The Alumni Survey as an Effective Assessment Tool for Small Engineering Programs

Abstract An alumni survey can be crafted which will evaluate even a small engineering program's success in imparting the abilities enumerated in the Engineering Criteria 2000 (EC 2000) guidelines. The core of the survey consists in its analysis of alumni ranking of both the importance of, and preparation in, the eleven key desired outcomes. Its originality lies in its establishing certain threshold percentages in the difference in perception of importance and preparation which indicate a level of under‐preparedness demanding immediate attention, so that the survey can function as an objective assessment tool. The responses of specific aggregates can also be analyzed in this manner, providing insight on the different perspectives of alumni by degree program, career path, and other demographic groupings.