool for engineering schools and their libraries Jean L. Bossart (University of Florida) Abstract The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, part one of the two-part exam for licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE), can be used as an assessment tool for university engineering schools and their engineering libraries. By analyzing their engineering students’ FE exam results, as provided by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), university engineering libraries can assess their collections and determine if they meet the needs of their engineering students. This paper will provide a discussion of how to use the NCEES Subject Matter Reports to evaluate engineering programs, departments, curriculums, courses, and library collections. More than 40,000 engineering seniors took the FE exam in 2019. As the only nationwide engineering exam for college seniors, the FE exam is an excellent resource for feedback on how well students meet the outcomes prescribed by selective Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET) accreditation criteria. The NCEES offers institutions free reports that break down the performance of their students on the FE exam. These reports, called Subject Matter Reports, are useful for institutions to evaluate their departments over time, revising curriculums as necessary, and comparing their institution to their peer institutions. Distributed biannually each January and July, the reports provide in-depth analyses of how students performed on the FE exam relative to peers from other ABET-accredited programs who declared the same major and who chose the same discipline-specific exam. For assessment purposes, the focus of the exam is on performance in specific subjects rather than overall passing rates. An engineering program that requires all their students to take the exam, regardless of whether they require students to pass the exam to graduate, can use the exam results as a curriculum evaluation tool. Background/Literature Review In the United States (U.S.) a Professional Engineer (PE) is licensed by the state in which they practice. The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) was created in 1920 to advance licensure and facilitate mobility among the licensing jurisdictions [1]. Engineering schools teach their students that those that enter the engineering profession are accountable for the lives affected by their work and engineers must hold themselves to high ethical standard of practice [2]. Students are taught that protection of public health and the environment is an engineer’s professional responsibility [3]. However, not all engineers take the extra effort to obtain and maintain a professional engineering license. Only about 25 percent of all practicing engineers become licensed but this percentage increases to 50 percent for civil engineers [4]. There are many advantages to becoming a PE. For example, engineering plans and drawings can only be signed and sealed by a PE no matter if the engineer works in the public or private sector [5]. Those engineers who do earn PE licenses have more professional opportunities, responsibilities, and prestige [6]. According to a 2019 article based on a survey by the American Society of Civil Engineers, PEs earn higher salaries than non-PEs [7].
The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET), a non-governmental organization, accredits post-secondary education programs in engineering. ABET accreditation is verification that a collegiate engineering program meets the standards necessary for readying their graduates to enter the engineering workforce [8]. Although requirements may vary slightly from state to state, there are four major steps to becoming a PE: Graduate from an ABET-accredited engineering program, Pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, Work under a PE for four years (three years with a Master’s in engineering), and Pass the professional engineering (PE) exam. The FE exam may be taken by undergraduate engineering students prior to graduation in their senior year [9]. Of the approximately 50,000 persons who take the FE exam each year, most are college seniors or recent graduates [10]. The FE exam was first offered in 1965 and through 1996 all students took the same 8-hour exam regardless of their engineering discipline [1]. After 1996, while the four-hour morning portion of the exam remained the same for all applicants, a discipline specific afternoon session was added. The FE exam went through a major overhaul in 2014, including a reduction in the number of test questions and the addition of a requirement that each examinee choose a test in one of seven engineering disciplines: chemical, civil, electrical and computer, environmental, industrial and systems, mechanical, or other disciplines [11, 12]. There are still some subject areas that are common to all seven of the FE disciplines: mathematics, probability and statistics, ethics and professional practice, and engineering economics [9]. As engineering programs diverged from a common core curriculum to more specialized subject areas, the emphasis in the development of the test questions also evolved. Engineering schools can use the FE exam results not only as an assessment tool for their overall engineering program, but also to assess individual departments and even courses [13]. Because it can be used as a comprehensive curriculum evaluation metric, FE exam results are an especially useful tool for those engineering programs that require all their students to take the FE exam [10]. For assessment purposes, the analysis focuses on performance in specific subjects rather than overall passing rates. As engineering schools evaluate their academic programs in relation to analogous programs at other universities, the FE exam results can be used as one measurement in the assessment of at least three of the seven student outcomes included in ABET General Criterion 3: Outcome 1 - an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics; Outcome 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; and Outcome 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 [14]. Subject Matter Reports When students take the FE exam, the NCEES performs a detailed evaluation of the results. The NCEES offers institutions free reports that break down the performance of their students on the
FE exam. These reports are generated twice a year and include data from the previous six-month testing period. These data are available to colleges in the form of Subject Matter Reports and are specific to an institution and to an engineering department within the institution [15]. Institutions can use this information to evaluate their departments over time, revising curriculums as necessary, and to compare their institution to those of their peer institutions [16]. Figure 1 presents a sample FE Subject Matter Report from the NCEES with key information highlighted. Because of institutional and student privacy, this report is anonymized and provided as an example by the NCEES. Figure 1. Example FE Subject Matter Report [15].
