Preparing for Accreditation Under EC 2000: An Experience Report
Preparing for an accreditation evaluation under Engineering Criteria 2000 is a demanding task. For many programs, the most challenging requirements of the criteria have to do with establishing mechanisms to obtain input from various constituencies, formulating objectives on the basis of these inputs, formulating outcomes corresponding to each objective, establishing a range of assessment mechanisms to evaluate the program and outcomes, and establishing feedback mechanisms to use the results of the assessment to improve the program. This paper presents the experience of one program and some of the lessons learned.
Work in progress - continuous process improvement in attainment of learning objectives
The Interprofessional Projects Program (TPRO) at Illinois Institute of Technology, a private, midsize, Midwestern university, is a project-based experiential learning experience with the learning objectives of [1] strengthening multidisciplinary teamwork skills, [2] improving communication skills, [3] learning project management, and [4] recognizing and practicing ethical behavior. In the last four years we have developed an assessment system for the purposes of measuring achievement of our learning objectives. In this paper we will discuss how we measure learning objectives attainment and the data and conclusions that prompted us to redefine our learning objectives, and completely revise all our measurement instruments after three years of data collection and analysis. This paper is aimed at helping all undergraduate academic programs attain the ABET EC 2000 Criterion 3 Outcomes, the AACSB requirements for business programs and accrediting requirements of agencies such as the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools by explaining the process of establishing and validating, learning objectives assessment systems.
Preparing engineering programs under ABET EC2000 criteria: recommendations for institutions
Summary form only given. The authors served as the three electrical engineering program evaluators for ABET pilot visits during 1997, using the new EC2000 criteria for accrediting engineering programs. The programs visited varied greatly in size, institutional setting, student profile, and mission. In preparing for and making these visits, the authors gained insight into the processes and products programs must develop or refine for successful accreditation under EC2000 criteria. Specific ideas for implementation of EC2000 processes and effective methods for presentation of the assessments and evaluations for each criterion are presented. These ideas focus on affecting and realizing changes guided by the new accreditation standards. Particular emphasis is placed on the process of defining and disseminating educational objectives for programs through involving the program's constituents and maintaining coherence with the institutional mission. It is important for institutions to show evidence that program objectives are published and accessible to their constituent bodies, and that the process for developing and refining these objectives is documented. The program must also demonstrate that the student outcomes identified for the program are clearly linked to both program educational objectives and ABET's EC2000 Criterion 3.