Program Purpose

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Graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering program will become: 

1. Disciples of Jesus Christ who seek higher purpose and divine inspiration in their personal and professional lives. (Spiritually Strengthening)
2. Engineers who competently apply and innovate technical methods to plan, design, construct, operate, and maintain the built environment. (Intellectually Enlarging)
3. Leaders with moral character and integrity who are responsible stewards of God's divine Creation and the safety and welfare of His children. (Character Building)
4. Citizens who seek knowledge and serve their communities, their profession, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Leading to Lifelong Learning and Service)

Curriculum

University Catalog

Learning Outcomes

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Problem Solving applying Math and Science

1) An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.

Design and Contemporary Issues

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.

Communication

3) An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.

Ethics, Faith and Sustainability

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.

Teamwork

5) An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.

Experiments and Data

6) An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.

Life-long Learning and Service

7) An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Evidence of Learning

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The program objectives and learning outcomes are reviewed through a formal assessment strategy. The primary tools used for assessment are as follows:

Direct: Graded Coursework Items

The primary assessment of learning outcomes is a direct assessment of individual student work undertaken at multiple points in the program curriculum. We attempt to formally assess each student outcome at two levels:

1. At a Formative level, in lower-division courses. There may be more than one formative assessment of a student outcome.
2. At a Summative level, in an upper-division course as close to graduation as possible.

Summative assessments are given priority in program evaluation, but formative assessments can provide additional supportive data. Table 1.1 lists which courses are used for formative and summative assessments. Formative assessments may not assess all indicators of a student outcome, but summative assessments cover all indicators. Additionally, formative assessments may include data collected from students in other programs.

Table 1.1: Student Outcome Assessment Locations //

Outcome	CCE102	CCE103	Software	Measurements	CCE203	CE232	CCE270	CE291	Breadth	Design	Capstone
a Only selected breadth courses contribute to the summative assessment.
1. Complex problems		F			F				S
2. Design										F	S
3. Communication			F				F				S
4. Ethics	F							F			S
5. Teamwork	F							F			S
6. Experiments and data						F	F		Sa
7. Acquire knowledge			F					F			S

We assess each outcome on a three-year schedule. Table 1.2 shows two cycles of the three-year assessment schedule. In a six-year ABET accreditation cycle, we collect data on student performance for each outcome twice. Courses are assessed in one of Fall or Winter semesters for courses that are offered in both semesters. Early in the assessment semester, instructors are informed that they will be expected to provide assessment data in their class. At the end of the semester, instructors are invited to complete a form that requires a brief description of the assessment (e.g., final exam question), a specific assessment instrument as given to students, and the number of students assessed at each level of the rubric.

Table 1.2: Assessment Schedule //

Outcome	25 Winter	25 Sp/Su	25 Fall	26 Winter	26 Sp/Su	26 Fall	27 Winter	27 Sp/Su	27 Fall	28 Winter	28 Sp/Su
A: Assessment, E: Evaluation, C: Change
SO1: Complex Problems						A	E		C
SO2: Design			A	A	E	C
SO3: Communications						A	E		C
SO4: Ethics	A	E	C							A	E
SO5: Teamwork			A	A	E	C
SO6: Experiments / Data	A	E	C							A	E
SO7: Acquire Knowledge			A	A	E	C
ABET Schedule					Self-study	Visit	Response

For each of the seven student outcomes, the program develops a set of performance indicators and an associated rubric that faculty apply to specific and selected student assessments in the assessed courses. The levels of the rubric are

• Unsatisfactory
• Developing
• Meets Expectations
• Exceeds Expectations

The performance indicators and rubric apply to all levels of instruction, though the level of expected student performance increases as students grow and learn through the program.

For all indicators, the program goal is that 75 percent of students will demonstrate performance that meets or exceeds expectations by graduation. The following sections describe the performance indicators and associated rubrics used to assess each student outcome, along with a brief description of the assessment instruments used for each course and assessment and evaluation information. Specific assessment instruments are archived and available in the program assessment folder.

The annual program stewardship report includes the present academic year's assessment and evaluation, as well as reports on actions taken related to the previous year's recommended changes.

 

Indirect: Exit Interviews

Student ratings of the success of the program in accomplishing the learning outcomes, as well as student opinions about the importance of each outcome, are solicited from a random set of seniors approaching graduation in Winter semester.

Indirect: Graduating Survey

The survey asks students to self-assess their preparedness on the student outcomes and related preparation categories, as well as respond to questions related to belonging, program effectiveness, etc.

Indirect: BYU Alumni Questionnaire

This questionnaire is administered to alumni three years after graduation and has been administered each year since 2000. The instrument asks alumni to rate themselves on specific, concrete self-descriptive statements and questions derived from official statements of university aims. Other items solicit alumni perceptions of the impact of their undergraduate experiences in terms of their spiritual, character and intellectual development. There are 10 Civil and Environmental department-specific questions.

Direct: Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam

The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination provides important external evidence of our program's effectiveness in training competent civil engineering professionals. We strongly recommend that our students take the exam and offer an FE preparation course to help them.

We compare our students to the national pass rate, as well as to the ABET comparator group in sub-topic scores.

 

Indirect: Student Ratings of Courses

The university administers an end-of course survey to students. This survey allows for more open-ended responses and provides insight into the effectiveness of teaching. Students have an opportunity to respond to the effectiveness of learning activities, fairness of grading procedures, explanation of concepts, usefulness of feedback, degree of student involvement, time spent on homework and reading assignments, etc. Students may also include free-form comments about the course.

Indirect: Student Progress to Graduation

The CE program is interested in ensuring that students are progressing in the major. We do this by advocating for students to meet regularly with the department academic advisor; monitoring courses with high rates of D, E, or W grades; and tracking student time to graduation.

Learning and Teaching Assessment and Improvement

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The assessment data are compiled and analyzed by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee for periodic discussion with the faculty during monthly faculty meetings and as a standard component of the annual department retreat.