Although many engineering schools focus on the passing rates of their students, there is much more information that can be gained from the Subject Matter Reports. The following will show how to use the FE exam results as an assessment tool to evaluate an engineering program, department, curriculum, and course. University libraries can then use these exam assessments to evaluate their library’s collections, develop online resources (LibGuide), and facilitate instructional workshops. Subject Matter Reports provide a comparison between students in one institution taking the exam in one subject area to students from all institutions taking the exam in the same subject area. The example Subject Matter Report (Figure 1) is for the mechanical engineering FE exam and includes results for exams taken during a six-month period by engineering students or recent graduates (within 9-months of graduation) who took the test for the first time. Table 1 provides a detailed explanation of the different components of the sample Subject Matter Report. Table 1. Anatomy of an FE Subject Matter Report. 1. Exam information: Contains the name of the exam, date range of when the exam was administered, information about the group taking the exam, and how long ago the examinees graduated. 2. FE examination subject: Shows which of the seven disciplines (chemical, civil, electrical and computer, environmental, industrial and systems, mechanical, or other) is summarized within the report. 3. Passing rates: Includes the number of test takers, the number of test passers, and the passing rate. This data is provided for a specific institution and for all test takers over the six-month testing period. 4. Subject areas/number of test questions: Lists the subject areas on the exam and the number of questions in each subject area. This information helps faculty to know which course material in their curriculum will be on the exam. The list also provides students with a synopsis of subject areas to focus on during review sessions and the number of exam questions to expect in each subject area. 5. Performance index: Provides an indication of how well the students performed on questions in each subject area. The scale range is 0 to 15. This data is provided for a specific institution and for all test takers over the six-month testing period. The standard deviation for all students taking the exam is also provided as an indication of the variability of the data. 6. Comparative results: Provides calculations that show how well an institution’s performance on the exam compared to the performance of test takers from all other institutions. A ratio score greater than 1 indicate that an institution’s students scored higher in the subject while a ratio score of less than 1 indicates the students did not do as well when compared to all test takers. Positive scaled score values indicate that the institution scored better than all test takers while a negative scaled score indicates that this is a subject area where the institution’s students did not score as well as all other test takers. The uncertainty range for the scaled score is similar to the standard deviation. The results in this sample report show that the institution’s mechanical engineering students tested slightly above those from other schools taking the FE exam during the same time period. Additionally, the report provides detailed results by subject area, giving engineering schools a more in-depth view of how their curriculum and teaching effectiveness compares to other institutions. This example shows that the report can be used to evaluate how mechanical engineering students performed in 15 specific subject areas. In addition to the subject areas common to all engineering majors (mathematics, probability and statistics, ethics and professional practice, and engineering economics), subject areas such as statics, fluid mechanics,
and thermodynamics are common to many other engineering majors. Subjects specific to just mechanical engineering are also included on the exam, such as mechanical design and analysis. Table 2 provides a detailed break down of the subject areas currently included on the FE exam for each of the engineering disciplines. The table highlights the overlap in subject areas as well as those subjects specific to just one or a few of the FE exams. Historically, engineering programs generally followed curriculums that had many courses in common. However, as engineering disciplines have expanded and become more specialized, the previously similar curriculums have diverged to cover many new subject areas, a situation that drove the evolution of the FE exam into its present discipline specific format. Other Mechanical Industrial & Systems Environmental Electrical & Computer Civil Subject Area Mathematics Probability and Statistics Ethics and Professional Practice Engineering Economics Air Quality & Control Chemical Reaction Engineering Chemistry and Biology Circuit Analysis Communications Computer Networks Computer Systems Construction Engineering Control Systems Digital Systems Dynamics, Kinematics, & Vibrations Electricity and Magnetism Electronics Energy & Environment Engineering Management Engineering Sciences Environmental Chemistry Facilities & Supply Chain Fluid Mechanics Fundamental Principles Geotechnical Engineering Chemical Table 2. FE exam subject areas by engineering discipline.
