Transcript No Slide Title

Under the Patronage of H. E.
Dr. Mariam Bint Hassan Al-Khalifa
The Colleges of Engineering & Information Technology
Symposium on
ACCREDITATION
Preparation for ABET
Keynote Speaker:
Professor Taj Mohieldin
Fulbright Scholar
College of Engineering & Technology
Old Dominion University
Tuesday, March 8, 2005
OUTLINES
What is accreditation?
What is ABET?
Why is ABET accreditation important?
What are the benefits?
How does a degree program get accredited?
How is Program Evaluation Done?
ABET CRETERIA
Where we starts?
More Details
More Examples
Who does what? How can you help?
Summary
What is Accreditation
Accreditation means :
Educational programs, services, staff, and
facilities meet or exceed essential
standards of educational quality.
This quality is validated by both a selfstudy and an onsite team of evaluators.
Reviewed by a commission of educators.
Recognized by other educational
institutions.
What is ABET ?
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
Accreditor for degree programs in applied science,
engineering, and technology
Why is ABET accreditation important?
The process of accreditation serves the programs to
Maintain high standards of quality in their fields of study and
compete with similar private and governmental institute in the
area.
Establish national and international recognition of expected
graduate qualifications.
Assure that graduates of an accredited program are adequately
prepared to enter and continue the practice of engineering
Provide potential students a quality education which will lead to a
wide range of job mobility
Identify accredited programs to the public
Provide cost effective means of impartial feedback on program
assessment and development
Motivate regular comprehensive review of programs by
institutions creating an expectation of continuous improvement.
What are the benefits?
The accreditation helps concern people make
important decisions about education including:
Student choosing an educational program
Parents seeking assurance of a quality education
Institutions program’s strengths and weaknesses and
of ways to improve their education
Employers recruiting well-prepared graduates to begin
professional practice
Industry
seeking to voice educational needs to institutions
Government and partners and public that their funds are
spend well
Consideration for admission for excellent graduate
programs worldwide
How does a degree program get accredited?
A panel of ABET experts evaluates the program
courses, curriculum, people, and facilities etc…
The degree program must:
meet General Criteria that apply to all
degrees.
meet Program Criteria, which are specific
to that program.
demonstrate that it uses a continual
process of evaluating the courses and
curricula.
makes curricula changes when needed
show that it examines and improves its
own evaluation process.
How is Program Evaluation Done?
A degree program must Prepare an extensive SelfStudy Document.
Submit to a three-day site visit by ABET trained
assessors appointed by the accreditation commission.
The Self-Study Report Should
Provide detailed information on all aspects of the program
Qualitative and Quantitative assessment of the strengths and
limitations of the program
The assessment should include
the achievement of institutional and program educational
objectives
assessment of outcome-competencies
involve broad and appropriate groups in its preparation
and process
Basic Level Accreditation Criteria
1. Students
2. Program Educational Objectives
3. Program Outcomes and
Assessment
4. Professional Component
5. Faculty
6. Facilities
7. Institutional Support & Financial
Resources
8. Program Criteria
ABET CRITERIA
2.
1.
Program Educational Objective
Students
Admit
Advise
Evaluate
Monitor
Published and Consistent with
Mission and ABET Criteria
Process in Place to Determine
and Periodically Evaluate
Based on Constituencies,
Curriculum, and processes to
ensure achievement
Evaluation to Determine
Achievement
Results Used to Improve
Effectiveness of the Program
3.
Program Outcomes and Assessment
Assessment Process with Documented Results to
Measure Outcomes
Results Applied to Improvement of the Program
Demonstration that Graduates have ability to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
apply knowledge of math, engineering, and science
design and conduct experiments
analyze and interpret data
design system, component or process to meet needs
function on multi-disciplinary teams
identify, formulate, and solve engineering problem
understand professional and ethical responsibility
communicate effectively
broaden their education
Recognize needs and to engage in life-long learning
understand contemporary issues
4.
Professional Component
5.
Faculty
Sufficient Number and
Competencies to Cover All
Curricular Areas (FTE).
Levels of Student- Faculty
Interaction.
Advise and Counsel students
Actively involve in service
(College & University).
Interact with Practitioners
and Employers.
Professional development.
Monitor and evaluate
effectively.
6.
7.
Institutional Support
& Financial Resources
Facilities
Classrooms
Laboratories
Equipment and Tools
Computing and
Information
Infrastructure Certified
Technicians and qualified
operators
Multimedia Class Rooms
8.
Sufficient to Assure Quality
and Continuity of the
Program
Sufficient to Attract and
Retain a Well-Qualified
Faculty
Sufficient to Acquire,
Maintain, and Operate
Facilities and Equipment
Program Criteria
Curricular Topics
Faculty
Qualifications
Other
What We Have To Do First?









