Holistic Assessment of Students in Undergraduate Industrial Technology Programs

The nature and assessment of education is changing significantly, and the assessment trajectory is away from sole reliance on the traditional perspective of student grades. Technology faculty must respond to the changing requirements of student assessment and ensure that graduates of the program meet both the expectations and standards of the institution as well as those of other stakeholders, particularly the private sector that typically employs those graduates. A well-structured program should include assessment by a variety of methods and from a more holistic perspective than is often currently employed. Efforts to design and implement a more holistic assessment of students in industrial technology programs are certainly timely and in keeping with the spirit of the recommendations by the National Research Council and others. This article discusses how the authors formed an action research collaborative with the central goal being to develop, implement, and evaluate innovative forms of assessment that document student growth in a holistic manner. The authors' work represents an initial step towards capitalizing on some of the innovation that reflects singular enhancements. Their goal was also to integrate several of these innovations into a more systematic approach. To this end, the authors have conceptualized a framework for moving forward, they have established the feasibility of using the Work Keys[R] employability skills instrumentation, and they have described some necessary implementation steps.