225d Why Is the Fundamental of Engineering Exam (FE) Important to Chemical Engineers and the Use of the Fe as One Assessment Tool for the Chemical Engineering Programs

R. Mark Bricka, Chemical Engineering, Mississippi State University, Box 9595, Mississippi State, MS 39762

The number of chemical engineers which take the FE test is proportionally small when compared to the other engineering disciplines. This is a trend which should be changed. The FE is the first step in securing professional registration. Professional registration should be strongly encouraged by all academic institutions, and the appropriate courses should be targeted to convey this fundamental knowledge to chemical engineering students.

In addition to the need for professional registration the FE provides a useful tool for academic assessment. Details will be discussed on how to use the FE test results as an assessment tool for Chemical engineering programs.

For several years the chemical engineering department at Mississippi State University (MSU) has been using the results of the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam as one of the many tools to access the performance of students in meeting the educational objectives as part of the yearly ABET assessment process. In the past s part of the yearly process the faculty at MSU has offered informal reviews session to assist the students in preparing for the exam.

This year MSU the faculty and have formalized the FE review course and is offering this course to the all graduating chemical engineers for course credit. The students were provide a practice test prior to taking the course and will be tested once again after completing the course. The results of this assessment will be available for inclusion at this presentation.

The purpose of this presentation will be to discuss how MSU has used and will be using the FE results as an assessment tool. Previous changes in the undergraduate curricula as a result of this assessment process will be discussed. In addition the evolution and effects of the review process on testing scores and it impact will also be presented.