Course Outcomes, Specific Performance Indicators, Rubrics and Continuous Quality Improvement in a Core Undergraduate Electrical Engineering Course Hassan Tariq Chattha, Khawaja Bilal Mahmood, Abdul Rahman Alkassem, Saleh Al-Ahamdi Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Islamic University of Madinah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Abstract This paper presents the course outcomes, specific performance indicators, rubrics and teaching / learning methodologies / strategies adopted related to the ‘Signals and Systems’ course taught to the bachelor’s students of Electrical Engineering. It will discuss the mapping of course outcomes, and specific performance indicators with the ABET Student Outcomes, the rubrics used for the assessments and evaluations related to each specific performance indicator and how Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) is implemented in the course of ‘Signal and Systems’ by modifying the course teaching / learning strategy in course delivery related to the failing course outcomes. And the impact of these teaching strategies on the performance of students is discussed in detail. And conclusions are drawn based on the teaching and learning methodologies adopted for improvement. 1. Introduction Over a very long period, the main teaching and learning strategy has been the traditional Content- Based Education (CBE) which is a teacher-centred approach and mainly focuses on contents using textbooks and considers syllabus as rigid & non- negotiable. This approach sees students as passive learners, just listening and trying to absorb the given information. This approach provides such an environment to the students having very less focus on whether the students have ever learned the given material. The approach makes students exam oriented and CGPA driven. It emphasizes on what the teacher hopes to achieve. And the graduates produced through this strategy are not well-prepared for the requirements of the job market. It emphasizes very less focus on soft skills such as communication, interpersonal-, and analytical skills, etc. needed for different jobs. Outcome-Based Education (OBE) is a paradigm shift in education. It is not what the teacher has taught; it’s what the student has learned. It focuses on the desired end results and curriculum instruction and assessments are taken according to the exit outcomes It is a student-centered approach creating more calmness and composure between the teacher and the students [1-2]. Even though the teacher still has the final authority, but he/she is acting more as a facilitator, guiding the students and facilitating them in their learning process. It has more directed and coherent curriculum. OBE includes the modifications and amendments in curriculum, assessments and teaching strategies for reflecting the achievements of high order learnings and mastering it rather than just accumulating the course credits. This approach sees students as active learners. It enables the students to complete a task with flexible time frames. The assessment is a continuous process which involves the curriculum, instruction and assessment be taken according to the exit outcomes. Through OBE, the graduates will be more well-rounded graduates which make them more relevant to industry and other stakeholders. And one of the very significant benefits of OBE is that it has a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) in place which ensures the constant review of teaching and learning strategies based on outcomes. It connects the Vision and Mission of the institution, Program Educational Objectives (PEO), Students Outcomes (SO), and Course Outcomes (CO) as shown in the Figure 1. Figure 1. A Model Hierarchy of Outcomes PEOs are comprehensive declarations that outline the expectations of the graduates to achieve within some certain years after the completion of the program. Program educational objectives depends on the requirements of the program’s aspects and components [3-4]. Student Outcomes (SO) mentions the expectations for the students to learn and are able to perform heretofore the completion of that specific International Journal for Infonomics (IJI), Volume 13, Issue 1, March 2020 Copyright © 2020, Infonomics Society 1969