175
ABET Self-Study Report for the Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering Program at Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA 30332-0150 July 1, 2008
EAC Self-Study Questionnaire
ABET
Self-Study Report
for the
Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering
Program
at
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332-0150
July 1, 2008
CONFIDENTIAL
The information supplied in this Self-Study Report is for the confidential use of ABET and its authorized agents, and will not be disclosed without authorization of the institution concerned, except for summary data not identifiable to a specific institution.
Table of Contents
3BACKGROUND INFORMATION
CRITERION 1. STUDENTS9
CRITERION 2. PROGRAM EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES16
CRITERION 3. PROGRAM OUTCOMES22
CRITERION 4. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT32
CRITERION 5. CURRICULUM35
CRITERION 6. FACULTY42
CRITERION 7. FACILITIES47
CRITERION 8. SUPPORT51
CRITERION 9. PROGRAM CRITERIA53
APPENDIX A COURSE SYLLABI56
APPENDIX B FACULTY RESUMES56
APPENDIX C LABORATORY EQUIPMENT56
APPENDIX D INSTITUTIONAL SUMMARY56
Self-Study Report
Aerospace Engineering
Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering (BSAE)
Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering (Cooperative Plan)
Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering (International Plan)
Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering (Research Option)
Georgia Institute of Technology
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Contact information
Robert G. Loewy
William R.T. Oakes Professor & Chair
School of Aerospace Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332-0150
Office: (404) 894-3002
Office Fax: (404) 894-2760
Lakshmi N. Sankar
Regents Professor and Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies
School of Aerospace Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332-0150
Office: (404) 894-3014
Office Fax: (404) 894-2760
Program History
The School of Aerospace Engineering is one of the oldest programs in the country. It was originally established as "The Daniel Guggenheim School of Aeronautics" on March 3, 1930 when the Georgia School of Technology (now, Georgia Institute of Technology) received a $300,000 grant from The Daniel Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics, Inc. The other six recipients of a similar grant were California Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, New York University, Leland Stanford Junior University (now simply, Stanford University), and University of Washington.
The Guggenheim Building was dedicated on June 8, 1931. The first classes were begun in September 1931 with eighteen students, two faculty members, and a budget of $10,000. To better reflect the School's growing and expanding interests and responsibilities beyond the field of aeronautics, its name was officially changed to the School of Aerospace Engineering effective July 1, 1962.
The first Bachelor's degree was awarded in 1932 to thirteen graduates. In 1967, there were 64 Bachelor's degrees awarded, and by 1986 a peak of 106 Bachelor's degrees were awarded. The Master's degree was first awarded in 1934 to two candidates. The Ph.D. program was begun in 1961 with one student, with two Ph.D. degrees awarded in 1966.
Major Changes since the Last Visit:
The following major changes have been made to the program since 2002. Two new degree options - BSAE (International Plan) and BSAE (Research Option) - have been added, in 2005 and 2007, respectively. Undergraduate research courses (AE 2699, 4699), research fellowship courses (AE 2698, AE 4698), and Design Competition courses (AE 2355, 4355) were created to recognize and document the students research accomplishments on their transcripts. We have already implemented an honors program, and offer a minor in AE.
BSAE (International Plan): The evolution of technology (e.g. high-speed aircraft) is bringing the world to our footsteps. Tomorrows aerospace endeavors will require collaboration among nations, and international business partners. US citizens should be trained to meet the changing global environment. They should be aware of international trade/business practices, corporate laws and regulations, and environmental issues. Fluency in a foreign language is becoming a business requirement, not a luxury. In recognition of these factors, the School of Aerospace Engineering (along with several other programs at Georgia Tech) began in fall 2005 to offer International Plan as a special degree option.
The BSAE (International Plan) option has the following requirements, which may be completed over the same total number of credit hours, as the BSAE program.
Students are required to complete two years (e.g. Spanish/French/German 1001, 1002, 2001, and 2002) of foreign language studies in a language of their choice.
Students are required to take one course focused on international relations, one course that provides a historical and theoretical understanding of the global economy, and one course that provides familiarity with an area of the world or a country that allows them to make systematic comparisons with their own society and culture. These three courses (9 credit hours) may be applied towards the social science requirements of the program. A list of courses approved in these three areas is available on the website of the Registrar's Office.
Students must complete 26 weeks (just over 6 months) of active engagement abroad. The terms may include any approved combination of study, work or research conducted abroad. Although they need not be consecutive, the immersion experience(s) should demonstrate cultural, linguistic and/or intellectual coherence and must be completed within no more than two terms.
At this writing (January 2008) there are 27 students pursuing this option.
BSAE (Research Option)
Research Option may be completed over the same number of credit hours (132) as the other options in the program. This option offers students the opportunity for a substantial, in-depth research experience. It offers students a taste for what long-term research can be like and provides extensive experience not found within a typical course setting. One-on-one student and faculty mentoring is also a highlight of the experience. Students are strongly encouraged at the end of their experience to work with their faculty mentor to develop a journal publication or conference presentation on the research in addition to the actual thesis.The research option requires that the students
1. Complete at least 9 units of undergraduate research. These courses should span at least two, preferably three terms. Research may be for either pay (audit) or credit. At least 6 of the 9 required hours should be on the same topic.
2. Complete a research proposal outlining their research topic and project for the thesis
3. Write an undergraduate thesis/report of research on their findings
4. Take the class LCC 4700 Writing an Undergraduate Thesis (taken during the thesis-writing semester).
Completion of Research Option is noted on the students transcript.
This program just began in spring 2007. Three students have already graduated under this option.
AE Honors Program:
Students are admitted to the AE honors program during their sophomore year, provided they have an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher on classes taken at Georgia Tech. They are required to maintain a GPA above 3.5 during the subsequent semesters. Students in the honors program also conduct undergraduate research (for a minimum of three semesters) either for credit (AE 2699 and AE 4699 courses) or for pay (AE 2698 and AE 4698). Finally, honors students are required to present their research in AIAA student conferences, brown bag seminars, or other symposia on campus. Students graduating under the honors program are eligible to enroll in our graduate program with minimal paper work, and may apply up to 6 hours of advanced electives (at the 4000 or 6000 level) earned at the BSAE level towards their graduate program. At this writing, over 70 AE students are enrolled in the honors program.
The web site http://www.ae.gatech.edu/academics/undergraduate/semester/honors/index.html gives additional information on our honors program.
AE Minor Program:
The School of Aerospace Engineering offers a minor in AE as a service to the rest of the campus. Students must complete 18 hours of course work from one of the following tracks: aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, avionics, aeroelasticity, and flight dynamics. Additional information may be found at the web site http://www.ae.gatech.edu/academics/undergraduate/forms/AE_Minor3.pdf . At this writing, there are approximately 20 students pursuing this option.
Organizational Structure
The School is chaired by Professor Robert G. Loewy. He is assisted by Associate Chairs, Professors Jechiel Jagoda and Lakshmi Sankar, in the areas of graduate and undergraduate studies, respectively. There are 37 faculty members with expertise in aerodynamics, structures and materials, structural dynamics and aeroelasticity, propulsion and combustion, flight mechanics and control, avionics, software engineering, cognitive engineering, and aerospace system design. Discipline committees are responsible for curricular and research activities in each of these fields. Because of the diversity and interdisciplinary expertise of our faculty members, it is quite common for a faculty member to serve on two discipline committees. Operational committees are responsible for overseeing activities such as facilities development, faculty/student honors and awards, reappointment, promotion and tenure, etc.
The School Chair reports to the Dean of the College of Engineering. The School Chair and the faculty members also work closely with the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. The School is well represented in Institute bodies such as undergraduate and graduate committees, study abroad, and international plan administration committees.
The Chart below shows the discipline committees within the School.
