1 Assessment of Undergraduate Programs Neeraj Mittal Department of Computer Science The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) January 22, 2016

2 ABET Accreditation ABET – Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Accredits undergraduate programs in computer science and software engineering at UTD Last Visit: Fall 2011 Next Visit: Fall 2017 (every six years) Assessment of Undergraduate Programs2

3 ABET Requirements University, School and Department have mission statements A program has educational objectives – Broad statements that describe what students of the program are expected to attain within a few years of their graduation A program has student outcomes – Describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of their graduation Assessment of Undergraduate Programs3

4 Mission Statement The mission of the Department of Computer Science is to prepare undergraduate and graduate students for productive careers in industry, academia, and government by providing an outstanding environment for teaching, learning, and research in the theory and applications of computing. The Department places high priority on establishing and maintaining innovative research programs to enhance its education quality and make it an important regional, national and international resource center for discovering, integrating and applying new knowledge and technologies. Assessment of Undergraduate Programs4

5 BACHELORS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE PROGRAM Assessment of Undergraduate Programs 5

6 Program Objectives 1.Graduates should have a successful, long-lived, computer science based career path 2.Graduates should meet the needs of industry or academia 3.Graduates should contribute to, and/or lead, computer science based teams 4.Graduates should actively pursue continuing learning Assessment of Undergraduate Programs6

7 Student Outcomes a)An ability to apply knowledge of computing and mathematics appropriate to the discipline b)An ability to analyze a problem, and identify and define the computing requirements appropriate to its solution c)An ability to design, implement and evaluate a computer- based system, process, component, or program to meet desired needs d)An ability to function effectively on teams to accomplish a common goal Assessment of Undergraduate Programs7

8 Student Outcomes (Contd.) e)An understanding of professional, ethical, legal, security, and social issues and responsibilities f)An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences g)An ability to analyze the local and global impact of computing on individuals, organizations and society h)Recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in, continuing professional development i)An ability to use current techniques, skills, and tools necessary for computing practices Assessment of Undergraduate Programs8

9 Student Outcomes (Contd.) j)An ability to apply mathematical foundations, algorithmic principles, and computer science theory in the modeling and design of computer-based systems in a way that demonstrates comprehension of the tradeoffs involved in design choices k)An ability to apply design and development principles in the construction of software systems of varying complexity Assessment of Undergraduate Programs9

10 Undergraduate Catalog /programs/ecs/computer-science Assessment of Undergraduate Programs10

11 BACHELORS IN SOFTWARE ENGINEERING PROGRAM Assessment of Undergraduate Programs 11

12 Program Objectives 1.Graduates should have a successful, long-lived, software engineering based career path 2.Graduates should meet the needs of industry or academia 3.Graduates should contribute to, and/or lead, software engineering based teams 4.Graduates should actively pursue continuing learning Assessment of Undergraduate Programs12

13 Student Outcomes a)An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering b)An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data c)An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability d)An ability to function on multidisciplinary teams Assessment of Undergraduate Programs13

14 Student Outcomes (Contd.) e)An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems f)An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility g)An ability to communicate effectively h)The broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context i)A recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning Assessment of Undergraduate Programs14

15 Student Outcomes (Contd.) f)A knowledge of contemporary issues g)An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

16 Undergraduate Catalog /programs/ecs/software-engineering Assessment of Undergraduate Programs16

17 PROGRAM ASSESSMENT Assessment of Undergraduate Programs 17

18 Assessing Program Objectives We use three ways to evaluate the level of attainment of program objectives regularly: a.Alumni survey b.Employer survey c.IAB survey Alumni and employer surveys are conducted once every two years by the Office of Assessment Assessment of Undergraduate Programs18

19 Assessing Student Outcomes We use two ways to evaluate the level of attainment of student outcomes regularly: a.Using course learning outcomes (CLOs): Course assessment sheets are filled by instructors every semester – Instructor objectively assesses each CLO of the course Students outcomes are assessed using course assessment data by the department b.Senior exit survey: conducted every year by the Office of Assessment Assessment of Undergraduate Programs19

20 CLOs for CS 3305 (Discrete Mathematics for Computing II) 1.Ability to recognize and construct proofs 2.Ability to recognize and use equivalence relations and partial orderings 3.Ability to use recursive definitions and solve recurrence relations 4.Ability to understand advanced counting methods 5.Ability to understand graph theory and basic graph algorithms 6.Ability to use tree terminology and basic tree algorithms Assessment of Undergraduate Programs20

21 Assessing Student Outcomes Assessment of Undergraduate Programs21 Student Outcomes Performance Criteria Course Learning Outcomes E.g., (a) An ability to apply knowledge of computing and mathematics appropriate to the discipline E.g., Develop an algorithm to solve a computing problem E.g., Ability to design, analyze, and prove correctness of algorithms based on Divide-and-Conquer techniques

22 IMPROVEMENTS TO THE PROGRAMS Assessment of Undergraduate Programs 22

23 Program Improvements Updated programming sequence courses – CS 0 (CS 1336: Programming Fundamentals): Focus on C – CS 1 (CS 1337: Computer Science I): Focus on C++ – CS 2 (CS 2336: Computer Science II): Focus on Java Added a new section of CS 2 with focus on C/C++ for transfer students Separate sections of CS 0, CS 1 and CS 2 for non-major students Assessment of Undergraduate Programs23

24 Program Improvements Added a new Honors Programs: – CS 2 : Computer Science Computing Scholars Separate honors sections for many core courses – CS 2305: Discrete Mathematics for Computing I – CS 3305: Discrete Mathematics for Computing II – CS/SE 3345: Data Structures and Introduction to Algorithmic Analysis – CS 3340: Computer Architecture – CS 4341: Digital Logic and Computer Design – CS/SE 4348: Operating Systems Concepts – CS 4349: Advanced Algorithm Design and Analysis Assessment of Undergraduate Programs24

25 Program Improvements Added two required core courses – CS/SE 3162 (1 credit hour): Professional Responsibility in Computer Science and Software Engineering – CS/SE 4347 (3 credit hours): Database Systems ECS 1200 (Introduction to Engineering and Computer Science) replaced with two courses: – ECS 1100 (1 credit hour): Introduction to Engineering and Computer Science – CS 1200 (1 credit hour): Introduction to Computer Science and Software Engineering Assessment of Undergraduate Programs25

26 Program Improvements Significantly expanded tutoring help – Computer Science Mentor Center (CSMC) headed by Dr. Linda Morales Removed CS 3385 (Ethics, Law, Society and Computing) from the catalog Assessment of Undergraduate Programs26

27 Program Improvements Revised pre-requisite of many courses – CS 2305 (Discrete Mathematics for Computing I): Score of at least 75% in ALEKS, or C or better grade in MATH 2312 (Pre calculus) – CS 3340 (Computer Architecture): C or better grade in CS 2305 (Discrete Mathematics for Computing I) Assessment of Undergraduate Programs27

28 Program Improvements Revised pre-requisite of many courses – CS/SE 3345 (Data Structures and Introduction to Algorithmic Analysis): C or better grade in CS 1337 (Computer Science I) CS 2305 (Discrete Mathematics for Computing I) CS 2336 (Computer Science II) Assessment of Undergraduate Programs28

29 Program Improvements Revised pre-requisite of many courses – CS/SE 4348 (Operating Systems Concepts): Must have passed CS/SE 3376 (C/C++ Programming in a UNIX Environment) – ECS 3361 (Social Issues and Ethics in Computer Science and Engineering): Junior Standing Required Assessment of Undergraduate Programs29