program self-study report - Lamar University Electrical Engineering

surveys were a better commentary on whether or not graduates of the program had been equippedto meet objectives that speak to the preparation of students for successful and productiveengineering careers (such as ours). It was also concluded that phone surveys were moresuccessful than mailed. Many other programs explained that the response rate on mailed surveyswas very low since employers are hesitant to comment on employee performance outside of theirfirms. In our phone surveys, we stress the fact that we seek comments directed to our programand not the individual engineer. This is our goal and it puts the person surveyed at ease and morelikely to give constructive criticism. We survey employers of graduates no greater than five yearsout of our program and preferably three years out.2) Alumni surveys performed every year in the spring with "One year out" and "three year out"periods. This survey is done by mail. A sample survey is shown in Appendix E. This surveyassists in the assessment of soft objectives such as life-long learning and participation in theactivities of the profession. These include the following:• the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context• recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in, life-long learning• knowledge of contemporary issues• preparedness for OJT (On the Job Training)• preparedness training courses or in-house training seminars and workshopsFinally, the survey requests comments on the IEEE and engineering registration.In addition to the above surveys, we track our undergraduate students who enter and complete graduateprograms, since this supports objective 2. Since our last ABET visit we have had the following feedbackfrom our alumni in this regard:Degree School StatusPhD EE Rice University graduatedPhD EE Rice University graduatedMSEE Texas A&M graduatedLaw (JD) University of Houston two years into programPhD EE New Jersey Institute of Technology three years into programPhD Math University of Texas three years into programMS Music University of Miami graduatedPhD EE University of Washington recently acceptedPhD EE Georgia Tech recently acceptedEE Program Self-Study Report-2006 14