SCHOOL OF AEROSPACE ENGINEERING
DISCIPLINE COMMITTEES (20 07-2008)
AERODYNAMICS & FLUID MECHANICS PROPULSION & COMBUSTION
Chair: P. K. Yeung Chair: J. Seitzman
K. K. Ahuja
(1)
S. Ruffin K.K. Ahuja
(1)
S. Menon
D. Giddens
(2)
L. Sankar J. Jagoda M. Walker
J. Jagoda J. Seitzman T. Lieuwen B. Zinn
N. Komerath M. Smith
S. Menon
FLIGHT MECHANICS & CONTROLS AEROELASTICITY & STRUCTURAL
Chair: J.V.R. Prasad DYNAMICS
A. Calise W. Haddad Chair: O. Bauchau
R. Braun E. Johnson J. Craig J.V.R. Prasad
J.P. Clarke A. Pritchett S. Hanagud M. Ruzzene
M. Costello R. Russell D. Hodges M. Smith
E. Feron D. Schrage
P. Tsiotras
STRUCTURAL MECHANICS & SYSTEM DESIGN & OPTIMIZATION
MATERIALS BEHAVIOR Chair: D. Schrage
Chair: E. Armanios Aeronautics Space
O. Bauchau G. Kardomateas J. P. Clarke R. Braun
S. Hanagud A. Makeev M. Costello R. Russell
D. Hodges M. Ruzzene J. Craig P. Tsiotras
V. Volovoi E. Feron M. Walker
D. Mavris A. Wilhite
(4)
W. Mikolowsky J.Saleh
A. Pritchett
J.V.R. Prasad
V. Volovoi
(1) Joint with GTRI (3) Visiting Professor
(2) Joint with BME (4) NIA Langley Professor (2/3 time off-campus)
NOTE: Underlined are primary, not underlined are secondary
The chart below shows the operating committees within the School.
SCHOOL OF AEROSPACE ENGINEERING
OPERATING COMMITTEES (Fall 07)
A.E. ADVISORY (Elected) COMPUTING FACILITIES & OPERATIONS
Chair: W. Haddad Chair: J. Craig
E. Armanios T.Lieuwen E. Feron S. Menon
O. Bauchau M. Smith R. Latham J.V.R. Prasad
W. Meyer M. Smith
ACADEMIC COUNCIL
Chair: L.N. Sankar FACULTY HONORS
E. Armanios J. Seitzman Chair: N. Komerath
R. Braun M. Smith O. Bauchau G. Kardomateas
J.V.R. Prasad P.K. Yeung D. Hodges S. Ruffin
SEMINARS GRADUATE
Chair: G. Kardomateas Chair: J. Jagoda
O. Bauchau A. Pritchett
STUDENT HONORS R. Braun J. Seitzman
J. Jagoda (ex-officio) G. Kardomateas P. Tsiotras
L. Sankar (ex-officio)
UG ENROLLMENT ENHANCEMENT
FACULTY ADVISORS Co-Chairs: B. Loewy & M. Smith
S. Ruffin J.P. Clarke J. Seitzman
AESSAC S. Ruffin T. Lieuwen M. Walker
AIAA T. Lieuwen S. Ruffin
AHS D. Schrage
LABORATORY FACILiTIES
REAPPOINTMENT, PROMOTION Chair: T. Lieuwen
TENURE J. Craig P. Tsiotras
Chair: J. Craig N. Komerath M. Walker
E. Armanios J.V.R. Prasad
S. Menon D. Schrage
Program Delivery Modes
The program is delivered on the Georgia Tech campus during the day, between 8 AM and 6 PM for most classes, except for lab classes and recitation sessions.
Deficiencies, Weaknesses or Concerns Documented in the Final Report from the Previous Evaluation(s) and the Actions taken to Address them
There were no deficiencies, weaknesses, or concerns documented in the final report from the visit during 2002.
CRITERION 1. STUDENTS
Student Admissions
Undergraduate admissions are centrally handled by the Institute (see www.admission.gatech.edu). Individual units (e.g. the School of Aerospace Engineering) do not directly receive or process applications for admission. The application forms are typically available on-line by the month of August (when students have entered their senior year in high school) for the following year. The application deadline is January 15 of the calendar year when the student will enter Georgia Tech. Scholarship programs (e.g. Presidents Scholarship) have an earlier deadline (Oct 31).
The Office of Admissions uses the following criteria in the admission decisions academic record/GPA, SAT/ACT scores, leadership activities, and the application essay. In all instances, students choosing AE as their primary major and met these criteria are granted admission into our program by the Office of Admissions.
The web site http://www.admission.gatech.edu/jump/faqq.asp contains detailed responses to a number of frequently asked questions that applicants may have.
Evaluating Student Performance
The School of Aerospace Engineering uses the following complementary procedures for monitoring the progress of students.
1. We use a faculty-led academic advising process. Please see the next section for additional details.
2. Students enrolled in 1000 and 2000 level courses receive a mid-term evaluation of their progress (S: Satisfactory or U: Unsatisfactory) by the instructors. This evaluation is not recorded in the transcript and does not enter into the grade point average calculations. This evaluation serves as an early indicator to the student of his/her performance in that course. If a student has two or more U grades, the student is required to meet with his/her academic advisor to discuss their grades and develop strategies for improving their performance. AE places an academic hold on the students records until the student and the advisor have had an opportunity to have this meeting.
3. The data from the students academic records are processed at the end of each term to monitor their term grade point average and the overall GPA. Their academic status (Faculty Honors, Deans List, Good, Warning, Probation, Drop) are also monitored. The entire faculty receives this list by e-mail from the AE School Academic Office, so that they may monitor their advisees progress. A paper copy of the current transcript is kept in the permanent records and used to by the advisors to monitor the progress.
4. The students and the faculty have access to an on-line auditing tool developed by the Institute (http://www.registrar.gatech.edu/students/cappinstructions.php) This system allows the student to monitor his/her progress in various categories (humanities, social sciences, mathematics/Physics/Chemistry, engineering sciences, AE courses, free electives etc), and plan their future studies. Students may also use this tool to examine What-If scenarios (e.g. addition of a dual major, minor, or certificates) and to identify the impact of enrolling in the Co-Op, International Plan, or Research Option on their course load during the upcoming semesters.
5. The progress of students in special categories (research option, honors program, thesis option, international Plan) are monitored by the Academic Office, in coordination with the Institute (Office of International Education, Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program), and the students are periodically notified.
6. Students who have been dropped from class roll due to poor academic performance are required, as part of the readmission process, to prepare and sign a three-term academic contract spelling out their course work and required term the GPA. These students are advised and monitored by the School Associate Chair, and the academic advisor. The registrars office also monitors the students transcript at the end of each term (until the students overall GPA rises to 2.0 or above) to ensure that these students are making satisfactory progress towards good standing.
7. Transfer students are strongly encouraged to meet their academic advisors at least once every term and develop a 2 or 3 year study plan. This is done to ensure that they will complete the program in time.
8. The School of Aerospace Engineering strongly encourages all the students to develop a portfolio of accomplishments that complements their studies. For this reason, we also monitor (in addition to the transcripts) the student portfolios of accomplishments and offer enriching opportunities- study abroad experiences, International Plan, Co-Op, undergraduate research, honors program, thesis option.
Advising Students
The School of Aerospace Engineering has a faculty based academic advising system in place. All the students are assigned an Academic Advisor, who also serves as their mentor and career advisor during the entire time the student is in our program.
Until December 2007, mandatory academic advisement was required of all students, and a hold was placed on all students to ensure that the students consult their academic advisors before registering for classes. An Institute-wide survey indicated that the students were unhappy with this system and preferred a voluntary system. The Aerospace Engineering School Student Advisory Council (http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gtg357x/AESAC/aesac.htm) examined this matter from the students perspective and cited a number of reasons. The busy teaching and research on the part of our faculty, and the class schedules of the students both often kept the students from meeting their advisors in a timely fashion. This caused some of the students to register late, by which time many of the classes were full. The system (outside of AE) also has various restrictions that kept the students from following the schedule that was developed during the academic advising session. These include level restrictions that keep a senior from taking a required freshman or sophomore level class and vice versa, major restrictions placed by other units that give priority to their own students, and limits on class size to ensure a quality instruction. Our external advisory board also examined the difficulties and frustrations that the students faced (in spite of the number of hours our faculty and students spent meeting) and recommended that the academic advisement process be improved.
The AE faculty, in consultation with the student AE Student Advisory Council, has developed the following plan that has been implemented in spring 2008.
All the students are assigned an advisor, and are strongly encouraged to meet with their advisors at least once a term.
All the seniors (approximately 100 to 120 out of a total of ~700 students) are given academic advisement at the time they submit their degree petition by the Associate Chair or the staff Academic Advisor. This is done during the semester prior to the graduating term. A complete academic audit of the students transcript is done as part of this advisement, and the students are advised to take the remaining courses for meeting all the requirements of the program. This information is entered into the program of study as part of the degree petition certification process. This information is also entered into the students records by the registrar. Any deviation from this program of study (say, due to the student inadvertently failing to register for a required class) triggers a degree petition deficiency at the start of the graduating term. The student is able to correct this deficiency during the first week of classes and register for the missing class.
