Introduction to ABET EC 2000 A Road Map Proposal

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Introduction to ABET EC 2000A Road Map Proposal
King Abdulaziz University
College of Engineering
Academic Accreditation Unit http//engg.kaau.edu.s
a/AAU
Workshop for Excel in Engineering
Education Prof. Ali M. Albahi Prof. Reda M.
Abdulaal October 11, 2005
.
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What is ABET?

• Accreditation Board for Engineering and
  Technology
• Accredit degree programs in applied science,
  engineering, and technology
• A federation of 31 professional and technical
  societies representing these fields
• Since 1932, ABET has provided quality assurance
  of education through accreditation
• Accredits 2,500 programs at over 550 colleges
  and universities in the U.S

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Why is ABET accreditation important for students?

• The accreditation criteria help to define what
  the degree should provide the student
• The accreditation process helps the department to
  continually analyze and improve its courses and
  curriculum
• The accreditation process requires that the
  students voice be heard in evaluating the
  program
• An Engineering degree must be from an
  ABET-accredited program to meet requirements for
  professional licensure (Engineer In Training,
  Professional Engineer)

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How does a degree program get accredited?

• A panel of ABET experts evaluates the program
  courses, curriculum, people, and facilities
• The degree program must meet General Criteria
  that apply to all engineering degrees
• The program must also meet Program Criteria
• The department must demonstrate that it uses a
  continual process of evaluating the courses and
  curriculum, and makes changes when needed
• The department must even show that it examines
  and improves its own evaluation process

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What is EC 2000?

• Set of criteria by which the program is evaluated
• ABET old EC content based
• Focused on what the students were taught
• ABET EC 2000 outcomes based
• Focuses on what the students have learned or what
  actually they can do.

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What is EC 2000?

• ABET EC 2000 requires engineering programs to
• Define their own objectives and outcomes in
  consultation with their constituencies.
• Measure their performance.
• Introduce program improvement where appropriate.

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Terminology

• Objectives Statement that describe the expected
  accomplishments of graduates during the first few
  years after graduation
• Outcomes Statements that describe what students
  are expected to know and able to do by the time
  of graduation.
• Assessment Processes that identify, collect,
  use, and prepare data that can be used to
  evaluate achievements.
• Evaluation A process of reviewing the result of
  data collection and analysis and making a
  determination of the value of findings and action
  to be taken.
• Performance Criteria Specific, measurable,
  statements identifying the performances required
  to meet the outcome confirmable through
  evidence.

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EC 2000 General Criteria

• An engineering program must demonstrate that the
  program meets the following criteria
• Students
• Program Education objectives.
• Program Outcomes and Assessment.
• Professional Component (curriculum).
• Faculty.
• Facilities.
• Institutional Support and Financial Resources.
• Program Criteria.

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EC 2000 General Criteria

• Criterion 1. Students
• Part1 sets requirements for evaluating, advising
  and monitoring students to determine success in
  meeting program objectives
• Evaluation through appropriate grading standards.
• Advising through faculty advisers.
• Part2 requires institutions to set and enforce
• Policies for evaluating transfer courses.
• Procedures to verify that each student met all
  program requirements.

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EC 2000 General Criteria (continued)

• Criterion 2. Program Educational Objectives
• Each engineering program must have in place
• Educational objectives that are
• consistent with the institution mission.
• consistent with ABET criteria.
• A process for establishing and maintaining the
  objectives based on the needs of the programs
  constituencies.
• A curriculum and processes to ensure the
  achievement of the objectives.
• A system of ongoing evaluation to demonstrate
  achievement of these objectives and use the
  results to identify and introduce improvement
  where appropriate.

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EC 2000 General Criteria (continued)

• Criterion 3. Program Outcomes and Assessment
• Engineering programs must demonstrate that their
  graduates have
• an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics,
  science, and engineering
• an ability to design and conduct experiments, as
  well as to analyze and interpret data
• an ability to design a system, component, or
  process to meet desired needs
• an ability to function on multi-disciplinary
  teams
• an ability to identify, formulate, and solve
  engineering problems
• an understanding of professional and ethical
  responsibility
• an ability to communicate effectively
• the broad education necessary to understand the
  impact of engineering solutions in a global and
  societal context
• a recognition of the need for, and an ability to
  engage in life-long learning
• a knowledge of contemporary issues
• an ability to use the techniques, skills, and
  modern engineering tools necessary for
  engineering practice.

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EC 2000 General Criteria (continued)

• Criterion 3. Program Outcomes and Assessment
  (continued)
• Each engineering program must have an ASSESSMENT
  PROCESS with DOCUMENTED RESULTS
• To demonstrate that outcomes are being achieved.
• And to use the results for further development
  and improvement of the program where achievement
  is weaker than desired.

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EC 2000 General Criteria (continued)

• Criterion 3. Program Outcomes and Assessment
  (continued)
• Does a program need to demonstrate that each and
  every graduating student has achieved each and
  every element listed in (a) through (k)?
• Programs must have a curriculum and other
  requirements that provide students opportunities
  to learn, practice and demonstrate each element
  in (a) through (k).
• Programs must show, even by appropriate sampling,
  that there is convincing evidence to assume that
  all students by graduation time have demonstrated
  achievement, to a level acceptable to the
  program, of every item listed in (a) through (k).
• The assessment process should include direct and
  indirect measures and does not rely only on
  self-report surveys and evidence that the
  material is covered in the curriculum. Student
  self assessment , opinion surveys, and course
  grades are not by themselves or collectively,
  acceptable methods for demonstrating achievement
  of outcomes.

