A Possible SE 685 Project Automated Reviewers’ Report For ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology)

What Is ABET Accreditation? ABET accreditation is assurance that a college or university program meets the quality standards established by the profession for which it prepares its students. For example, an accredited engineering program must meet the quality standards set by the engineering profession. An accredited computer science program must meet the quality standards set by the computing profession.

The Accreditation Process Accreditation is a voluntary process on the part of an institution. The first step is that an institution requests an evaluation of its program(s). Each program then conducts an internal evaluation and completes a self study questionnaire (See the MU 2004 Self Study Report). The self-study documents whether students, curriculum, faculty, administration, facilities, and institutional support meet the established criteria. A team chair and one or more program evaluators make up the evaluation team. During the on-campus visit, the evaluation team reviews course materials, student projects, and sample assignments and interviews students, faculty, and administrators. The team determines whether the criteria are met and tackles any questions raised by the self-study. During its campus visit, the team provides the university with a written report of the evaluation. (See the hard copy typical reports) This allows the program to correct any misrepresentations or errors of fact, as well as address any shortcomings in a timely manner. At a large annual meeting of all ABET commission members, the final evaluation report is presented by the evaluation team, along with its recommended accreditation action. Based on the findings of the report, the commission members vote on the action, and the school is notified of the decision. Accreditation is granted for a maximum of six years. To renew accreditation, the institution must request another evaluation. Institutions usually seek accreditation only for their undergraduate programs, but a few seek accreditation for masters programs or for both bachelors and masters programs. See the hard copy Policy and Procedure Manual.

The Criteria 10 Criteria having to do with: 1.Students 2.Program Educational Objectives 3.Program Outcomes 4.Continuous Improvement 5.Curriculum 6.Faculty 7.Facilities 8.Support 9.Program Criteria 10.Masters Level or Policies and Procedures See the hard copy criteria manual for details.

Written Reports Produced During Visit by the Program Evaluators 1.Program Audit Form (Hard copy left with institution) 2.Program Evaluator Worksheet 3.Program Evaluator Report 4.Curriculum Analysis 5.Transcript Analysis 6.Recommended Accreditation Action 7.Exit Statement (Read to institution at end of the visit) All must be consistent and tied carefully to the criteria

The Process of Producing Written Reports All are currently provided to program evaluators (PEVs) as formatted Word documents. Before and during the visit each PEV prepares their reports. Some have great difficulty ensuring consistency among the various reports. Some have difficulty using precisely the words from the criteria.

ABET Would Like to Improve the Report Preparation Process Perhaps use information from the evaluator worksheet to partially populate the Program Audit Form and the Exit Statement. Use standard wording on the Program Audit Form and the Exit Statement for explanations of the criteria requirements. Allow program evaluator to enter the same free text into the Program Audit Form and The Exit Statement to explain why criteria are not met. Could be an on-line application or a PC based process. Other possible requirements to be developed as part of the project. The customer would be John Meredith, a former IEEE USA President and a retiree from Agilent Technologies, and me. (We both serve on an IEEE committee that is responsible for the IEEE’s interests in accreditation activities. Your group would be the development team.

Documents That You Should Review 1.Program Audit Form (Hard copy left with institution) 2.Program Evaluator Worksheet 3.Program Evaluator Report 4.Curriculum Analysis 5.Transcript Analysis 6.Recommended Accreditation Action 7.Exit Statement (Read to institution at end of the visit) 8.Monmouth University’s 2004 Self Study Report 9.The ABET Policy and Procedure Manual 10.The ABET Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs (and proposed changes)