Evaluation of Current Assessment Methods in Engineering Entrepreneurship Education

Quality assessment is an essential component of education that allows educators to support student learning and improve educational programs. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the current state of assessment in engineering entrepreneurship education. We identified 52 assessment instruments covered in 29 journal articles and conference proceedings that focused on engineering entrepreneurship. We evaluated these instruments using the unified theory of validity as a framework. Our analysis identified a variety of means through which entrepreneurial knowledge, skills, and attitudes are assessed in engineering. Self- or peer-report surveys, some of which were originally developed in business contexts, were the primary tool used for assessment. Another common tool was project deliverables. The assessment instruments often lacked features that can help differentiate levels of competencies and hence had limited utility for formative purposes. We argue that engineering entrepreneurship education would benefit from a system of assessment instruments designed through rigorous methods and developed to assess constructs specific to entrepreneurial engineering.