Form Departmental Accreditation Committee
(DAC).
Develop Program ABET Web Page.
Determine Program Constituencies.
Form Program Industrial Advisory Committee
(PIAC).
Involve constituencies in formulating the
Program Educational Objectives (PEO's).
Ensure that PEO's are consistent with the
mission of the institution.
Ensure that PEO's are well-stated and
measurable.
Ensure that PEO's can be linked with the
curriculum.
Involve constituencies in formulating the
Program Outcomes (PO’s).
What We Have To Do First





Ensure that PO’s satisfy the 11 ABET criteria
Ensure that PO’s are measurable (more focus
on quantitative measurement)
Map PO’s into POE's
Map PO’s into ABET “a – k” criteria
Ensure that curriculum of each program
 achieves PO’s
 satisfies professional component (Criterion
4)
 meets program-specific criteria (Criterion
8)
What is Program Outcomes Assessment?
Program Outcomes Assessment is a curriculum development
process that is intended as a means to improve program success
and student learning based on real evidence.
A continuous process that involves planning, assessing
and feedback.
Programs must demonstrate their graduates have
outcomes “a to k”
Programs must have an assessment process with
documented results
Evidence that the outcomes are being measured
Evidence that the results of the assessment process are
applied to the further development and improvement of the
program
What is Assessment?
Assessment: Processes that identify, collect, and prepare data to
evaluate the achievement of program outcomes and program educational
objectives
Assessment Tools:
Quantitative:
 Examination
 Senior Exit Survey
 Faculty Self-Assessment Survey
 Instructor ratings
Licensing Engineering in Training Exam results
Qualitative
 Student portfolios
Advisory committees
Alumni Survey
Employers Survey
Evaluation and Assessment Process
Program Tasks and Responsibilities
Departmental Accreditation Committee
(DAC).
Define DAC tasks and responsibilities.
DAC should include energetic faculty who are
familiar with the curriculum and can do the Job
Clearly Define Program Mission.
Program Constituencies (program
customers and their needs).
Define Program constituencies.
Solicit and incorporate input from your
constituencies.
You must know student goals and
industry/employer/graduate school needs in
order to properly set your objectives.
Program Industrial Advisory Committee
Each program should have an advisory
committee from the industry
The committee should meet at least
biannually
It should be involved in the curriculum
development
Develop a Program Educational Objectives
Consistent with both your mission and the
constituency input PEO’s Should be:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time Bounded
Define student learning outcomes to ensure that the PEO's will be
met.
Develop and deliver a curriculum that prepares all students to
satisfy the learning outcomes.
Monitor/assess the program’s performance in meeting your
customers’ needs.
Institute an assessment and review process that involves a regular
evaluation of the achievement of objectives and assessment of the
student learning outcomes.
Continuously improve your program to meet your customers’
needs better.
Model your assessment/review/continuous improvement process
after the best business/industry quality initiatives.
Strive to continuously improve your program and your product
Faculty involvement/engagement in
assessment activities is absolutely necessary
Keep the process as simple as possible
from a procedural standpoint
Avoid complex matrix mappings and
redundant assessments
Focus on high-quality direct assessment of
student work at key points in the curriculum.
Planning and course design with outcomes
and assessment in mind is a key to success.
The real focus of the ABET not assessment
but program and processes continuous
improvement, with a vision of improving to
satisfy the constituencies better.
DAC Tasks and Responsibilities
Guides the Program faculty
Develop Program Educational Objectives
Shares PEO’s with their constituencies
and stakeholders
Forwards their recommendations to the
program chair and the program faculty for
their consideration.
Forwards the PEO’s to the JAC for review
and approval.
Incorporate the approved POE's in their
program.
Establish Student Learning Outcomes
Oversees courses and curricula to
achieve POE's and student LO’s
Document linkages between courses and
curricula and LO’s
Oversees the courses syllabi to ensure
how they support student LO’s
Set expected performance levels for
student LO’s
Develop plan for assessing student LO’s
Develop plan for assessing POE's
Establish program performance objective
Develop plan for documentation of
program changes & improvements
Write Program Summary Assessment
Report
Faculty Tasks and Responsibilities
A syllabus following ABET format to include:
course outlines
Course Learning Objectives (LO’s)
Contribution of Course to Meeting the Professional
Component
Relationship of Course to Program Outcomes
A course planning grid that shows for each LO:







