BSC Engineering Technology Faculty Participate in
National Technology Education Conference

Don Bury, Architectural Engineering Technology faculty member at Bluefield State College, recently received special recognition at the Technological Education Initiative Capstone Conference in Washington, DC.  Bury's presentation poster, "Individual Advisory Board General Assessment of Program Outcomes through Direct Observation," was selected as one of the top five posters at the conference.

(Bluefield)—Three Bluefield State College faculty members participated in the Technological Education Initiative (TEI) Capstone Conference, February 16-18, in Washington, DC.  BSC Architectural Engineering Technology professors Don Bury and Bruce Mutter, and BSC Mechanical Engineering Technology professor Akhtar Safder delivered presentations and displayed exhibits, detailing their experience in outcomes-based assessment of student learning.

Bury’s presentation poster, “Individual Advisory Board General Assessment of Program Outcomes through Direct Observation,” was selected as one of the top five posters at the conference.  Safder’s poster examined how data is shared with an Advisory Board, and Mutter’s poster summarized how Institutional Advisory Board review led to specific changes in curriculum.

“The Architectural Engineering Technology department at Bluefield State College has developed a capstone course and presentation (ARET 402—Senior Design Studio) to showcase our students’ skills and abilities,” Bury explained.  “Our department uses the participation of our Advisory Board members to assess our program goals and student progress.  Through their participation, Advisory Board members experience a sense of ownership to this process.  Our students view the presentation as a ‘rite of passage’ and a highly motivating event in their education.”

“Advisory Boards provide insight and input that is essential for the continuous improvement process to work,” Mutter added.  “Our presentations provided a continuum that traced how our Advisory Boards are involved at every step in the process, then documented how our engineering technology programs have improved as a result.”

The conference, “Assessing Success in Technology Education:  A Capstone Conference for the TEI Community,” was sponsored by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, and examined how outcomes assessment has been implemented on technology campuses, how successful programs can be replicated, and how challenges can be addressed. 

School of Engineering Technology & Computer Science Website

February 23, 2006