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Session 3257

A Plan for Addressing ABET Criteria 2000 Requirements

Sanjiv Sarin North Carolina A&T State University

Abstract This paper presents a simple plan to enable engineering programs to begin preparing for ABET Criteria 2000. It is aimed at engineering programs that have done no more than simply read the new criteria. The paper focuses on Criteria 2 and 3 of the new accreditation standard, two criteria that represent the major change from the old accreditation requirements.

Introduction The new ABET Criteria 2000 [1] for accreditation of engineering programs is scheduled for full implementation in Fall 2001. Inherent in the new accreditation system is an on-going process of assessing the quality of the program and a focus on continuous improvement. The quality of an academic program is defined in terms of the objectives of the program. Since different programs have distinct objectives and operate in a variety of environments and cultures, Criteria 2000 allows academic programs the freedom to define their own individually tailored assessment plans. Understandably, ABET has been reluctant to specify a model plan for implementation. This would have the undesirable effect of curbing innovation and novelty among various academic programs.

To introduce the requirements of Criteria 2000, some conferences and workshops have been organized by ABET, ASEE, and NSF-supported engineering coalitions. Besides learning about the new Criteria, attendees have had an opportunity to share the experiences of academic programs that are further along on the learning curve. Notable among these are engineering programs that have recently been evaluated or will be evaluated this year under the new Criteria (Worcester Polytechnic, University of Arkansas, Michigan State University). In addition, experts from the fields of educational psychology, educational assessment, and institutional assessment have spoken at these meetings to help us cope with the new assessment terminology and procedures required under the revised accreditation criteria. This paper is an attempt to develop an illustrative plan for tackling the new requirements of Criteria 2000, namely, the emphasis on program objectives and the assessment of student learning outcomes.

The paper is aimed at engineering programs that have done no more than simply read the new criteria. No reference will be made to the four most dreaded terms in assessment practice: assessment rubrics, longitudinal tracking, verbal protocols, and triangulation! Some of the material presented here is based on a guide to outcomes assessment prepared by SUCCEED (an NSF engineering education coalition) [10], Leonard and Scales’ work at Clemson University [6], and is influenced by several presentations made at the Rose-Hulman workshop, FIE conferences, and the ASEE/ABET conference held last summer [for example, 3, 7, 9]. The paper pays special attention to Criterion 3 of the accreditation standard, that is, outcomes assessment. This Criterion

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Sarin, S. (1998, June), A Plan For Addressing Abet Criteria 2000 Requirements Paper presented at 1998 Annual Conference, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/1-2--7341