**(This material was copied from a brochure of The School of Engineering and Applied Science)

Educational Objectives

The mission of SEAS is to empower our undergraduates to become tomorrow’s technology leaders. Columbia engineering stands out in its ability to prepare engineering leaders to solve the problems of the next century, fostering scientific inquiry but never losing sight of its human implications.

The education objectives of the electrical engineering program support the mission of the School. These are to:

Produce graduates with a strong foundation in the basic sciences and mathematics that will enable them to identify and solve electrical engineering problems.

Provide students with a solid foundation in electrical engineering that prepares them for life-long careers and professional growth in fields of their choice.

Provide our students with the basic skills to communicate effectively and to develop the ability to function as members of multi-disciplinary teams.

Provide our students with a broad-based education so that they can appreciate diversity of opinion, better understand ethical issues, and develop a perspective of our profession.

Provide our students with a relevant engineering design experience that is integrated across the four year curriculum. Through those experiences develop in our students an understanding of the relationship between theory and practice.

Meeting Educational Objectives

The electrical engineering curriculum and the steps taken to effectively implement this curriculum are the main vehicles that ensure the program’s educational objectives are met. The undergraduate program in electrical engineering seeks to provide a broad and solid foundation in the current theory and practice of electrical engineering, including familiarity with basic tools of math and science, an ability to communicate ideas, and a humanities background sufficient to understand the social implications of engineering practice.

Assessment of the curriculum is an essential part of the Chairman's annual undergraduate academic assessment. Each summer the Chairman looks over all assessment material and then allocates tasks to the appropriate departmental committees. Assessment of the curriculum in an on going process that takes multiple forms. Most of the tools used to assess outcomes are also of great value in establishing the curriculum’s success in meeting program educational objectives. Evaluation tools include per-semester course and instructor assessments, alumni surveys, senior exit surveys, and formal reaction from the department’s External Review Committees.

The five (A-E) program educational objectives, along with strategies, outcomes and means of assessment are shown in the Tables 1-6. The third column at the bottom of each chart links the program objective to ABET 2000 Criterion 3(a-k).

The course syllabi explicitly calls out the relationship of the program objectives to each electrical engineering course.

Table 1: Program Objective A

Program Objective : Produce graduates with a strong foundation in the basic sciences and mathematics that will enable them to identify and solve electrical engineering problems.
Strategies and Actions	Outcomes	ABET 200 Criterion 3 (a-k)	Assessment Methods
Require and periodically review an appropriate sequence of math courses that covers differential and integral calculus. Provide and periodically review curricula material that furnishes knowledge of advanced math typically including differential equations, probability and statistics, linear algebra, complex variables and discrete mathematics. Require and periodically review a sequence of basic science courses in physics and chemistry that serve as the foundations for a modern engineering education.	Students’ education in basic sciences and mathematics will prepare them for advanced courses in electrical engineering. Students will be able to apply knowledge from the basic mathematical and scientific areas to identify and solve problems in electrical engineering. Students will be able to apply data analysis techniques in laboratories and design courses.	a, e, i	Alumni survey. Course surveys External Review Committee report

Table 2: Program Objective B

Program Objective: Provide students with a solid foundation in electrical engineering which prepares them for life-long careers and professional growth in fields of their choice.
Strategies and Actions	Outcomes	ABET 200 Criterion 3 (a-k)	Assessment Methods
Provide and periodically review a required core curriculum in electrical engineering	Students have a strong grounding in electrical engineering fundamentals.	a, c, e, h, i, k	Alumni survey. External Review Committee report
Provide and periodically evaluate a required sequence of laboratory courses that support and augment the lecture-oriented core courses. Provide elective lecture/laboratory courses in specialization areas of electrical engineering	Students gain a deeper understanding of theoretical topics, the strengths and weaknesses of the modeling of real devices and systems, and the application of data measurement and analysis techniques. Students opt for specialization and/or breath to prepare for a variety of careers or for graduate study.	a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, k a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, k	External Review Committee report . Alumni Survey. Alumni data. .

Table 3: Program Objective C

Program Objective: Provide our students with the basic skills to communicate effectively and to develop the ability to function as members of multi-disciplinary teams.
Strategies and Actions	Outcomes	ABET 200 Criterion 3 (a-k)	Assessment Methods
Develop and enhance technical writing skills by requiring written reports in laboratory courses and in the senior design project. Require our students to work in teams (in laboratory courses and in senior design projects). Emphasize oral communication skills by requiring oral presentations each term (integrated into lecture/lab courses) and in the senior design project.	Students will develop and improve their written communication skills. Students, as members of a team, will gain experience in dividing workload and in coordinating and assessing results. Students will improve their oral communication skills.	d, e, g	Faculty reviews and critique of oral presentation for effectiveness, thoroughness, and style. Alumni survey, . Course surveys. External Review Committee report Monitoring the number of students participating in team senior projects.

