OSU ChE Students’ FE Exam Performance
June
2004
We
track the pass rate on the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam as one
of our performance measures of the OSU ChE undergraduate program, and
are very proud of our students’ performance. OSU Chemical Engineering
students have consistently shown high performance on the FE Exam.
The
FE exam is a comprehensive test of competence in engineering and
science, and passing it is the first step toward registering as a
professional engineer. The test is administered twice nationally, by
the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. All
students take the same test on the same day. Nationally, the pass rate
for chemical engineering students has recently averaged about 85%. Our
97% pass rate is one clear indication of excellence in the OSU ChE
students, faculty, and staff. The graph presents a 10-year history of
a 3-year moving average of the pass rate for test takers currently
enrolled in school. Using a 3-year average provides a large enough
sample to temper test-to-test variability.
We
had a perfect, 100%, pass rate in 9 of the past 10 test administrations!
Engineering education is a comprehensive undertaking of human resource
development, and we have many objectives in our mission of preparing
students to become professional partners in their enterprise and
community. Some non-technical objectives include writing
effectiveness, team effectiveness, and understanding the social
implications for engineering design. While the FE Exam only tests
competence in the traditional classroom math, science, and engineering
subject matter; while it only evaluates one characteristic of our
program, it reveals one aspect of the outstanding performance of our
students. These news pages reveal many other successes and
achievements.
The
OSU ChE performance is significantly better than the national ChE
performance. But, why should this be? We share the same texts,
accreditation criteria, curriculum sequence, etc. that all US schools
follow.
Perhaps the teammanship attributes of the OSU ChE program make the
difference. Every OSU ChE student, staff person, and instructor is a
member of the team that created this legacy. Their collective dedication
and commitment create an excellent educational environment that enables
individual on the team to become their best. While students compete with
each other for grades, they often compete within team situations. In
cooperating within team competition, sometimes called “coopetition”,
they accelerate each other’s learning and development. It is wonderful
magic to watch.
