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Strategy for ABET Self-Study and Re-Accreditation Tom Thomas, Mohammad Alam Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama 36688

Abstract

The University of South Alabama Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) is currently in a self-study year prior to seeking a comprehensive review of undergraduate programs in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering by ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC). USA was the first university in the state of Alabama to successfully receive six-year accreditation of programs under the ABET EC 2000 criteria. The ECE Department has developed a strategy for streamlining the process of self-study by systematically organizing and compiling information for program review. It is essential that the necessary information be collected without omission, but there was much unnecessary and redundant information that was collected in the previous accreditation cycle. In this paper, the process of preparing for an ABET review and some useful strategies for deciding what is and what is not important are discussed.

Introduction

The University of South Alabama (USA) was founded in 1964 in Mobile, Alabama as a regional educational institution. The Electrical Engineering program in the USA College of Engineering received its first six-year accreditation by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in 1978.

In 1999, USA opted to seek accreditation under ABET’s Educational Criteria 2000 (EC 2000) program. The required one-year self-study was performed in 1998 and an ABET site visit was conducted in October 1999 to evaluate the Batchelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Batchelor of Science in Computer Engineering programs. In August 2000, the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission identified weaknesses in both programs, requiring an Interim Report (IR) after a two-year period. The weaknesses were successfully addressed and both programs were fully accredited with a Next General Review (NGR) action in August of 2002. Significant lessons were learned in the process of correcting the weaknesses, resulting in constructive program changes.

Preparation for EC 2000

Preparation for the first visit was a challenge. The ABET Engineering Criteria (EC 2000) had to be interpreted in the absence of many good examples of EC 2000 accredited programs, particularly for universities of USA’s size and student demographic. The University of South Alabama was the first university in the state of Alabama to seek accreditation under EC 2000.

“Proceedings of the 2005 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2005, American Society for Engineering Education”

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Thomas, T., & Alam, M. (2005, June), Strategy For Abet Self Study And Re Accreditation Paper presented at 2005 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--14590