Teaching methods
Assessment method
Assessment frequency
Performance criteria
Feedback methods
Relationship to the PEO's
Relationship to the ABET criteria
Each faculty member implements his or her plan for each
course in the manner he or she deems most appropriate.
Program requires each faculty member collect the
following minimum documentation for each course:



Examples of student performance on
homework, quizzes, examinations, projects, etc…
Evidence of operation of the feedback
mechanism. Such evidence can include, but is
not limited to, graded work, written comments
made to students by the instructor, and written
comments from students.
Results of a standard end-of-semester
questionnaire that addresses overall
achievement of LO’s.
Each faculty member submits to (DAC) the
following information for each course he or she
taught in the preceding semester:
The four items outlined in previous slide
An assessment of the course focusing on
achievement of stated objectives.
Recommendations for course
improvements
The anticipated effects of these
improvements.
ABET 2000 Goals Review
PEO's are consistent with University mission
PO’s are consistent with PEO's and ABET criteria
Constituencies participate in selection and
maintenance of Poe's and PO’s
Achievement of PEO's and PO’s are
quantitatively measured
PEO's are evaluated
Achievement is measured and reported
PEO's are reviewed and adjusted
PO’s are assessed
achievement is measured and reported
PO’s are reviewed and adjusted
Program improvements are made in response to
assessment
Goals are being achieved
Problems and Issues with Each Criterion
Criterion 1: Students
 Problems with student advising
 Ineffective monitoring
 Problems with transfer students
Criterion 2: Program Educational objectives
 Education objectives not published or readily accessible to the public
 No or limited constituency input
 No systematic process for evaluating objectives
 Little or no evidence of continuous improvement
Criterion 3: Program Outcomes
 No evidence demonstrating one or more outcomes
 Outcomes not demonstrated by assessment data or by other means
 No systematic assessment process in place
 No evidence that results of the assessment process are being
applied to improve program
Problems and Issues with Each Criterion
Criterion 4: Professional Components
 Quality of the major design experience (ex. Less work, Inflated Grade!!!)
 Engineering topics satisfied by electives, but advising doesn’t assure
adequate coverage ( ex. offering of elective courses in minimum..)
Criterion 5: Faculty
 Insufficient number (ex. Heavy FTL, many less qualified adjunct …)
 Poor faculty morale affecting program (ex. Bad inconsistent evaluation,
incentive giving without regard to scholar activities etc..)
Criterion 6: Facilities
 Insufficient Space: Overcrowded laboratories and classrooms
 Laboratories: Unsafe Conditions, Inoperable equipment
 Lack of modern instrumentation
 Lack of funds for upgrading
 Computing/Information Infrastructure: Lack of funds for upgrading
Criterion 7: Institutional Support & Financial Resources
 Unstable leadership affecting programs (ex. short service time giving to
Deans and Chairs)
 Inadequate operating budget affecting Faculty salaries, promotions, and
professional development affecting hiring and retention.
 Insufficient Support Staff
SUMMARY
 The real focus of ABET is not assessment but program and
processes continuous improvement, with a vision of improving to
satisfy the constituencies better.
keep in mind that the focus of the evaluators is to determine
the following:
 Is it a stable and well functioning program?
 Does the program meet the ABET Standards?
 Has the program conducted a valid self-study?
 Is the college developing an appropriate program
improvement plan that is focused on increasing academic
performance?
 Does the institution’s leadership creates and sustains a
leadership system at all levels that is marked by high
performance, appropriate responsibility, and accountability?
 Are there variety of instructional resources, including
technology, used to assist students in gaining knowledge
and skills?
SUMMARY
Important Points of Consideration









Develop High standard for students admission (good quality & less number)
Provide quality instruction, high standard for graduation and lower grade inflation,
Develop with the help of industry, licensing exam for future graduates. (EIT, PE..)
Provide adequate operating budget to support faculty professional development,
hiring, and retention.
Stable qualified leadership. (Chair and Dean positions)
New faculty should never allowed to take chair and dean position before
promotion.
Reduced teaching load for new faculty and faculty who are involved in good
amount of research.
Certified technician to operate laboratories and train assistants.
Curriculum and Faculty evaluation should be college/program based not
University. Focus on:
 Senior exit interview
 Alumni survey
 More weight on instructor teaching evaluation for High level course(300, 400)
should be given.
 Evaluation questions for Low level courses(100, 200) should focus on course
material rather than faculty.