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A Statistical Analysis Between Fundamentals of Engineering Examination Results, Grade Point Average, and Specific Course Performance

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Conference

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Baltimore , Maryland

Publication Date

June 25, 2023

Start Date

June 25, 2023

End Date

June 28, 2023

Conference Session

Committee on Effective Teaching Presents: Evaluation, Assessment, & Performance

Tagged Division

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

DOI

10.18260/1-2--44633

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/44633

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Paper Authors

biography

Thomas James Matarazzo United State Military Academy, West Point

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Thomas Matarazzo is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering and Associate Director of High-Performance Computing in the Center for Innovation in Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy West Point

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Brock E. Barry, P.E. United State Military Academy, West Point

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Dr. Brock E. Barry, P.E. is the Director of the Civil Engineering Division and Professor of Engineering Education in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York.

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Jakob C Bruhl, P.E. United State Military Academy, West Point Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-1645-4520

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Colonel Jakob Bruhl is an Associate Professor and Civil Engineering Program Director at the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY. He received his B.S. from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, M.S. Degrees from the University of Missouri at Rolla and the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign, and Ph.D. from Purdue University. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Missouri. His research interests include resilient infrastructure, protective structures, and engineering education.

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Mark Evans United State Military Academy, West Point

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Dr. Mark Evans, PE, F. ASCE is Professor of Geotechnical Engineering in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at The United States Military Academy, West Point.

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William Graves

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William Graves, PhD, PE is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York.

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Talal Salem United State Military Academy, West Point

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Dr. Talal H. Salem is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil & Mechanical Engineering at the United States Military Academy, West Point. He earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Jordan University of Science and Technology in 2015, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Cleveland State University and Michigan State University in 2017 and 2021, respectively. Dr. Salem's research focuses on the development of novel smart infrastructure technologies to improve traffic safety and facilitate the adoption of sustainable materials. His research specializes in improving the sustainability of cementitious materials to broaden the services offered by smart infrastructure. Before arriving at the Academy, Dr. Salem’s Postdoc was focused on the implementation of structural instability and deformations for solving higher order nonlinear partial differential equations using quasi-static elastic elements.

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Abstract

The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination, administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), is a nationally normed assessment of examinees’ understanding of knowledge gained during undergraduate studies in engineering. At XXXXXXXXXXXXXX, all students pursuing a degree in engineering are required to take the FE Examination. Students enrolled in civil engineering at XXXXXXXXXXX are not required to pass the FE Examination unless they are pursuing a “with honors” designation on their transcript and diploma. Like all engineering programs with students taking the FE Examination, the civil engineering program receives an aggregated summary of student performance in specific specification areas which includes a national-level comparison. Students in the civil engineering program at XXXXXXXXXXXX are required to self-report their pass/fail results. This allows the civil engineering program to compile a by-name listing of student performance (pass/fail but not by specification area).

A degree in civil engineering at XXXXXXXXXXXX requires completion of 146 credits, including 16 courses in the civil engineering program. Of those courses, two are selected from a list of engineering technical electives. Students pursuing a degree with honors are required to take one additional elective. The choice to select particular electives and academic performance in those electives is presumed to influence student preparation and performance on the FE Examination and is part of the focus of this study.

Using a database of by-name pass/fail performance inclusive of four-years of information (2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022) this study will investigate if a positive correlation exists between pass/fail performance, grade point average within the academic program, and performance within specific electives. Statistical analysis will be performed to determine the significance of any relationships that are found. Discussion will be presented to address the potential for differences in causation and correlation between variables.

This study is being conducted to help the civil engineering program evaluate if particular elective courses result in better preparation for students to pass the FE Examination. This study will help inform curricular changes that are under consideration. The results of this study will be of interest to the faculty and administrators at other civil engineering programs as they evaluate changes to their own curricula.

Matarazzo, T. J., & Barry,, B. E., & Bruhl,, J. C., & Evans, M., & Graves, W., & Salem, T. (2023, June), A Statistical Analysis Between Fundamentals of Engineering Examination Results, Grade Point Average, and Specific Course Performance Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--44633

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