Abet Outcomes Via Project Based Service Learning Attributes: Assessment Via Successful Intelligence

Project-based service learning (PBSL) is an amalgamation of two types of pedagogical methods: problem-based learning (PBL) and service learning (SL). The dynamic interplay between the two methods creates a synergistic pedagogy that is stronger than either one alone. While the collaborative nature intrinsic to problem-based learning engenders development of technical (classroom-learned concepts) and professional skills (teamwork, communication, leadership, diversity), the service learning aspects allows students to gain knowledge of societal, cultural, economic, and environmental impacts of their solutions. ABET-based educational outcomes require degree programs to provide technical and professional skills while acknowledging and addressing societal and global issues in the impacts of engineering work. While technical skills can be routinely measured, the issue of providing quantitative measures of professional skills is more challenging and lacks a reliable precedent. So, how can one effectively quantify the attributes provided by PBSL to show how they satisfy the non-technical attributes of ABET educational outcomes? This paper discusses how the attributes associated with PBSL can be mapped to the desired outcomes of ABET-accredited programs and how these attributes can be measured. First, an overview of PBSL and its attributes are described and connected to the desired, ABET educational outcomes. Then, a possible assessment methodology, based on Sternberg’s triarchic theory of human cognition, is introduced as a possible theoretical basis for quantitative measurement of PBSL attributes. A case study performed at Tufts University, is presented that illustrates how this evaluation process, based on the triarchic theory, leads to quantifiable measures of technical and professional skills.