Case Study: The Importance of the Assessment Technique in Chemical Safety Training on a College Campus
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Since 1905, the Department of Agricultural Engineering, now the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABE), has been a leader in providing engineering solutions to agricultural problems in the United States and the world. The department’s original mission was to mechanize agriculture. That mission has evolved to encompass a global view of the entire food production system–the wise management of natural resources in the production, processing, storage, handling, and use of food fiber and other biological products.
History
In 1905 Agricultural Engineering was recognized as a subdivision of the Department of Agronomy, and in 1907 it was recognized as a unique department. It was renamed the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering in 1990. The department merged with the Department of Industrial Education and Technology in 2004.
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1905–present
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- Department of Agricultural Engineering (1907–1990)
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- College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (parent college)
- College of Engineering (parent college)
- Department of Industrial Education and Technology, (merged, 2004)
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Abstract
Safety training is an integral part of every organization's overall safety program. A variety of delivery methods are used to conduct training with the most common learning outcome being performance on a written exam. The safety professional must consider numerous issues when composing a written exam, including question design and exam difficulty, to establish a meaningful passing level and to assess overall training effectiveness. A research study was undertaken to further explore issues related to question design and exam difficulty relative to a chemical safety course offered in both classroom- and computer-based formats on a college campus. The objectives of this study were to 1) evaluate the potential impact of question difficulty as a part of an assessment technique that measures learning and 2) evaluate the potential impact of exam difficulty and sequence of exam administration as a part of an assessment technique that measures learning. An analysis of question difficulty factors across three different versions of learning assessments used showed differing levels of difficulty. Additionally, the order of administration of the exam was a factor in the amount of measured learning. The implications of these results are discussed. Nuances of assessment techniques, including question difficulty and order of administration, must be evaluated to truly evaluate the effectiveness of any safety training intervention.
Comments
This article is from Journal of Safety, Health & Environmental Research 9 (2013): 89–93. Posted with permission.