Using content validity measures to evaluate the Biosystems Engineering Program at the University of Manitoba

[摘要] An exploratory case study was designed to determine therelative importance of the Canadian EngineeringAccreditation Board (CEAB) graduate attributes asperceived by University of Manitoba engineeringstakeholders. Findings were used to examine the contentvalidity of the Biosystems Engineering program. Theoverarching objective was to explore how graduate attributeemphasis in engineering programs reflect graduate attributeimportance reported by key stakeholders. ProblemAnalysis, Investigation, Design, Communication Skills,Impact of Engineering on Society & the Environment, andUse of Engineering Tools had similar expected (meanrelative importance) and observed (content and assessmentprogram coverage) data percentages. The gap was wider forother graduate attributes, with the most surprising beingKnowledge Base. Overall, the pattern of results suggeststhat various professional attributes (e.g., Professionalism,Ethics & Equity, and Lifelong Learning) should be moreprominent in content and assessments within an engineeringprogram. Recommendations to improve methods to assesscontent validity in engineering programs are discussed.

[学科分类] 农业科学（综合）

[关键词] Program evaluation;CEAB graduate attributes;biosystemsengineering;content validity;relative importance;exploratory case study