The freshman students (typically 170 to 200 students) are advised in group sessions, since nearly all of them have common course requirements. Approximately 70 of these students are registered for the freshman seminar (two sections of GT 1000) taught every fall term by the Associate Chair of the Undergraduate Program and the staff Academic Advisor. These students receive their academic advising during regularly scheduled class hour. Students not enrolled in the program attend two or more group advising sessions. The School takes advantage of these group sessions, and the GT 1000 lectures to brief the freshman students on the program options (Co-Op, International Plan, thesis Option) and other enriching experiences (design-build fly competitions, honors program, research opportunities, internships). One-on-one academic advising session is offered to all freshman students who wish to meet with a faculty advisor and for those with special requirements (e.g. students with a large number of AP credit hours).
Students with a GPA above 3.5 (approximately 70 to 80 students) are offered academic advising by their academic/research advisor.
Transfer students (approximately 20 to 30) are required to see an advisor.
The remaining students (approximately 350) are grouped into two categories: those with a GPA above 2.5 and those below 2.5. For students with a GPA below 2.5, academic advisement is mandatory because these students need to carefully plan their course of study to maintain good standing (GPA > 2.0) in the future. Students with a GPA above 2.5 are not required, but are strongly encouraged, to meet with their advisor before selecting classes.
Regardless of the category above to which a student belongs, the student always has the opportunity to meet with his/her advisor at a mutually convenient time during their studies to plan their studies and explore enrichment options.
Career mentoring is done in a number ways, in order to ensure that the students receive the guidance they need in choosing their careers and employers. The School works closely with the institute staff, alumni, and employers. The following approach is being used.
Career Services (http://www.career.gatech.edu/ ) has dedicated staff members trained in advising students as they make their career choices. Career Services has a well equipped career library, and assists students with their resume preparation, and in posting the resume and the student portfolios on a database that all employers have access to. Career Services also schedules on-campus interviews several times a year. Finally special events (e.g. career Fair) and information sessions featuring industry speakers are organized several times a year.
The Division of Professional Practice (http://www.profpractice.gatech.edu/ ) offers three unique programs: Co-Op, Internship, and Work Abroad. Staff members who are familiar with the aerospace industry are assigned to work with the AE students (Co-Op: Debbie Pearson, Work Abroad: Jyoti Kaneria, Internships: Cindi Jordin). Students may meet with a staff advisor by scheduling an appointment. A staff advisor from this Division is also available once a week (Cindi Jordin, typically on a Tuesday, from 11 AM to 12 noon, in Room 325 of Montgomery-Knight) to meet with students interested in these opportunities.
Student Chapters of the professional societies (AIAA, AHS) and the Honor Society (Sigma Gamma Tau) organize regularly scheduled information sessions where the employers and recruiters brief interested students on their industry sector and job/internship/Co-Op opportunities. These seminars are usually combined with on-campus interview sessions hosted by the AE School, Career Services, or the Division of Professional Practice.
Most AE faculty members also serve as career advisors for students. These members have spent several decades working in the government, industry, or research labs. Most of our faculty members also have extensive industry and government liaisons as a result of their sponsored research activities. Students seeking career mentoring in a specific sector (aircraft, space, rotorcraft, government, DoD, NASA) are referred to these specialists by the students academic advisor and the AE Academic Office.
Transfer Students and Transfer Courses
Applications from transfer students for all units (including AE) are centrally received and processed by the Georgia Tech Office of Admissions. The web site http://www.admiss.gatech.edu/transfer/ gives the admission criteria, deadlines, and other useful information. In the case of transfer students interested in pursuing a degree in AE, the program requires that they have completed at least 30 semester hours of course work with a GPA of 2.7 or above (GPA > 3.0 for out of state students), and that they have completed English I and II, Calculus I and II, Chemistry I, and Physics I. Calculus II should include linear algebra. If this is not the case, the incoming student is required to take a 2 hour course (Math 1522) on linear algebra upon entering Georgia Tech. A course on computer science is strongly encouraged, equivalent to CS 1371 (where Java and Matlab programming languages are covered in addition to principles of computing). If the student has taken a computer science course that does not include Matlab but covers the remaining topics, then the student is required to take a 1 credit hour self-paced course on Matlab (CS 1171).
The Registrars Office at Georgia Tech has created a transfer credit equivalency database (see https://oscar.gatech.edu/pls/bprod/wwtraneq.P_TranEq_Ltr ) that allows incoming transfer students to look up the classes they have taken and the equivalent Georgia tech credit they will receive for their course work. The courses transferred into the students program are recorded with the grade T in the students transcript. It is highly desirable that as much of the applicable coursework be transferred into the Georgia Tech prior to the student entering Georgia Tech, so that the student and the academic advisor can plan a program of study. Because of the differences in the schedules of the colleges around the world, the grades for many of the courses may not have been reported to the registrar on time. Georgia Tech allows the student to transfer credit after he/she has entered our program.
If a course that a student has taken at the prior institution is not found on the transfer credit equivalency database, the student is asked to meet with the academic advisors at the individual units (Math, Chemistry, AE, etc) with supporting material (transcript, course outlines, names of text books used, etc). The unit sends a transfer credit approval form to the registrar if the course is found to be equivalent to a Georgia Tech course. Courses that are not identical to those at Georgia Tech are given generic numbers (AE 2xxx, CS 13x1, etc). The equivalency table database is updated to include all transferred courses. In many cases, partial credit is given if it is found that only a few topics are missing (linear algebra, Matlab, etc). For instance, in the case of students transferring a course on dynamics, 3-D rigid body dynamics content is sometimes missing. In such an event, the student is asked to take a bridge course (for 1 or 2 credit hours) that covers the missing material.
Graduation Requirements
The students in the school of Aerospace Engineering are strongly encouraged to meet with their academic advisors regularly to ensure that they are making satisfactory progress towards the degree. A flow chart (available on-line at http://www.ae.gatech.edu/academics/undergraduate/forms/Sem-05A1.pdf ) is used to track the students progress and to identify courses that remain to be completed. Students and advisors may also monitor the progress using an auditing tool available on-line at http://www.registrar.gatech.edu/students/cappinstructions.php.
We conduct three audits of the student coursework during the senior year in order to ensure that the student is meeting all the requirements, and that he/she has not inadvertently neglected to take a class that is needed for graduation.
During the term prior to the graduation, the student fills out a degree petition, listing the classes he/she will take during the following (graduating term). This degree petition, and the students transcript, both are manually audited by the Associate Chair of the AE School and/or the staff Academic Advisor, to ensure that the student will complete all the requirements. Any discrepancies (e.g., missing courses, transfer equivalencies, etc) are addressed at this point as needed, and the student is given an opportunity to take these courses during the following (graduating) term. A meeting with the student is arranged as needed. The registrar receives a copy of this audit. The student can monitor the status of the degree petition on-line to ensure that there are no deficiencies.
The graduating seniors, like all other students, will pre-register for classes for the following term. For instance, a student graduating in spring 2008 will pre-register for the spring term classes in October 2007. The Registrars Office generates an audit of the graduating term courses. The AE School receives this audit, and independently checks the audit to ensure that the student is pre-registering for the required courses to complete degree requirements.
At the start of the graduating term, the graduating senior has an opportunity to add or delete courses. In order that the student does not inadvertently drop a required course, a third manual audit is done (by the AE School and the registrar) before registration closes. The student is given ample time, and multiple opportunities, to correct any deficiencies.
Enrollment and Graduation Trends
The BSAE program has been steadily growing over the past 5 years. The table below gives the total enrollment and graduation data.
YearTotal Enrollment# of BSAE Degrees awarded Co-Op Enrollment
2002638 45251
2003733 65265
2004743 78266
2005735 94235
2006732 136194
Table 1-1.History of Admissions Standards for Freshmen Admissions for Past Five Years
Academic Year
Composite ACT
Composite SAT
Percentile Rank in High School
Number of New Students Enrolled
MIN.
AVG.
MIN.
AVG.
MIN.
AVG.
