A Workshop on  ABET-EAC Accreditation Evaluation

Amir Karimi

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Conference: 2025 ASEE -GSW Annual Conference
Location: Arlington, TX, Texas
Publication Date: March 9, 2025
Start Date: March 9, 2025
End Date: March 11, 2025
Page Count: 4
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/55026

Paper Authors

biography

Amir Karimi The University of Texas at San Antonio

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Amir Karimi, University of Texas, San Antonio Amir Karimi is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). He received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kentucky in 1982. His teaching and research interests are in thermal sciences. He has served as the Chair of Mechanical Engineering (1987 to 1992 and September 1998 to January of 2003), College of Engineering Associate Dean of Academic Affairs (Jan. 2003-April 2006), and the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies (April 2006-September 2013). Dr. Karimi is a Fellow of ASEE, a Fellow of ASME, senior member of AIAA, and holds membership in ASHRAE, and Sigma Xi. He has served as the ASEE Campus Representative at UTSA, ASEE-GSW Section Campus Representative, and served as the Chair of ASEE Zone III (2005-07). He chaired the ASEE-GSW section during the 1996-97 academic year.

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Abstract

The Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET periodically make changes to its accreditation process. A major change occurred in late 1990s when the general accreditation criteria containing seven (7) criterion and program criteria, specific to a given engineering degree program, were developed and implemented in 2000. The major elements of these criteria were Criterion 2-Program Educational Objectives and Criterion 3-Program Outcomes (a-k) and Assessment. In 2008-09 evaluation cycle, the title of Program Outcomes (PO) and Professional Components were changed to Student Outcomes (SO) and Curriculum, respectively. Also, the requirements for evaluation of PEOs and POs were removed from criteria 2 and 3 and became a part of requirements for an added Criterion 4-Contineous Improvement. During 2012-13 evaluation cycle, ABET-EAC, removed the requirement of evaluation of PEOs from Criterion 4-Continuous Improvement. Also, since 2012-13 accreditation cycle, programs have not been required to demonstrate the attainment of the elements included in the specific Program Criteria. After an extensive review process, from 2009 through 2017, the EAC of ABET modified criterion 3 (SOs) and Criterion 5 (Curriculum). The major changes include the replacement of SOs (a-k) by new SOs (1-7) in Criterion 3, changes to criterion 5, and expanding the definitions of the terminologies used in the accreditation criteria. The implementation of the new changes began in 2019-2020 ABET evaluation cycle. Since 2019, there has been minor changes on the focus of evaluation for accreditation of engineering programs by program evaluators. The author of this extended abstract has been an ABET evaluator for 21 years, including chairing ABET evaluation teams for five years, while serving as a commissioner of ABET-EAC. The extended abstract will provide a summary update on ABET accreditation process to assist those programs that are preparing for accreditation/re- accreditation in the next few years. It will provide Dos and Don’ts strategy for preparation for a successful ABET evaluation and accreditation visit.

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Format

Karimi, A. (2025, March), A Workshop on ABET-EAC Accreditation Evaluation Paper presented at 2025 ASEE -GSW Annual Conference, Arlington, TX, Texas. https://peer.asee.org/55026