Other Mechanical Industrial & Systems Environmental Electrical & Computer Civil Subject Area Groundwater, Soils, & Sediments Heat Transfer Human Factors, Ergonomics, & Safety Linear Systems Manufacturing, Service, & Production Mass Transfer & Separation Material Properties & Processing Material/Energy Balances Measurement, Instrumentation, & Controls Mechanical Design & Analysis Mechanics of Materials Modeling & Quantitative Analysis Power Systems Process Control/Design Quality Safety, Health, & Environment Signal Processing Software Engineering Solid & Hazardous Waste Solids Handling Statics Structural Engineering Surveying Systems Engineering, Analysis, & Design Thermodynamics Transportation Engineering Water & Wastewater Water Resources & Environmental Engineering Work Design Chemical Table 2. FE exam subject areas by engineering discipline. Source: Adapted from NCEES FE computer-based exam specifications [9]. The FE exam uses a performance index scale of 0 to 15 as an indicator of how well students did in a testing subject. This index is proportional to the average number of questions answered correctly, with 15 being a perfect score. The reason a performance index scale is used instead of a percentage is because each examinee receives a different test with a different set of questions.
Although the overall exam difficulty is considered the same for all examinees, a student may have harder questions in one subject area than another [10]. Two other performance metrics shown in Figure 1 are the ratio score and the scaled score. The ratio score is the percentage above or below the average score for all examinees. The scaled score uses standard deviations to compare the institution’s performance to all students taking the exam. If the institution’s average performance index (5a) is the same as the ABET comparator average performance index (5b) such as it is for Electricity and Magnetism, then the comparative results (6) ratio score is 1.00 and the scaled score is 0.00. A ratio score above 1.00 indicates that an institution’s students did better than the average performance of all students in the subject area, while a ratio score below 1.00 indicates the institution’s students did not perform as well. Similarly, a positive scaled score indicates that an institution’s students did better than the average performance in the subject area while a negative scaled score indicates the institution’s students performed worse than the average of all students. Figure 2 provides a graphic comparing the ratio scores from the sample Subject Matter Report. This type of graph is useful for evaluating a department’s strengths and weaknesses. Some institutions strive for scores above the average in areas they feel their students should excel and may set a goal of a ratio score of 1.05 or 1.10 in a particular subject area. 1.15 1.1 Ratio Score 1.05 1 0.95 0.9 0.85 0.8 Figure 2. Ratio scores for example FE Subject Matter Report. From the graph in Figure 2, we see that the mechanical engineering students at the example institution did the best in probability and statistics (ratio score of 1.12 and scaled score of 0.39)
compared to all other students taking the exam. Conversely, the same students did the worst in mechanical design and analysis (ratio score of 0.93 and scaled score of -0.24). Comparison of these ratio scores over multiple tests and years facilitates the determination of long-term trends. The results reviewed over a two-year period (4 test cycles) are more relevant than using one set of data since the number of students taking the exam during any 6-month period can be small for an institution. Subject Matter Reports also track student performance over multi-year timeframes, facilitating a robust tool for assessing trends and the efficacy of curriculum changes. Plotting the FE Subject Matter Reports over several test cycles will provide a better picture of student performance [10]. Negative trends in any subject areas should be of concern to the mechanical engineering faculty and initiate a curriculum assessment to determine the cause and potential corrective action (e.g., new course textbook). Positive trends, on the other hand, indicate successful teaching effectiveness and may also serve as a metric for the effectiveness of previous corrective actions. Role of Engineering Libraries University engineering libraries can use their institution’s Subject Matter Reports to support their associated engineering departments in several ways. First, student performance in the different FE subject areas allows libraries to assess their collections and determine whether the needs of their engineering students are being met. Does the library have resources (books, journals) to support further preparation in these areas? In the example provided through the sample Subject Matter Report (Figure 1), students were weakest in mechanical design and analysis. In response, this sample institution’s engineering library can assess whether its collections are up-to-date and can provide appropriate supplemental reading materials in the weaker subject area. To increase proficiency in mechanical design and analysis, students will need to work multiple practice problems. The library can ensure that it has the appropriate learning resources to meet this need. Just as the results of the FE exam can be used as an assessment tool for departments and course instructional designers, engineering libraries can also use the results to assess priorities for new acquisitions. Does the library have adequate resources that cover the FE exam subject areas listed in Table 2? In addition, since the Subject Matter Reports provide input to guide potential curriculum changes within the university’s engineering departments, the libraries can coordinate with those departments to ensure that the library materials support proposed curriculum changes, including acquisition of new textbooks and solutions manuals for course reserves. Coordination with the appropriate faculty can ensure that both the faculty and students are aware of the instructional resources, and especially any newly acquired resources, that are available through the library. Libraries can also create a LibGuide that includes links to their state’s resources and NCEES exam guides and other useful information for registering and taking the FE exam. The NCEES Examinee Guide is the official guide to policies and procedures for all NCEES exams [17]. For example, the University of Florida (UF) Engineering Library created a LibGuide (https://guides.uflib.ufl.edu/c.php?g 676739) with resources and links for students taking the exam in Florida. The LibGuide includes a list of FE review manuals in the library’s collections. With the discipline specific changes to the FE exam, the review manuals also changed. There are
many review manuals and practice exams available, but those by Michael R. Lindeburg, PE are the most widely used and those published since 2014 are the most up-to-date: FE Chemical Engineering Review Manual (2016) ISBN 9781591264453 FE Civil Engineering Review Manual (2014) ISBN 9781591264392 FE Electrical and Computer Engineering Review Manual (2015) ISBN 9781591264491 FE Mechanical Engineering Review Manual (2014) ISBN 9781591264415 FE Other Engineering Disciplines Review Manual (2014) ISBN 9781591264439 The UF LibGuide also includes other useful information for engineering students such as which calculators are approved for use for the exam. These calculators are non-programmable, and many students do not own them. It is important to do the practice exams using only a calculator from the approved calculator list so that the students become familiar with the more limited functions of the approved calculators. The UF Engineering Library purchased these calculators and makes them available to students for check-out. The following is the current (as of 2021) NCEES approved calculator list [18]: Casio: All fx-115 and fx-991 models (Any Casio calculator must have “fx-115” or “fx991” in its model name.) Hewlett Packard: The HP 33s and HP 35s models, but no others Texas Instruments: All TI-30X and TI-36X models (Any Texas Instruments calculator must have “TI-30X” or “TI-36X” in its model name.) Engineering libraries can also offer workshops on how to sign up for the FE exam. Navigating the FE exam application process can be tricky and expensive. The expense of preparing and taking the exam is a potential barrier for some engineering students. The current cost for taking the FE exam is 175. States may have additional fees, which can be 100 or more. In library workshops, students can learn cost saving tips. For example, in Florida, students who directly register with NCEES pay an additional cost of 100. However, for a student who applies with the Florida Board of Professional Engineers prior to registering for the FE exam, the additional cost is only 30, a savings of 70 [19]. Libraries can further help their engineering students by hosting technical review sessions for the exam. Since review courses can be prohibitively expensive, up to 1,600 [20], library organized review courses are an inexpensive option. Academic libraries can partner with relevant engineering faculty, or their graduate students, to develop and present the technical content. The FE exam Subject Matter Reports can be used to identify potential workshop subjects, identifying areas where students may benefit from review sessions. Conclusions A current trend in engineering education is to incorporate a multidisciplinary educational experience into the curriculum. For example, the UF Environmental Engineering program implemented curriculum changes in 2020 to include interdisciplinary courses where students build knowledge and relevant skills in topics that bridge disciplines. But students must still learn the basics of engineering and be proficient in many areas. The FE exam is a tool that departments