Table 1-2. Transfer Students for Past Five Academic Years
Academic Year
Number of Transfer Students Enrolled
Table 1-3. Enrollment Trends for Past Five Academic Years
Year
(Current-4)
Year
(Current-3)
Year
(Current-2)
Year
(Current-1)
Year
(Current)
Full-time Students
Part-time Students
Student FTE1
Graduates
1 FTE = Full-Time Equivalent
Table 1-4. Program Graduates
Numerical Identifier
Year
Matriculated
Year
Graduated
Prior Degree(s)
if Master Student
Certification/
Licensure
(If Applicable)
Initial or Current Employment/
Job Title/
Other Placement
1
2
3
4
N
(NOTE: ABET recognizes that current information may not be available for all students)
CRITERION 2. PROGRAM EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
School of AE Mission Statement
The Mission and Vision statements for the School of Aerospace Engineering are given below. Please see http://www.ae.gatech.edu/people/lsankar/APR/Strategic.Plan.htm for the Strategic Plan.
The mission of the School of Aerospace Engineering is threefold:
To provide capable, motivated, and well-prepared students with an aerospace engineering education of the highest quality, that will enable them to reach their maximum potential in a technological world
To significantly advance knowledge, its applications and integration in aerospace related disciplines
To serve the larger community of which we are a part, where our abilities can be uniquely useful.
Our vision for the School of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech is one of a compact community of scholars, expert supporting staff, and dedicated students who act in a partnership with the faculty members of other Georgia Tech schools, university administration, and industry and government leaders to best carry out our mission.
We see ourselves as:
Constituting a school dedicated to excellence in all we do
Preeminent in aerospace engineering education
Instilling in our students a sense of responsibility for ethical practice and of concern for the environment
Leading the wider aerospace community with advances in the sub-disciplines in which we concentrate
Adapting to changes in societal needs so that the education we provide and advances in knowledge we achieve are continually relevant and important to our country for the foreseeable future in every era.
The mission and vision statements of the school are consistent with the College of Engineering found at http://www.coe.gatech.edu/about/vision.php and that of the Institute found at http://www.irp.gatech.edu/apps/factbook/?page=15
Program Educational Objectives
The educational objectives of the BSAE degree program are published in the catalog. It is also published in the ABET Self-Study document, and at the undergraduate program web site www.ae.gatech.edu/undergraduate .
Objective 1: Our graduates will have the necessary understanding of the essential disciplines of aerodynamics, structures, vehicle dynamics and control, propulsion, and interdisciplinary design to be well prepared for careers in aerospace and related engineering fields.
Objective 2: Our graduates will be well-trained to function as professionals who can formulate, analyze, and solve open-ended problems that may include economic and societal constraints.
Objective 3: Our graduates will have good communication skills and be able to function well in teams and in a global environment.
Objective 4: Our graduates will be trained to be life-long learners who can continuously acquire knowledge required to research, develop, and implement next-generation systems and applications.
Consistency of the Program Educational Objectives with the Mission of the Institution
The above PEOs are consistent with the mission of the AE School discussed earlier. They are also consistent with the emphasis on interdisciplinarity, lifelong learning and leadership expressed in Techs mission statement (http://www.gatech.edu/president/strategicplan.html), which states in part
Georgia Techs mission in education and research will provide a setting for students to engage in multiple intellectual pursuits in an interdisciplinary fashion. Because of our distinction for providing a broad but rigorous education in the multiple aspects of technology, Georgia Tech seeks students with extraordinary motivation and ability and prepares them for lifelong learning, leadership, and service. As an institution with an exceptional faculty, an outstanding student body, a rigorous curriculum, and facilities that enable achievement, we are an intellectual community for all those seeking to become leaders in society.
The theme of integration is also prominent in the mission statement of the College of Engineering (http://www.coe.gatech.edu/about/vision.php)
The College of Engineering (COE) must define engineering education in a changing world. The term engineering education is used to include undergraduate and graduate education; the creation and application of new knowledge that is rapidly infused into our curricula; and a liberal education that integrates engineering, the life sciences, and the humanities in an increasingly technological world. The responsibility of COE is to provide a national and international undergraduate education that prepares graduates for a career in engineering or other professions such as medicine, law, business, and public policy.
Program Constituencies
The program constituencies are: students, faculty, Aerospace Engineering School Advisory Council (AESAC, a body made of external advisors), industries, and alumni.
Process for Establishing Program Educational Objectives
The process for establishing the program objectives and expected outcomes are shown in the figure below.
SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT
Figure 2.1 Process Used for Establishment and Evaluation of Program Objectives
The School of Aerospace Engineering educational objectives were established during the 1996-1997 academic year, and are revised once every 5 years. The objectives are evaluated annually by our faculty with the aid of data collected from our assessment instruments. An annual assessment report is subsequently prepared, and is documented for the following years: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 2006.
Minor changes to the program are periodically made to ensure that the objectives are being achieved. A comprehensive review of the objectives is done once every five years. The most recent comprehensive review was completed during the 2006-2007 academic year.
The process begins with a draft statement of objectives prepared by the Aerospace Engineering Academic Council, a body made of discipline chairs and faculty leaders. During this phase, we make extensive use of industry input. The industry input is documented at:
http://www.ae.gatech.edu/~lsankar/ABET2008/Educational.Objectives.IndustryInput.doc
We next review the Institute and College of Engineering mission, the School of Aerospace Engineering Mission Statement and the Aerospace Engineering Strategic Plan to ensure our educational objectives are consistent with our mission. The draft statement of objectives is distributed to the aerospace engineering faculty, and are extensively critiqued and revised over numerous e-mail messages.
The draft statement is subsequently presented to the AIAA Student Branch, to our Student Honor Society (Sigma Gamma Tau), and to the AE School Student Advisory Council. Their feedback is collected (see Student Advisory Council Comments ). The draft statement is also presented to the Aerospace Engineering School Advisory Council, an advisory body made of industry leaders, faculty members from leading educational institutions, and government labs (see External Advisory Board Comments). The comments from the constituencies are distributed to the faculty for final revisions. The objectives are finalized at a faculty meeting.
We also distributed our objectives and received oral/written feedback from the program coordinators of all the schools within the College of Engineering, from the Associate Dean of Engineering (Dr. Jane Ammons), and the Institute Assessment Office, to ensure that these objectives are consistent with the mission of the College and the Institute, and that these may be clearly evaluated.
The objectives are posted on the Aerospace Engineering Web site and in the catalog. The intention is to raise the faculty and student awareness of these objectives, and to receive feedback.
Achievement of Program Educational Objectives
The School of Aerospace Engineering conducts an annual assessment of whether the educational objectives are being realized by our graduates and whether the program expected outcomes are achieved by our students. The most recent assessment reports for the past several years are found at and is documented at 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 2006.
Because the program objectives address the attributes of our graduates during the first several years after graduation, we extensively use
Alumni surveys (See data from the 2001, 2004, and 2007 surveys)
Input from the employers and recruiters
External benchmarks (e.g. publication record, honors and awards, student team success in design competitions)
The external benchmarks are used to determine whether our students (and in particular our seniors) are pursuing activities that will equip them, upon graduation, to fully achieve our educational objectives. See the links below for some of external benchmark data that has been used in this assessment:
Students Honors and Awards: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 2006
AIAA National Design Competition Award History
American Helicopter Society International Competition Results
Senior Design Projects. For samples, see
http://pweb.ae.gatech.edu/people/rbraun/classes/ae4803b/Proposals/index.html
http://pweb.ae.gatech.edu/people/rbraun/classes/spacesystems05/Proposals/index.html
http://pweb.ae.gatech.edu/people/rbraun/classes/spacesystems06/Proposals/index.html
Assessment of Alumni Survey data
The alumni survey data is distributed to our faculty, and the AE to the Student Advisory Council (see http://aesac.tk) and to our External Advisory Council in a timely fashion. This data is processed and the results assessed as follows. We first identify the areas (and skill sets) that the alumni feel are extremely important to be successful engineers and researchers. On a scale of to 5, if the alumni give a median score of 3 or above, that particular area (or skill set) is considered extremely important. We compare these skill sets with those explicitly or implicitly mentioned our educational objectives to determine if our objectives are closely matched with the training that our alumni found to be most important in their work place.
We next identify how well the graduates believe they were trained in these areas. On a scale of 1 to 5, if the alumni rate their training as 3.5 or above in a particular area, then we conclude that we have adequate educational processes and practices in place, consistent with our educational objectives and alumni expectations. If the alumni data indicates that they are not adequately trained in an important area, we reexamine the educational processes and practices and make appropriate changes.
