Inclusive Assessment and SDGs

Graduates of engineering programs should demonstrate mastery of the seven student learning outcomes required for accreditation by ABET. As champions of student success, it is the task of the university or college to ensure that some level of competency toward each outcome is achieved. The United Nations describes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and this paper seeks to connect the use of inclusive assessment practices to evaluate student learning in engineering education to three of those goals, SDG 4 – Quality Education, SDG 5 – Gender Equality, and SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities. In the context of SDG 4, education is the process of facilitating learning; quality education requires eliminating disparities, fostering tolerance, and providing enhanced opportunities for employment. In order to provide the highest quality education, move toward gender equality, and reduce inequalities among students, the goal of grading must be reconsidered. Sufficient evidence exists that traditional approaches to grading, which may be classified as normative or summative, aim to differentiate students by communicating performance relative to others rather than indicating actual achievement of the student learning outcomes for a course or program. These methods foster negative competition among students and promote conflict between faculty and students as partial credit and fairness become topics of argument. On the other hand, formative assessment approaches aim to develop talent, which is more likely to reduce barriers faced by female engineering students as well as those students in underrepresented groups in STEM fields. These methods encourage reflection, which enhances learning, and they increase the intrinsic motivation to learn, which teaches skills and creates enthusiasm for life-long learning. This is the goal of education. Engineering education reimagined to allow a cycle of try, fail, study, try again, and learn, based on a growth mindset, is progress toward providing true quality education. It also levels the playing field, increasing the possibility of success for women in engineering, and reducing barriers often encountered by students of color, indigenous heritage, and/or those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Reducing disparities in engineering education in the U.S. ultimately contributes to eliminating disparities in education around the world. A review of literature is used to make the connection between formative assessment methods and the effect of their implementation on the success of women and underrepresented minority students in engineering education. This is then compared to the indicators given by the UN for each of the three stated SDGs.