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Session 2532

THE UPS, THE DOWNS AND THE UPS OF RESPONDING TO EC2000

P. David Fisher and Diane T. Rover Michigan State University

Abstract

Michigan State University began to prepare for ABET’s Engineering Criteria 2000 (EC2000) in 1996 by evaluating both this new accreditation criteria’s opportunities and its challenges. In 1997 a decision was made to transition all academic programs in the College of Engineering from ABET’s “Conventional Criteria” to EC2000. Six existing undergraduate programs and three new undergraduate programs were evaluated during the 1998-99 accreditation cycle. This paper provides an overview of the process used to prepare for this accreditation cycle, with special focus on the Computer Engineering Program. It then identifies the challenges associated with sustaining—over the long term—the initial momentum generated for assessing program outcomes and using this information to bring about curricular improvements. Sustainability of these processes requires more than the continued efforts of a few individuals. Perhaps ABET needs to pay close attention to this issue during the second full accreditation cycle for institutions operating under EC2000.

I. Preparing for EC2000 and ABET’s 1998-99 Accreditation Cycle

The Computer Engineering Program: A Historical Perspective

A CpE Task Force was formed at MSU in 1978 to determine the feasibility of developing an undergraduate CpE program. By the early 1980s, both the undergraduate computer-science and electrical-engineering programs identified CpE as a "minor" or "option" within the respective programs. In the middle 1980s, plans were underway to develop an undergraduate computer- engineering degree-granting program to be offered cooperatively by the (then) EE and CpS Departments. Since 1988, both departments have participated in the CpE Program, which formally resides in the ECE Department. MSU awarded its first B.S. degree in CpE in 1990. In 1994, a CpE Task Force was again formed to provide leadership and oversight of the CpE Program.

Preliminary CpE Program Assessment and Outcomes

In the 1995-1996 academic year, MSU began the process of seeking first-time accreditation of its undergraduate CpE program during the 1998-99 ABET accreditation cycle. The task force reviewed the EC2000 accreditation criteria and then did a preliminary self-assessment of the undergraduate academic program. The following deficiencies were identified:

Proceedings of the 2001 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright 2001, American Society for Engineering Education

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Fisher, P. D., & Rover, D. (2001, June), The Ups, The Downs And The Ups Of Responding To Ec2000 Paper presented at 2001 Annual Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 10.18260/1-2--9941