Since the last ABET visit in 2002, we have collected two sets of alumni data (2004 and 2007) and have used the results to re-examine our objectives, improve our educational practices, and fine tune our curriculum. As an illustration of how our assessment is done, we present the 2007 data collected from our graduates during the 2001-2004 period. We examine areas that our alumni found to be extremely important, and their satisfaction with the training they received at Georgia Tech in that area. The data reduction was done by the Georgia Tech office of Assessment. The number of surveys returned was high enough (> 60) and may be expected to yield statistically meaningful data.
As an illustration of the evaluation process associated with alumni survey data, results from the 2007 alumni survey data are briefly discussed below.
We start by examining the alumni data in relation to our first educational objective that we prepare our graduates to excel in technical areas. As stated earlier, an area is considered extremely important if it is rated 3 or above on a scale of 1 to 5. The preparation in that area is considered adequate if it is rated 3.5 or above, on a scale of 1 to 5. The table below shows a summary of the collected data.
Survey Question No of SamplesImportancePreparation
Understand and apply knowledge of Aerodynamics and fluid mechanics 623.064.2
Understand and apply knowledge of Aircraft and spacecraft structures 622.773.88
Understand and apply knowledge of Flight mechanics and control 612.893.75
Understand and apply knowledge of Dynamics, Structural Dynamics, & Aeroelasticity 622.733.88
Understand and apply knowledge of Propulsion 592.784.02
Understand and apply knowledge of Design of aerospace systems 613.023.84
Understand and apply knowledge of Economics issues 622.662.63
Understand and apply knowledge of Engineering graphics 612.93.45
Understand and apply knowledge of Integration of complex systems 613.483.13
2007 Baccalaureate Alumni Survey Program Data
The table above indicates that our graduates found nearly all of the areas covered in our program (and addressed in our first educational objective) to be very important in their work place. The graduates felt that they were adequately prepared in most of these areas, although the data indicates that they desire additional preparation in economic issues related to engineering, engineering graphics, and in integration of complex systems.
We next look at areas related to the importance and preparation of our graduates in non-technical areas, addressed in our objectives 2 through 4. These objectives address how well our graduates will function as professionals and innovators in their chosen fields. It is seen that in nearly all the areas that our alumni found important (a score greater than 3 on a scale of 1 to 5), the alumni felt that they were adequately trained (a score of 3.5 or above on a scale of 1 to 5). It is seen that our preparation exceeds the expectations or importance in most areas. The alumni expressed the opinion that more preparation is needed in the following areas: oral and written communications and presentations, ability to function in multi-disciplinary teams, interpersonal conflict resolution, design of components from a business perspective, professional and ethical responsibilities in their profession, and societal/cultural impact of their professional practice.
Survey Question No of samplesImportancePreparation
Understanding and apply knowledge of advanced mathematics (eg, calculus and above) 643.234.19
Understanding and apply knowledge of computer science and technology 643.833.79
The ability to Communicate orally, informally, and in prepared presentations 644.53.4
The ability to Communicate in writing (eg, business letters, technical reports) 644.313.64
The ability to Use computing technology in discipline-specific analysis and design 634.053.89
The ability to Conduct an information search using catalogs, indexes, bibliographies, Internet, etc 643.423.59
The ability to Exercise leadership skills 644.053.27
The ability to Function on multi-disciplinary or cross-functional teams 644.333.45
The ability to Effectively resolve interpersonal conflict within a group or team 643.773
The ability to Function in culturally and ethnically diverse environments 633.523.67
The ability to Design and conduct experiments 643.163.58
The ability to Analyze and interpret data 644.274.24
The ability to Think critically and logically 644.674.45
The ability to Identify, formulate and solve problems within your discipline 644.273.98
The ability to Design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs 643.913.65
The ability to Synthesize and integrate knowledge across disciplines 643.953.53
The ability to Use techniques, skills and tools necessary for practice in your discipline 623.973.81
The ability to seek out new information or skills needed for the practice of your discipline 633.753.78
The ability to integrate new concepts or practices within the context of your profession 644.193.87
An understanding of product development or design from a business perspective 643.192.4
An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility within your discipline 6443.2
An understanding of the social and cultural impact of yoru professional practice 643.032.27
2007 Baccalaureate Alumni Survey (Summer 2001- Spring 2004 BSAE grads)
We finally examine the data to determine the graduates overall satisfaction with the education they received. As shown in the table below, the graduates are well satisfied with their training and with their career.
Aerospace
Engineering
Aerospace
Engineering
SamplesMean
Overall preparation to: Practice professionally within your discipline? 634.08
Overall preparation to: Obtain employment after graduation 634.19
Overall preparation to: Develop a meaningful philosophy of life 563.52
How well prepared were you for graduate/professional study by your undergraduate program at Georgia 424.29
Satisfaction w/ career choice since graduation 613.97
Satisfaction w/ career progression since graduation 603.65
2007 Baccalaureate Alumni Survey (Summer 2001- Spring 2004 BSAE grads)
Survey Question
Actions taken to close the loop based on Alumni Data
The 2007 and 2004 alumni data, when examined in the context of our educational objectives, indicated that the educational objectives are being met in nearly all of the areas. It is clear that additional improvements and changes to our educational practices and processes are desirable in some of the areas. Over the past six years, based on the 2001, 2004, and 2007 surveys, the following closing-the-loop actions have been taken.
The alumni survey has indicated that more preparation is needed in the area of oral and written communications and presentations. Our School has been systematically collecting samples of student writings. These include freshman writing and presentations from GT 1000 and Introduction to AE (AE 1350); sophomore writing in selected courses such as low speed aerodynamics (AE 2020), junior level lab courses (AE 3051, AE 3145) and senior design projects (AE 4350, 4351, 4536, 4357, 4358, 4359). Two full years of data has been collected, and additional systematic collection of the samples is planned to conduct longitudinal studies of the development of writing and presentation skills. We also collect comments from external visitors and judges where such data is available. Our faculty feels that good writing and presentation skills require coaching on the part of instructors and TAs rather than requiring more technical writing classes. We are examining our undergraduate curriculum (and in particular the lab courses) to see how additional instruction on writing and presentation may be integrated in these courses. AE Student Advisory Council has organized technical symposia given by AE faculty on oral and written communication skills. We are also expanding the offering of attractive electives (design-build-fly competition courses, undergraduate research) that emphasize oral and written communication skills.
The alumni survey indicates that additional preparation is needed in the following areas: ability to function in multi-disciplinary teams, interpersonal conflict resolution, the design of components from a business perspective, professional and ethical responsibilities in their profession, and societal/cultural impact of their professional practice. These skill sets are inter-related and are best learned in team design activities. Since the last ABET visit in 2002, the AE program has greatly expanded the senior design activities from a single sequence of courses (AE 4350 in the fall, AE 4351 in spring) dealing with aircraft design to three sequences the students may choose from: aircraft design, spacecraft design, and rotorcraft design. These expanded choices and the smaller class sizes are expected to improve the ability of the instructors and external judges (and examiners) to more closely interact with the students and develop their skill sets in these critical areas.
Assessment of Employer and Recruiter Input: Because Aerospace employers are diversified from very large size organizations (e.g. Boeing) to small firms and entrepreneurs, it was difficult to design a single survey that will periodically collect relevant data. The AE School therefore directly interacts with the employers and recruiters to establish our educational objectives and to assess if these objectives are being met.
The AE faculty and staff also have extensive interactions with industry and government employers and directly refer our graduates for internships, co-op positions, and jobs upon graduation. The faculty members also work jointly with industries and government laboratories on sponsored research activities. This interaction provides another avenue for discussing our educational objectives with the employers, and get feedback on the preparation of our graduates for succeeding in industry and government labs.
The data collected from the recruiter input in the form of free form conversations (which are documented, and communicated to the faculty as needed) and written e-mail responses. The web site www.ae.gatech.edu/~lsankar/ABET2008 contains samples of written input from the employers on our educational objectives.
Closing the Loop based on Employer Input The employers that the AE School and faculty interact with are complementary of our educational processes and appear to be very satisfied with the education that our graduates receive at Georgia Tech. All of them feel that a broad education and training focusing on the fundamentals is very important. Depending on the employers perspective and background, they desire additional training and emphasis in areas such as orbital mechanics, design of systems with schedule as a constraint, and systems engineering skills. The AE program, over the past few years, has increased our elective offerings in these areas. For example, a course on orbital mechanics is offered every fall term (AE 4310) and may be used as a technical elective. Courses on life cycle cost and courses emphasizing the system of systems are periodically offered.
