The engineering communication portfolio: writing, reflection, and technical communication assessment

By the terms of the ABET 2000 criteria for engineering students\´ learning, students must demonstrate the "ability to communicate effectively," one method for collecting data on students, ABET suggests, is a portfolio. At first glance, assessing student learning outcomes in communication effectiveness would seem an easy task. For some engineering departments, good communication is defined by the department writing manual and can be assessed by counting up the number of grammatical efforts in a document Effective assessment of effective communication, however, must identify exactly what constitutes communication (beyond good grammar and correct spelling) and evaluate communication authentically. For these reasons, portfolios offer important advantages for those whose responsibility is to assess engineering communication. This paper analyzes the difference between individual student assessment and program assessment, demonstrating the ways in which portfolios can offer important information for outcomes assessment at both levels. The presentation discusses the basic principles of portfolio administration, such as portfolio design/format and portfolio set up, and then discuss ways in which portfolio objectives, including evaluation rubrics, may be developed. Special emphasis is placed on communicating portfolio objectives to students and the efficacy of reflective statements as a way to make the portfolio rating process more efficient. The end result of portfolio assessment is a clearer picture of students\´ communication skills and valuable feedback for students and professors