Outcomes-Based Assessment: Driving Outreach Program Effectiveness

Abstract

Engineering professional societies are leading and prominent providers of engineering outreach activities in the United States. Many outreach efforts are innovative and impressive, but their ability to raise awareness about engineering and recruit more people to study engineering remains largely unknown. Comprehensive assessment and evaluation results that measure how effective these program activities are in meeting their goals and objectives simply are not available. Using the example of an engineering outreach program for high school girls, this paper describes good outreach practices, including use of proven practices and relevant research, effective assessment, and reports of outcomes; provides resources for tools that outreach professionals and practitioners can use to measure and continuously improve outreach impact; and makes the case that application of good engineering practice to outreach delivery is essential to reach engineering professional society outreach goals.