Assessment of External Advisory Council Input: The AE School External Advisory Council (AESAC) was closely involved in the establishment of our program objectives. Their input to the establishment of the objectives is documented at www.ae.gatech.edu/~lsankar/ABET2008 . The external advisors also receive annual briefings on all the aspects of our undergraduate program processes and survey results related to our program objectives and outcomes, our new educational initiatives designed to achieve these objectives (e.g., International Plan, Research Option, Honors Program, undergraduate Research, and Design-Build-Fly Competitions), and new course offerings. The External Advisory Council also meets with the student representatives to hear about the students thoughts and suggestions related to the education.
The External Advisory Council summarizes their findings in the form of an oral and written debriefing to the School Chair and the Dean of the College of Engineering. Electronic copies of these findings are on file in the AE School Chairs Office and will be made available to the ABET visitor. The School Chair, in consultation with the faculty, takes immediate actions on the Councils suggestions as resources allow. The Council is briefed on the actions taken, at the next AESAC meeting.
Closing the Loop based on External Advisory Council Input: The input from the External Advisory Council was taken into account in establishing the educational objectives. The Council members have been complimentary of the educational initiatives being taken to achieve these objectives. They have pointed out areas that need improvement. For example, in the most recent meeting in fall 2007, the external advisory council commented on the growing pains associated with the rapid increase in our undergraduate and graduate student enrollment and the rapid growth in our sponsored research programs. They also cited the difficulties experienced by students in receiving academic advisement, and the limited access our undergraduate students to the AE computer lab to the undergraduates between 11 PM and 7 AM. The following actions have been taken to close the loop, based on the external advisory council input.
In co-ordination with the College of Engineering, faculty members are being added in strategic areas. The total number of instructional faculty has grown from 33 to 39 over the past several years.
The mandatory academic advisement of students by faculty is being replaced by the multi-tiered advisement of our freshman, graduating seniors, and other students, as discussed in the section on students (Criterion 2, above).
The limited access to the AE undergraduate computing lab was based on personal safety and security concerns for our students. The School is exploring placing the software needed by our students (e.g. for senior design) on public servers. Many of the other software (e.g., CATIA, ABAQUS, etc) are already available to the students under a floating license. Finally, during peak periods of an academic term (e.g. the weeks before a major senior design project is due) the School is offering 24/7 access to the lab.
Assessment of AE Student Advisory Council Input: AE Student Advisory Council is consulted whenever the educational objectives are revised, and their input is used to fine tune the objectives. An extensive summary of the Councils activities and minutes of the meetings may be found at the web site http://aesac.tk documenting this interaction. The student advisory council gives the AE School input on a number of matters ranging from study abroad course offerings to co-op student preparation.
Closing the loop based on AE Student Advisory Council Input: The Student Advisory Council, over the past several years, has periodically met with the AE faculty leaders to discuss how our educational processes and practices may be enhanced. These suggestions have been taken into account and implemented wherever resources permit. Here are some examples.
The undergraduate student advising process was recently revised based on the student input communicated through AESAC.
The co-op surveys conducted by AESAC indicated that the co-op students desire additional training in oral and written communication skills and on the use of advanced software (e.g., CAD) and programming skills (e.g. java, C++). A lunch and learn seminar series has been organized by the AE faculty in collaboration with the students to provide informal training on these topics, to be followed by users group meetings organized by the students.
AE Expos have been organized that bring faculty and students together in an informal setting, allowing students to meet with the faculty and browse/explore the research offerings of our faculty.
Assessment of External Benchmark Data: External benchmark data, in particular national competitions and awards serve as early indicators of our graduates success in the work place. These competitions are designed by the AIAA and AHS members working actively in the industries and government labs and reflect the training and expertise expected of our graduates. The School monitors the performance of our student teams in these competitions (see AIAA Award History, http://vtol.org/temp/webrelease15.html ), and the honors and awards received by our students. Where available, comments from the external reviewers of the student entries are also collected.
Closing the Loop Based on External Benchmark Data: The AE student teams have done extremely well in these competitions, and have won at least one national design competition each year since 1999. The processes used to design complex aerospace systems are changing, and it is becoming necessary to incorporate these changes in our education processes. For example, manufacturability of components and the life cycle cost of the system must now be taken into account at the time of design. This information is communicated to the faculty for incorporation in the coursework. For example, in our senior design courses, the students use DELMIA in conjunction with CATIA to address manufacturability issues. Single point designs are gradually giving way to multidisciplinary optimization of systems with multiple attributes and constraints.
While the assessment data indicates that our undergraduate students win a number of individual awards, the data indicates that their participation and success in national student conferences is not commensurate with the size of our undergraduate student body. This observation has been communicated to our faculty, and has led to an increased effort by our faculty to offer undergraduate research experiences (AE 2698, 2699, 4698, 4699) and an undergraduate thesis option.
In summary, our program educational objectives were established in consultation with our constituents. We use a number of assessment instruments (alumni survey, employer input, external advisory council input, and Student Advisory Council input) to monitor if these objectives are being realized and to periodically take corrective actions. This input and corrective actions are systematically documented as discussed at www.ae.gatech.edu/~lsankar/ABET2008.
CRITERION 3. PROGRAM OUTCOMES
Process for Establishing and Revising Program Outcomes
As shown in figure 2.1 above, the program outcomes are defined by our faculty, to be consistent with the educational objectives. These are reviewed annually as part of our annual assessment report preparation, and are revised, as needed, once every 5 years. The most recent revisions to the program outcomes were done during the 2006-2007 academic year. These outcomes are shared with our constituencies (students, external advisory board, alumni, and employers) to ensure that the outcomes include the critical skills deemed essential by these constituents.
Program Outcomes
The program outcomes are documented at the AE School Web site http://www.ae.gatech.edu/academics/undergraduate/ugbook/AE_UG_Handbook.htm . The course outlines have individually tailored versions of these outcomes.
a)The graduates of the undergraduate program in aerospace engineering will have an understanding of physics, chemistry and mathematics, and how they pertain to solving real world problems.
b) The graduates will have a firm understanding of engineering science fundamentals that enables the graduates to examine real world problems for the underlying physical principles, and decide on appropriate methods of solution.
c) The graduates will have the ability to design, conduct and analyze the results of experiments in order to measure and study physical phenomena.
d) The graduates will have the ability to analyze and design aerospace structural elements, such as trusses, beams and thin walled structures, taking into account structural dynamics and aeroelastic effects.
e) The graduates will have the ability to analyze and design airfoils and wings, accounting for viscous and compressibility effects.
f)The graduates will have the ability to analyze and design air-breathing and rocket propulsion systems.
g)The graduates will have the ability to analyze the flight dynamics of aircraft and spacecraft, and design flight control systems.
h)The graduates will have the ability to work in teams and design complex systems such as aircraft and spacecraft, from conceptual and preliminary design perspectives.
i)The graduates will have good oral, written and graphical communication skills.
j)The graduates will be well trained in the role of the engineer in society, and have an awareness of ethical, environmental and quality concerns in the engineering profession.
k)The graduates will be trained to be life-long learners, pursuing and interested in independent study, research and development.
Relationship of Program Outcomes to Program Educational Objectives
Table 3.1 shows how the program education objectives map to the expected outcomes.
Relationship of Courses in the Curriculum to the Program Outcomes
Each of the outcomes listed above have been linked to specific courses, where the skills needed to realize these outcomes are taught. They have also been mapped against the ABET (a)-(k) criteria. Table 3.2 below shows this link.
Documentation
Please see http://www.ae.gatech.edu/~lsankar/ABET2002/ABET.Courses for course syllabi. See www.ae.gatech.edu/~lsankar/ABET2008/Direct.Assessment.Data for the direct assessment data to be discussed, already available on line. Much of the student work (senior design reports, design competition reports, undergraduate research reports) are electronically archived, and will be made available to the visitor prior to the visit.
At the time of the visit, sample student work in the class (exams, homework) lecture notes, and text books in use will all be available for examination.
Table 3-1. Mapping AE Program Outcomes to Program Educational Objectives
Program Objectives
Outcomes
Our graduates will have the necessary understanding of the essential disciplines of aerodynamics, structures, vehicle dynamics and control, propulsion, and interdisciplinary design to be well prepared for careers in aerospace and related engineering fields.
An understanding of physics, chemistry and mathematics, and how they pertain to solving real world problems.