can use to evaluate their curriculum and adjust as necessary to ensure their students are ready for professional careers. Although the FE exam has its limitations in that it is not a comprehensive assessment of an engineering education, it is currently the only universal assessment tool available across the U.S. and internationally. Academic libraries can support their engineering schools by providing the resources their students need to prepare them for a professional engineering career. References [1] National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), History. [Online]. Available: https://ncees.org/history/. [Accessed Nov. 14, 2020]. [2] M.C. Loui, “Ethics and the development of professional identities of engineering students,” Journal of Engineering Education, vol. 94(4), pp. 383-390. Oct. 2005. [3] S. Sheppard, K. Macatangay, A. Colby, and W. Sullivan, Educating Engineers: Designing for the Future of the Field. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009. [4] S.M. Palmquist, “Professional practice: Teaching the value of licensure,” in American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Zone 2 Spring Conference Proceedings (Vol. 6), San Juan, Puerto Rico, Mar. 2-5, 2017. [5] J. Kent, The Power of the PE License. [Online]. Available: essional-engineer-license-pe. [Accessed Nov. 20, 2020]. [6] National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), Why get licensed? [Online]. Available: icensed. [Accessed Dec. 15, 2020]. [7] American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Civil engineers’ income rises faster than national average. [Online]. Available: .aspx?id 32866. [Accessed Nov. 11, 2020]. [8] Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc., Why ABET accreditation matters. [Online]. Available: tation/whyabet-accreditation-matters/. [Accessed Nov. 14, 2020]. [9] NCEES, FE exam. [Online]. Available: https://ncees.org/engineering/fe/. [Accessed Nov. 14, 2020]. [10] G.C. Crawford, J.W. Steadman, D.L. Whitman, and R.K. Young, “Using the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam as an outcomes assessment tool”, NCEES, 2020. [Online]. Available: aper-2019.pdf. [Accessed Jan. 13, 2021]. [11] J.L. Bossart, “Recent changes to the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam and ways engineering libraries can support students,” in ASEE Annual Conference Proceedings, virtual, Jun. 22-26, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://peer.asee.org/35122. [Accessed Nov. 14, 2020]. [12] E. Kaplan-Leiserson, ”The evolution of the FE”, PE Magazine, Mar. 2015. [Online]. Available: 015/the-evolution-the-fe. [Accessed Nov. 15, 2020]. [13] E.E. Koehn, J.F. Koehn, R.D. Malani, and R. Mandalika, “Outcome assessment of performance on the fundamentals of engineering (FE) examination.” Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice, vol. 134(1), pp. 1-6. 2008.
[14] ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission. “Criteria for accrediting engineering programs, 2020-2021”. [Online]. Available: ms-2020-2021/. [Accessed Jan. 13, 2021]. [15] NCEES, Subject matter reports. [Online]. Available: ports/. [Accessed Feb. 1, 2021]. [16] NCEES, Using the FE as an outcome assessment tool. [Online]. Available: https://ncees.org/education/outcomes-assessment/. [Accessed Feb. 1, 2021]. [17] NCEES, Examinee Guide. [Online]. Available: https://ncees.org/exams/examinee-guide/. [Accessed Apr. 18, 2021]. [18] NCEES, Calculator policy. [Online]. Available: https://ncees.org/exams/calculator/. [Accessed Apr. 18, 2021]. [19] Florida Board of Professional Engineers. Engineering Exams. [Online]. Available: eering-exams/. [Accessed Apr. 18, 2021]. [20] Testing.org, A comprehensive guide to FE exam prep courses in 2020. [Online]. Available: https://testing.org/best-fe-exam-prep-courses/. [Accessed Jan. 19, 2020].
Using the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam as an Assessment Tool for Engineering Schools and Their Libraries Ms. Jean L. Bossart, University of Florida Jean Bossart is an Associate Engineering Librarian at the University of Florida (UF). She assists students with research, data support, and citation management.
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