Assessing and monitoring student participation in engineering laboratory using radio frequency identification (RFID) - Satisfying ABET EC2000 outcome 3b

Abstract

The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) EC2000 Outcomes 3a-3k had spawn several healthy discussions in literature, thus causing a tectonic shift in the focus of quality of engineering education, taking the attention of educational institution away from the inputs (what material is taught) and creating a system that focuses more on the output of the students (what students learnt). The signature of EC2000 is on what the student is capable of with little or no intervention from the Instructors, especially in the Laboratory. The ABET EC2000 induced a revamp by creating an intense curricular which acts as a catalysis for improved Engineering Education. Some of these Outcomes (e.g., ability to apply knowledge of mathematics and science and solve engineering problems) do not require anything more than what most engineering faculties are already doing in their curriculum development, and for others, (e.g., ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data) some departures from traditional way is needed to satisfy these criteria. Outcomes 3b, underscore the need for students to be able to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data. This outcome requires little or no input from the instructor or Laboratory assistant during Laboratory experiments. Assessing and monitoring individual student- works during such an experiment becomes more difficult. This paper seeks to provide a way of assessing and monitoring students in laboratory through the use of Radio frequency identification (RFID). The paper discusses the use of RFID in Mechanical Engineering courses laboratory as a means of monitoring/assessing student(s) participation in Laboratory to satisfy the EC2000 Outcomes 3b. The paper also delved into EC2000 outcomes assessment and its impact on engineering graduates.