The purpose of this study was to establish a foundation for an Engineering and Technology Public Policy (ENTPP) Undergraduate curriculum. This was done by identifying learning outcomes for such a curriculum and determining if the identified learning outcomes aligned with selected Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) engineering accreditation program outcomes.
A three round Delphi study identified the ENTPP learning outcomes. The Delphi study consisted of three surveys: an open-ended questionnaire to generate a list of possible ENTPP learning outcomes, followed by two rating questionnaires which were used to find consensus of which ENTPP learning outcomes to include and participants’ priorities for inclusion. Participants in the study group were instructors or curriculum designers from an college that has a graduate program in engineering and public policy, instructors or curriculum designers from a college that has an engineering and ethics course, current or past local, state or national politician or lobbyists, engineering faculty member who have a history of influencing public policy, faculty members teaching political science content, members of ABET, and engineering or technology alumni involved in public policy creation and/or implementation.
ENTPP learning outcomes identified through the three rounds of the Delphi study were included in a fourth rating survey instrument to determine if the learning outcomes aligned with selected ABET engineering accreditation program outcomes.Participants for this study were faculty and administrators of ABET accredited engineering colleges and universities.
Both qualitative and quantitative techniques were used to analyze the data from the studies. Qualitative techniques were used to analyze the results from the open-ended questionnaire in the Delphi study. Descriptive statistics (mean, mode, and standard deviation) were used to analyze the results of the ratings surveys.
The study yielded forty-five ENTPP learning outcomes. Of these, thirty learning outcomes aligned with selected ABET engineering accreditation program outcomes. The study identified learning outcomes for an ENTPP undergraduate curriculum and demonstrated that a majority of those outcomes could be used to satisfy selected ABET engineering accreditation program outcomes.