A firm understanding of engineering science fundamentals that enables the graduates to examine real world problems for the underlying physical principles, and decide on appropriate methods of solution.
An ability to design, conduct and analyze the results of experiments in order to measure and study physical phenomena.
An ability to analyze and design aerospace structural elements, such as trusses, beams and thin walled structures, taking into account structural dynamics and aeroelastic effects.
An ability to analyze and design airfoils and wings, accounting for viscous and compressibility effects.
An ability to analyze and design air-breathing and rocket propulsion systems.
An ability to analyze the flight dynamics of aircraft and spacecraft, and design flight control systems.
Our graduates will be well-trained to function as professionals who can formulate, analyze, and solve open-ended problems that may include economic and societal constraints.
The graduates will have the ability to work in teams and design complex systems such as aircraft and spacecraft, from conceptual and preliminary design perspectives.
The graduates will be well trained in the role of the engineer in society, and have an awareness of ethical, environmental and quality concerns in the engineering profession.
Our graduates will have good communication skills and be able to function well in teams and in a global environment.
The graduates will have good oral, written and graphical communication skills.
Our graduates will be trained to be life-long learners who can continuously acquire knowledge required to research, develop, and implement next-generation systems and applications
The graduates will be trained to be life-long learners, pursuing and interested in independent study, research and development.
Table 3-2. Mapping AE Program Outcomes to ABET (a)-(k) and Course work
Program Outcomes
ABET (a)-(k)
Courses
a) The graduates of the undergraduate program in aerospace engineering will have an understanding of physics, chemistry and mathematics, and how they pertain to solving real world problems.
a)
Math 1501,1502, 2401, 2403; Physics 2121, 2122; Chemistry 1310; Science elective; all AE courses
b) They will have a firm understanding of engineering science fundamentals that enables the graduates to examine real world problems for the underlying physical principles, and decide on appropriate methods of solution.
a), e)
MSE 2001; EE 3710; EE 3741; all AE courses
c) They will have the ability to design, conduct and analyze the results of experiments in order to measure and study physical phenomena.
b), k)
AE3051, AE 3145, AE 4525; AE electives 290x/390x/490x
d) They will have the ability to analyze and design aerospace structural elements such as trusses, beams and thin walled structures, taking into account structural dynamics and aeroelastic effects.
a), c), e), k)
COE 2001, COE 3001, AE 3125, 3145, 2220, 4220
e) They will have the ability to analyze and design airfoils and wings, accounting for viscous and compressibility effects.
a), c), e), k)
AE2020, 3021, 3051
f) They will have the ability to analyze and design air-breathing and rocket propulsion systems.
a), c), e), k)
AE 3051, 3450, 4451
g) They will have the ability to analyze the flight dynamics of aircraft and spacecraft, and design flight control systems.
a), c), e), k)
AE 3515, 3521, 4525
h) They will have the ability to work in teams and design complex systems such as aircraft and spacecraft, from a preliminary design perspective.
a), c), d), h)
AE 1350, 3310, 4350, 4351, 4356, 4357, 4358, 4359; Electives 1355, 2355, 3355, 4355
i) They will have good oral, written and graphical communication skills.
g)
ENGL 1101, 1102; ME 1770; LCC 3401; AE 3051, 3145, 4350, 4351,4525
j) They will be well trained in the role of the engineer in society, and have an awareness of ethical, environmental and quality concerns in the engineering profession.
f), j), h)
Humanities, Social Sciences, AE 1350, 4350, 4351; Electives 1355, 2355, 3355, 4355
k)They will be trained to be life-long learners, pursuing and interested in independent study, research and development.
i)
All AE courses; Electives 1355,2355, 3355, 4355, AE 290x, 390x, 490x
Achievement of Program Outcomes
The School of Aerospace Engineering uses a variety of direct and indirect assessment instruments to determine if our graduates are achieving the program outcomes. All of this data is electronically captured and documented at a web site www.ae.gatech.edu/~lsankar/ABET2008/Direct.Assessment.Data and is being made available to the evaluation team at the time the self-study report is submitted.
Specifically, the following assessment and evaluation processes are in place:
The faculty of the School of Aerospace Engineering conducts an assessment of the students preparation, from a pre-requisites perspective. This is done in selected upper level courses once per calendar year, during the first two weeks of a semester. The assessment information is communicated to the faculty in that discipline by the instructor. Remedial actions such as tutorials and recitation sessions are arranged as needed. The instructors in the pre-requisite classes revise the course content and coverage, as required, based on the information received from this assessment. See the web site for faculty input on assessment of student preparation in several specific courses: www.ae.gatech.edu/~lsankar/ABET2008/Direct.Assessment.Data
Senior exist surveys are conducted once every calendar year. The survey is filled out by the students during the term prior to graduation, as part of the degree application process. The surveys are electronically processed by the office of Assessment at the end of the spring term and made available at a web site. Comparative data from exit surveys conducted at other units within Georgia Tech are also available at this web site. This data is disseminated to the AE faculty as soon as the survey results have been processed, usually during the beginning of the following fall term. See 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 2006 2007 for this data.
As discussed under Criterion 2, senior design projects, external design competition entries, undergraduate research reports, and other portfolio items (e.g., honors and awards) are collected once a year, typically at the end of the spring semester. Comments from external judges, were available, are also collected. These comments (where available) and results from the national competitions are disseminated to the students, the instructors and the AE faculty as soon as they are available.
Samples of students writing are collected throughout the year, from the freshman class through the senior design. Undergraduate research project reports and student publications resulting from this work are collected at the end of each term. A CD containing a sample collection for one full year from various courses (senior design, undergraduate research, AE 2020 and 1350 writing samples, lab course writing samples) will be made available to the reviewer prior to the visit.
As discussed in under Criterion 2 above, alumni surveys are conducted once every three years in collaboration with the College of Engineering and the office of Assessment (see 2001 Survey Results, 2004 Survey Results, 2007 Survey Results). While the alumni surveys are primarily used to assess the program educational objectives, these are also useful in assessing the program outcomes. Te findings of the alumni survey are documented at an institute web site, and disseminated to the faculty as soon as these are available. Employer surveys are conducted by the Co-Op division. The faculty of the School of AE periodically meet with employers to find out their expectations for the employee (i.e., skill sets required to succeed in the job), and an assessment of how well our graduates are functioning in their chosen fields.
An annual assessment report is submitted to the Institute once a year (during the fall term) summarizing the findings of these assessment studies, and whether the outcomes are being met. See 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 2006 for the annual assessment reports for the past several years.
Assessment of Faculty Data: The faculty members have assessed the student preparation at the start of many of our important courses (e.g., statics, deformable bodies, dynamics, system dynamics and control, low speed aerodynamics, aerospace vehicle performance, senior design) and extensively documented areas where the students lack the pre-requisite material that would prevent the student from fully realizing the outcomes of the upper level course. The faculty members have proposed several remedial actions.
Examples of closing the loop based on faculty assessment of student preparation:
It was observed by the senior design faculty that the student preparation for capstone courses varied widely. This was traced to the primary pre-requisite course, AE 3310 (Aerospace Vehicle Performance). To address this, AE 3310 (Vehicle Performance) was reorganized to meet the cap-stone design needs. CD of course materials prepared and distributed to all the faculty members responsible for teaching this course.
It was observed that AE 3515 ((System Dynamics and Control) poses difficulty due to its heavy math content, and abstract concepts. Under an instructional grant from the College of Engineering, Prof. Amy Pritchett has explored a redesign of AE 3515 (3 hour lecture, 1 hour of problem solving). Students critique each others work, video-tape their own critique.
The instructors (COE 2001, statics) found inadequate prepared students. To correct this, instructors increasingly use problem solving sessions. TAs assigned for courses where extra help is needed. This approach has been found to be quite successful.
Instructors in all the gateway courses in AE (statics, dynamics, and low speed aerodynamics) observed inadequate preparation in math and physics. To correct this, the math and physics pre-requisites (C or better) are more strictly enforced. Refresher material is placed at the Aerospace Digital Library.
Assessment of Exit Survey Data: The exit survey is administered by the Georgia Tech office of Assessment. The survey data is disseminated the AE faculty and student body as soon as it is available. This survey contains useful information that is related to expected outcomes, as well as other data. The data is closely examined to determine if the seniors, in their opinion, are realizing the expected outcomes (a)-(k) above. As an example, the results from the 2006 exit survey, related to the (a)-(k) outcomes above, is presented below. Given the large number of responses, this data is statistically meaningful. A median score below 3 (on a scale of 1 to 4), or a median score below 7 (on a scale of 1 to 10) indicates a perceived weakness (on the part of students) in a specific area.
