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Session 1621

Satisfying ABET Accreditation: Program Assessment

Enno “Ed” Koehn, Rajesh Malani Lamar University

Abstract

The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) has revised the accreditation criteria that is designed to assure that graduates of accredited programs are prepared to enter the practice of engineering and satisfy industrial requirements. The general criteria also specifies that engineering programs must demonstrate that their graduates possess or satisfy eleven (11) educational outcomes generally known as “a” through “k”.

This investigation suggests that graduating seniors in Civil (Construction) engineering believe their educational experience has given them a strong background in two of the outcomes required by ABET. These include: (1) an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering; and (2) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems. In contrast, three outcomes received slightly lower ratings from alumni practitioners and employers. These include, a knowledge of contemporary issues; the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global/societal context; and an ability to communicate effectively. Overall, the data may suggest that not all ABET educational attributes are considered by graduating seniors in Civil (Construction) engineering, employers, and industrial practitioners, to have the same level of significance and perhaps should not be stressed to the same degree in an engineering program. In this regard it was found that the scores from a benchmarking study tend to be lower than those of students and practitioners educated at Lamar University. Nevertheless for comparative purposes, the findings of the investigation could be utilized by other institutions and departments that may wish to study and/or assess their curriculum and satisfy ABET criteria.

I. Introduction

Over the years there have been recommendations from employers and various technical/professional societies to revise the engineering curriculum to ensure that students are prepared for the increasing complexity and international aspects of engineering work3, 4, 11, 14. Engineering educators have also been involved with these efforts5, 7, 8, 9. Nevertheless, there appears to be a general belief that the engineering profession must change so that in the future it will be highly recognized and respected at national and international levels1, 2, 13

Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering Education

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Malani, R., & Koehn, E. (2004, June), Satisfying Abet Accreditation: Program Assessment Paper presented at 2004 Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--13709