Learning Communities Research and Practice Volume 1|Issue 1 Article 6 1-28-2013 Assessing Student Work to Support Curriculum Development: An Engineering Case Study Kevin Saunders Drake University, [email protected] Thomas Brumm Iowa State University, [email protected] Corly Brooke Iowa State University, [email protected] Steve Mickelson Iowa State University, [email protected] Steve Freeman Iowa State University, [email protected] Recommended Citation Saunders, K. , Brumm, T. , Brooke, C. , Mickelson, S. , Freeman, S. (2013). Assessing Student Work to Support Curriculum Development: An Engineering Case Study.Learning Communities Research and Practice, 1(1), Article 6. Available at: http://washingtoncenter.evergreen.edu/lcrpjournal/vol1/iss1/6 Authors retain copyright of their material under aCreative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution 3.0 License. Assessing Student Work to Support Curriculum Development: An Engineering Case Study Abstract Knowledge and abilities associated with interdisciplinary education include integrating knowledge across disciplines, applying knowledge to real-world situations, and demonstrating skills in creativity, teamwork, communication, and collaboration. This case study discusses how a departmental curriculum committee in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at Iowa State University adapted the collaborative assessment protocol used in Washington Center’s national project on Assessing Learning in Learning Communities to meet curriculum committee goals. These goals included developing a strategy for examining engineering students’ interdisciplinary understanding across the curriculum and for ensuring that assessment efforts would support program improvements designed to give engineering graduates the specialized knowledge and abilities named by the National Academy of Engineering. As a means to help students achieve critical learning outcomes by aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessment, the curriculum committee undertook a comprehensive review of student work at different levels by posing the question, “what suggestions might we offer to this student to deepen or develop the work?” Cover Page Footnote This article originally published in: Journal of Learning Communities Research, 3(3). (Dec. 2008/Jan. 2009). Article is available inLearning Communities Research and Practice:http://washingtoncenter.evergreen.edu/lcrpjournal/vol1/iss1/6 Saunders et al.: Assessing Student Work to Support Curriculum Development 1 Learning Communities Research and Practice, Vol. 1 [2013], Iss. 1, Art. 6 http://washingtoncenter.evergreen.edu/lcrpjournal/vol1/iss1/6 2 Saunders et al.: Assessing Student Work to Support Curriculum Development 3 Learning Communities Research and Practice, Vol. 1 [2013], Iss. 1, Art. 6 http://washingtoncenter.evergreen.edu/lcrpjournal/vol1/iss1/6 4 Saunders et al.: Assessing Student Work to Support Curriculum Development 5 Learning Communities Research and Practice, Vol. 1 [2013], Iss. 1, Art. 6 http://washingtoncenter.evergreen.edu/lcrpjournal/vol1/iss1/6 6 Saunders et al.: Assessing Student Work to Support Curriculum Development 7 Learning Communities Research and Practice, Vol. 1 [2013], Iss. 1, Art. 6 http://washingtoncenter.evergreen.edu/lcrpjournal/vol1/iss1/6 8