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Session 2793

University-Industry Partnerships for ABET EC 2000 Preparation: A Case Study

Andrew Swift, Gregory Lush, Connie Kubo Della-Piana, Isadore Davis University of Texas at El Paso/Raytheon Corporation

Abstract

Preparation for a first ABET EC 2000 visit requires new ways of thinking and organization. Industrial partners can be of strategic help in making the transition from the old to the new Criteria for an Engineering Program or a College of Engineering because most corporations have embraced the “Quality” transitions of the last two decades, including Quality Teams, ISO 9000, Malcolm Baldridge competitions and the like. These companies, therefore, are a resource for the institutional change required to implement EC 2000. This paper presents a case study of how an engineering college teamed with a strategic industrial partner can use expertise and external viewpoint to introduce the concepts of total quality management and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) among the faculty. The purpose of this partnership is to focus the thinking of the faculty and administration and to identify areas of strength and weakness within the programs. This paper describes how such a partnership was established over the two-year period – 1999-2000 between the College of Engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso and Raytheon Corporation in preparation for an ABET EC 2000 visit in Fall 2001. An assessment of the faculty after a 1999 joint workshop and 2000 ABET Mock Visit showed: (i) significant improvements in faculty understanding of ABET EC 2000; (ii) significant gains in knowledge of areas of strength and weakness; and (iii) enhanced interdepartmental interaction among faculty in the college.

The Strategic Partnership

Most university engineering programs now have industrial advisory boards. From the corporate viewpoint, membership on such boards focuses on recruiting students, access to research expertise, and influence on curricular matters of concern to industrial members. From the academic side, industrial members are often sought for corporate placement of student graduates, research funding or collaboration, design project opportunities, financial support and curricular advice. These goals form a solid foundation for the industry-academic partnership. However, to move to the level of a “strategic partnership,” a deeper commitment on both sides and longer- term thinking are required. If both the University and the corporate partner are committed, ABET related issues naturally arise. After all, the new EC 2000 criteria are based on outcomes, require dialogue with constituents, and call for data reporting on student performance in the workplace. Although ultimately the burden of responsibility for accreditation falls to the academic institution, industrial partners are also stakeholders in that most want to hire students from accredited programs.

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

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Davis, I., & Lush, G., & Della-Piana, C., & Swift, A. (2001, June), University Industry Partnerships For Abet Ec 2000 Preparation: A Case Study Paper presented at 2001 Annual Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 10.18260/1-2--9939