No
of responses
Level of preparation
Minimum
Maximum
your ability to apply knowledge of mathematics
111
4
2
4
your ability to apply knowledge of physical sciences and chemistry
111
4
1
4
your ability to identify and formulate engineering problems
111
4
3
4
your ability to formulate alternative solutions to engineering problems
109
3
1
4
your ability to formulate alternative solutions to engineering testing
108
3
1
4
your ability to design a system, component, or process to meet user needs
111
3
1
4
your ability to apply modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice
111
3
2
4
your ability to understand the societal impact of engineering solutions
109
3
1
4
your ability to understand the environmental impact of engineering solutions
108
3
1
4
your ability to produce written reports regarding technical topics
110
3
1
4
your ability to deliver oral reports regarding technical topics
109
3
1
4
Aerodynamics-Analytical Skills
108
7
1
9
Aerodynamics-Lab, Data Acquisition and Analysis Skills
100
7
1
9
Aerodynamics-Independent Research
88
5
1
9
Structures-Analytical Skills
108
7
2
9
Structures-Lab, Data Acquisition and Analysis Skills
106
7
2
9
Structures-Independent Research
86
5
1
9
Flight Mechanics and Control-Analytical Skills
108
7
2
9
Flight Mechanics and Control-Lab, Data Acquisition and Analysis Skills
101
7
1
9
Flight Mechanics and Control-Independent Research
85
5
1
9
Propulsion and Combustion-Analytical Skills
108
8
2
9
Propulsion and Combustion-Lab, Data Acquisition and Analysis Skills
101
6
1
9
Propulsion and Combustion-Independent Research
84
5
1
9
Aeroelasticity and Structural Dynamics-Analytical Skills
96
7
1
9
Aeroelasticity and Structural Dynamics-Lab, Data Acquisition and Analysis Skills
89
5
1
9
Aeroelasticity and Structural Dynamics-Independent Research
79
4
1
8
Astronautics-Analytical Skills
99
5
1
9
Astronautics-Lab, Data Acquisition and Analysis Skills
90
4
1
9
Astronautics-Independent Research
79
4
1
9
Aerospace Systems and Design-Analytical Skills
107
7
1
9
Aerospace Systems and Design-Lab, Data Acquisition and Analysis Skills
97
7
1
9
Aerospace Systems and Design-Independent Research
84
5
1
9
To what extent do you think that the BS in AE had prepared you for a career in AE
109
3
2
4
To what extent do you think that the BS in AE had prepared you for knowledge and appreciation for professional standards
109
3
1
4
To what extent do you think that the BS in AE had prepared you for delivering technical oral reports
109
3
1
4
To what extent do you think that BS in AE has stimulated your desire for life-long learning
108
3
2
4
During this particular year, the survey indicated the independent research opportunities in all areas as a particular weakness. The students rated themselves as adequately trained in analytical skills and lab skills in discipline specific areas. This particular class of students also felt that they were adequately trained to be life-long learners. The student perception of their oral and written communication skills has steadily improved in exit surveys from year to year.
The above data is just an example of the exit survey data that has been collected and analyzed using methodologies above. Results for other years have similarly been examined and processed.
Closing the Loop Based on Exit Surveys: There are small variations in the median scores and averages from year to year. However, students consistently have rated themselves as well- trained in the mathematics, sciences, and aerospace discipline topics. The students desire more undergraduate research opportunities and hands on skills. To accommodate it, the School offers several sections of undergraduate research courses (AE 2699, 2698, 4699, 4698) for credit and pay and allows up to 10 hours of free elective credit.
Assessment of Portfolio Items: The honors and awards list (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 2006) and the benchmark data (e.g., student performance in national design competitions found at http://aiaa.org/documents/student/designcomphistory2006-2007.xls), and undergraduate research documents indicate that the students get adequate opportunities, outside of required course work, to develop their team design skills, oral and written communication skills, and research skills. Participation in these activities is voluntary both on the part of instructors as mentors, and on the part of students who pursue these activities as free electives. Nevertheless, a large number of our students participate in design competitions and/or undergraduate research.
Closing the Loop Based on Portfolio Items: An examination of our portfolio items indicates that much of the design competition activities were in the area of aircraft and spacecraft design, and in traditional disciplines (aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, etc). The program has added faculty in rotorcraft design and work with specialists at the Georgia Tech Research Institute in the turbomachinery area to broaden the education and design experiences for our students. We have also added faculty in emerging disciplines (software engineering, avionics, cognitive engineering, Human Factors, air transportation). A number of electives are taught in these areas to train our students. It is anticipated that the addition of new faculty, new electives, and new research areas will diversify and enrich the research experiences our students will receive during the coming years.
CRITERION 4. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Information Used for Program Improvement
The results of the alumni surveys and employer surveys, along with input from our faculty, our Student Advisory Council and the external Advisory Council, are used to make decisions about improvements at the program level. We also take into consideration the input from the Board of Regents, the Provosts Office, and the College of Engineering, in particular the strategic plan and the mission and vision of these organizations.
Results from the other assessment instruments (instructors, exit survey, samples of student work, other portfolio items) discussed under Criterion 3 above are used to make improvements at the course level.
Actions to Improve the Program
In this section, we summarize the input from our constituents and the assessment data from each of these instruments, and actions taken to close the loop and continuously improve the program.
International Plan and Research Options: Georgia Tech, as part of the Southeastern Colleges and Schools (SACS), periodically conducts a self-assessment study and develops plans for improving the quality of its educational and research programs. The most recent self-study was conducted in 2005. As part of this review, Tech proposed a quality enhancement plan: (http://www.assessment.gatech.edu/SACS/QEP/QEP_Mar21_Georgia_Tech_final_print.pdf ). At the undergraduate level, an International Plan option intended to prepare our students for the global community, and a Research Plan option intended to enhance their skills in scholarship and innovation, were proposed.
The faculty of the School of Aerospace Engineering, in consultation with our constituents, acted on this recommendation and began offering two new degree options: BSAE (IP) and BSAE (RO). The International Plan option first became available in the fall of 2006, and 27 students are enrolled in the IP Plan at this writing. The Research Option first became available in spring 2007.
Enhanced Study Abroad Offerings: In 2002, with input from our faculty, our industry and government partners, the external advisory council, and the student advisory council, the School developed a strategic plan documented at http://www.ae.gatech.edu/people/lsankar/APR/Strategic.Plan.htm. One of the goals of this plan was to internationalize the undergraduate program, base don the fact that the aerospace industry is a global enterprise that brings engineers and investors from across the globe. Beginning in 2005, the School began offering its own study abroad offerings taught by AE faculty at the Oxford University in England, and Georgia Tech Lorraine in France. These offerings allow student to take AE courses towards their degree, along with humanities and social sciences related to the region. The participation of AE students in study abroad program has steadily grown as a result.
Honors Programs and Undergraduate Research Programs: The 2002 Strategic Plan also calls for the establishment of an honors program that was intended to promote scholarly research and innovation activities among our undergraduate students. This program was developed in consultation with our constituents and incorporates academic excellence (3.5 GPA or above), excellence in research (3 terms of research for pay or credit), and development of oral and written technical communication skills. Students may apply the research credit earned towards the BSAE (Research Option) and document their work as an undergraduate thesis. We also began offering research opportunities for credit or pay for those students who do not meet the 3.5 GPA threshold, and yet have a aptitude for and a desire to conduct undergraduate research. Four new courses (AE 2699 and AE 4699 for credit; AE 2698 or AE 4698 for pay) were created to document the research accomplishments in the students transcripts. Since its inception, this initiative has led to a steady growth in the number of students participating in undergraduate research as shown in the chart below. The number of students participating in the honors program has also steadily grown.
Minor Program in AE: The 2002 Strategic Plan also called for the establishment of a minor program in AE as a service to the campus community, and as a way of enhancing interdisciplinary education and research at the undergraduate level. This program combines required courses (Introduction to AE, low speed aerodynamics, and Vehicle Performance) with electives in a track for a total of 18 credit hours.
Increased Opportunities for Undergraduate Design Experiences: Until 1999, the participation of AE students in design was largely limited to the senior capstone design experience. Students participating in design competitions largely conducted such activitie
