Assessing Oral Communication Skills in the Final Year Project Design Course of an Undergraduate Engineering Program

摘要: The paper is part of a larger study that uses multi-method approach in the assessment of communication skills learning outcome in the Final Year Project Design Course (FYPII) of an Undergraduate Electrical Engineering Program (FKE). It used direct assessment to examine students’ oral skills when presenting their FYPII design course seminar presentation. The rubric adapted was put to the test by using faculty rater reliability measures to determine the consistency of the scores. It was later reviewed in order to ensure ease of use, reliable and description of expected students’ performance during the oral presentation [1]. Once faculty rater reliability was achieved and verified, the rubric was used to achieve inter-rater scores. Descriptive statistics were used to draw inferences on the faculty inter-rater scores. The assessment tool provided tangible information about the students’ technical skills and performance in the communication skills ability and recommendations for improvement on the future of the oral presentation assessment tool and process to be used for personal and program development.