Conference Session

Best Zone Paper Competition

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rashmi Jain, Stevens Institute of Technology; Keith Sheppard, Stevens Institute of Technology; Elisabeth McGrath, Stevens Institute of Technology; Bernard Gallois, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Council of Sections

numbers of students choosing STEM fields.Providing engineering experiences and curriculum components in middle and high schools is seen as ameans to engage students and excite them about the opportunities for an engineering career. Given thatsystems thinking and perspective are now seen as playing an important role in educating engineers for thefuture, it follows that coupling these concepts to the engineering elements of the pre-college program hasmerit. Stevens, through its Center for Innovation in Engineering & Science Education (CIESE), has beenvery active in promoting the introduction of engineering into K-12 curricula in the State of New Jersey aspart of a broader approach to increasing the STEM pipeline. As part of this pre-engineering

Conference Session

Best Zone Paper Competition

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kristi Shryock, Texas A&M University; Helen Reed, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Council of Sections

what students learn through the program.1 This criterion has brought aboutterminology that programs are not accustomed to utilizing in their day to day business. Theseterms included objectives and outcomes. In addition, continuous improvement has become soimportant to ABET that a separate criterion has been devoted to it in the latest update fromABET.2 Defining Objectives and OutcomesProgram objectives are long-range goals of what a program envisions their graduates willachieve. ABET regards objectives as being obtained by graduates a few years after graduation.Program objectives will usually focus on successful careers or being skilled practitioners. Theyare much longer range attributes a graduate accomplishes. One