Evaluation: What did it tell us? A review of the evaluation process of a new curriculum

The Computer Science Department of the University of Virginia (USA) implemented a new undergraduate curriculum in Fall, 1992. The first group of students to complete the new curriculum graduated in May, 1996. As part of the development plan, the authors instituted a comprehensive curriculum evaluation plan which included course/laboratory content evaluations, student satisfaction surveys, longitudinal course content exam as well as an exit survey and satisfaction surveys one-year after graduation and four years after graduation. This paper presents the details of this evaluation plan and some of the results of the surveys and interviews with respect to the experiences of the Class of 1996. The authors have continued to use this evaluation process and current results have been similar.