Asee peer logo

A Computer Based Interactive Package For Abet Self Study

Download Paper |

Conference

2002 Annual Conference

Location

Montreal, Canada

Publication Date

June 16, 2002

Start Date

June 16, 2002

End Date

June 19, 2002

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Assessment & Quality Assurance in engr edu

Page Count

10

Page Numbers

7.28.1 - 7.28.10

DOI

10.18260/1-2--10340

Permanent URL

https://216.185.13.187/10340

Download Count

397

Paper Authors

author page

Carl Griffis

Download Paper |

Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract

Main Menu

Session 1360

A Computer-Based Interactive Package for ABET Self-Study

Thomas A. Costello, Carl L. Griffis, Lalit Verma University of Arkansas

Abstract

In preparation for an accreditation visit in 2002, the faculty of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at the University of Arkansas assembled an interactive package designed to provide easy access to the needed information. The Self-Study document, including our educational objectives, assessment plans for program outcomes, copies of all course syllabi, examples of student work, and examples of our feedback loops in action have been organized on a computer CD. Each electronic document has links to all the other pertinent documents on the CD. The packaging is intended to increase the efficiency and accuracy of the accreditation review.

Introduction

Accreditation is a process of peer review through which we (society, the engineering profession, the university) give assurance to our students and their families that we provide a high quality educational program for engineering students. In the USA, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) developed “Criteria 2000”, its most recent set of accreditation protocols (ABET, 2001a). Through Criteria 2000, institutions have the opportunity to apply innovative and creative ideas to insure that their engineering programs are not only outstanding, but will continuously improve.

In 1996, the College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas was one of the first units to be reviewed under the new system during the pilot phase. In studying the new criteria, it was clear that things had changed dramatically. Under the old protocols, program administrators and faculty simply presented evidence that students in their program had been exposed to appropriate and sufficient inputs. The new criteria, however, asked that we demonstrate that these inputs resulted in appropriate outputs from the students. In addition, they asked that we present our plans for continuing to evaluate and improve our program. In response, the faculty of the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department embraced the concept of a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) program and wrote our “Volume 2000” (a planning document required by ABET) accordingly.

While the new process provides more opportunities for innovations, and has led to more enthusiastic participation on the part of our faculty, the need for documenting a wide variety of activities has been challenging. Thus, we have focused not only on improvements to our program, but also on improvements in our CQI plan, and in methods

“Proceedings of the 2002 American Society of Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright 2002, American Society of Engineering Education”

Main Menu

Griffis, C. (2002, June), A Computer Based Interactive Package For Abet Self Study Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--10340

ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2002 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015