Table 4: Program Objective D

Program Objective: Provide our students with a broad-based education so that they can appreciate diversity of opinion, better understand ethical issues, and develop a more perspective of our profession.
Strategies and Actions	Outcomes	ABET 200 Criterion 3 (a-k)	Assessment Methods
Increase the significance of the non-technical component of the curriculum by developing theme based example course clusters and promoting minors or dual degrees with business, the social sciences, etc.	Students will integrate their non-technical courses into their career plans, opening up alternative careers.	a, h, j	Monitor the number of students who minor or complete a dual degree in a non-engineering course of study. Alumni survey.
Incorporate and ethics component in the undergraduate seminar	Students will develop an awareness of ethical issues through examples drawn from engineering professional life.	f, j	Special seminars on ethical issues

Table 5: Program Objective E

Program Objective: Provide our students with a relevant engineering design experience that is integrated across the four year curriculum. Through those experiences develop in our students and understanding of the relationship between theory and practice.
Strategies and Actions	Outcomes	ABET 200 Criterion 3 (a-k)	Assessment Methods
Provide strong design components in at least one course per term of the curriculum culminating in a senior design project course. Offer interdisciplinary senior design courses, rather than disciplinary specific design courses.	Students will be introduced to design techniques from many sources and will be able to integrate these techniques in a Senior Project. Students will gain experience with real technical issues and linking classroom theory with practical execution. By designating engineering problems, students will learn from the experiences of others and will be able to transfer ideas and concepts to their own problem.	c, e, k	Alumni survey Monitoring of projects. Course surveys Faculty feedback on the quality of senior projects. External Review Committee (as applicable)
Integrate software tools into the design component of the curriculum.	Students will be able to concentrate on the concepts of a design without being limited by modeling-related mathematics.		Identify, list and review presentation of design concepts and specific design tool (e.g. software) used throughout the three years of the EE Curriculum.

Table 6: Electrical Engineering Courses and their Relationship to the Department Objectives A-E.

Program. Objectives	A. Basic Science and Math	B. Foundation of EE.	C. Communication and Teaming	D. Broad Education	Theory & Practice	Design Experience
Program. Objectives	A. Basic Science and Math	B. Foundation of EE.	C. Communication and Teaming	D. Broad Education	E. Design
COURSES
E1101
E1201 #	*	Ö	Ö	Ö	Ö	Ö
E3000
E3041 #	*	Ö	Ö		Ö	Ö
E3042 #	*	Ö	Ö		Ö	Ö **
E3043 #	*	Ö	Ö		Ö
E3044
E3106 #	*	Ö
E3201 #	*	Ö			Ö
E3202 #	*	Ö			Ö
E3203 #	*	Ö			Ö
E3301 #	*	Ö			Ö
E3302 #	*	Ö			Ö
E3401 #	*	Ö			Ö
E3601 #	*	Ö
W3658 #	Ö	Ö			Ö
E3701 #	*	Ö			Ö	Ö
E3910 #	*	Ö			Ö	Ö
E3940 #		Ö	Ö		Ö	Ö
E3998
E4261
E4301 #	*	Ö			Ö
E4302
E4303 #	*	Ö			Ö	Ö
E4304 #	*	Ö			Ö	Ö
E4306 #	*	Ö			Ö	Ö
E4321 #	*	Ö			Ö	Ö
E4332 #		Ö	Ö		Ö	Ö
E4340 #		Ö	Ö		Ö	Ö
E4401 #	*	Ö			Ö
E4405
E4411 #	*	Ö			Ö
E4501 #	*	Ö			Ö
E4503 #	*	Ö			Ö
E4601 #	*	Ö
E4702
E4703 #	*	Ö
E4741
E4810 #	*	Ö			Ö	Ö
E4830 #	*	Ö			Ö
E4900
E4998
Phys. & Chem.	Ö	Ö
Mathematics	Ö
Humanities Social Science				Ö

("#" indicates a regular course recently offered to EE majors, a " Ö " indicates an important contribution to a departmental objective; "*" indicates a reinforcement; and "**" indicates laboratory under revision)