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Teaching in Engineering Education

Innovative Assessment

Assessing Experiential Learning

Please cite as follows: Chan, CKY (2015). "Assessing Experiential Learning", Engineering Education Enhancement and Research Asia (E3R Asia).

Presentation

What is a Presentation?

Presentation allows teachers to judge students’ understanding and presentation skills while observing students’ presentation of their experiential learning experience. Students may be asked to integrate academic theories with their experience and share their overall learning experience with fellow students. Students’ competence may be assessed in terms of content relation, knowledge grasp, presentation style, enthusiasm and audience engagement (Chan, 2012).

Examples

Example 1: Sichuan Reconstruction Community Service Project

Several types of assessment were used to assess students participating in the Sichuan Reconstruction Community Service Project (Chan, 2012) organized by the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Hong Kong. This included direct observation, daily reflective journal and summative report and in addition, students were also required to present at a student conference. Their presentation performance was assessed in terms of content relation, knowledge grasp, presentation style, enthusiasm and audience engagement.

Example 2: Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) Program

Students who participate in the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) Program at Purdue University are required to do a presentation in addition to other assignments such as a report, reflection and individual documentation. Students are expected to include the following components in their presentation:

  1. Introduction of the community service project partner such as an NGO or an external organization (if any), in terms of their mission, target population and how do students support the work of the project partner.
  2. Introduction of the team organization, in terms of the role of the team leader and team members
  3. Introduction of the project in terms of the following:
    • What is the need being addressed?
    • What was the motivation for the project?
    • What goals are you trying to achieve with the project? How will the project improve the current situation?
    • Who are the stakeholders?
    • What is the overall timeline of the project?
  4. Other possible questions:
    • What is the context in which the project is situated?
    • What prototypes were created?
    • How did the service recipients interacted with the project?

A detailed template and an example of the Project Conceptual Review Presentation can be downloaded here.

An overview of the learning outcomes and assessment methods used in EPICS can be downloaded here.

    

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