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EC 2000 General Criteria (continued)

• Criterion 3. Program Outcomes and Assessment
  (continued)
• ABET Guidelines on Interpreting and Meeting
  Standards Set Forth in Criterion 3

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EC 2000 General Criteria (continued)

• Criterion 3. Program Outcomes and Assessment
  (continued)
• Courses has to be redesigned to address and
  assess the achievement of the outcomes (a)
  through (k).
• Course-files have to be reformatted and students
  portfolios are to become mandatory to prove
  achievement of program outcomes by each student.
• Attention must be given to non-technical outcomes
  (6 out of 11).
• Teamwork has to be Multi-disciplinary to satisfy
  outcome (d).
• To satisfy outcome (b), courses involving
  experimental work should be reorganized such that
  students learn and practice how to design
  experiments instead of only learning how to
  perform an experiment.

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Evaluation and Assessment Loops (Criteria 2 3)
Outer Loop
Inner Loop
Course evaluations and other surveys
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EC 2000 General Criteria (continued)

• Criterion 4. Professional Component (Curriculum)
• The curriculum must include
• One year of a combination of college level
  mathematics and basic sciences (some with
  experimental experience) appropriate to the
  discipline.
• One and one-half years of engineering topics ,
  consisting of engineering sciences and
  engineering design appropriate to the student's
  field of study.
• A general education component that complements
  the technical content of the curriculum and is
  consistent with the program and institution
  objectives.
• Students must be prepared for engineering
  practice through a major design experience.
  (Capstone Design Project)

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EC 2000 General Criteria (continued)

• Capstone Design ProjectThe engineering design
  must include most of the following features
• Development of student creativity.
• Use of open-ended problems.
• Development and use of design theory and
  methodology.
• Formulation of design problem statements and
  specifications.
• Consideration of alternative solutions.
• Feasibility considerations.
• Production processes.
• Concurrent engineering design.
• Detailed system descriptions.
• It is essential to include a variety of realistic
  constraints, such as economic factors, safety,
  reliability, aesthetics, ethics and social
  impact.

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EC 2000 General Criteria (continued)

• Capstone Design Project (continued)
• A capstone design experience should better
  involve, in addition to the "establishment of
  objectives and criteria, synthesis, and
  analysis", a room for "construction, testing, and
  evaluation."
• Currently our B.Sc. projects are designs on
  papers and does not involve any construction,
  testing, or evaluation.
• MIT and other leading institutions are following
  now a new widely spreading approach to satisfy
  ABET Design requirement.
• The approach is based on asserting that
  graduating engineers are able to Conceive,
  Design, Implement Operate (CDIO) complex
  value-added engineering systems in a modern
  team-based environment.

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EC 2000 General Criteria (continued)

• Criterion 5. Faculty
• The program faculty
• must be of sufficient number to accommodate
  adequate levels of student-faculty interaction,
  student advising , etc.
• must have the competencies to cover all of the
  curricular areas of the program.
• must have appropriate qualifications and
  sufficient authority to
• ensure the proper guidance of the program
• to develop and implement processes for the
  evaluation, assessment, and continuing
  improvement of the program, its educational
  objectives and outcomes.

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EC 2000 General Criteria (continued)

• Criterion 6. Facilities
• Classrooms, laboratories, and associated
  equipment must be adequate to
• accomplish the program objectives
• provide an atmosphere conducive to learning.
• Appropriate facilities must be available to
• foster faculty-student interaction.
• create a climate that encourages professional
  development and professional activities.
• Programs must provide opportunities for students
  to learn the use of modern engineering tools.
• Computing and information infrastructures must be
  in place to support the scholarly activities of
  the students and faculty and the educational
  objectives of the program and institution.

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EC 2000 General Criteria (continued)

• Criterion 7. Institutional Support and Financial
  Resources
• Institutional support, financial resources, and
  constructive leadership must be adequate to
  assure the quality and continuity of the
  engineering program.
• Resources must be sufficient to attract, retain,
  and provide for the continued professional
  development of a well-qualified faculty.
• Resources also must be sufficient to acquire,
  maintain, and operate facilities and equipment
  appropriate for the engineering program.
• In addition, support personnel and institutional
  services must be adequate to meet program needs.

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EC 2000 General Criteria (continued)

• Criterion 8. Program Criteria
• Each program must satisfy applicable Program
  Criteria derived from the requirements set forth
  by the corresponding professional societies (e.g.
  AIAA, IEEE, ASME, )
• For example the Criteria for Aeronautical
  Engineering Programs include
• Curriculum Aeronautical engineering programs
  must demonstrate that graduates have a knowledge
  of aerodynamics, aerospace materials, structures,
  propulsion, flight mechanics, and stability and
  control. Programs must also demonstrate that
  graduates have design competence that includes
  integration of aeronautical topics.
• Faculty Program faculty must have responsibility
  and sufficient authority to define, revise,
  implement, and achieve program objectives. The
  program must demonstrate that faculty teaching
  upper-division courses have an understanding of
  current professional practice in the aerospace
  industry.

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Some Urgent tasks

• Preparing a roadmap with a timeline for the
  self-study process
• Setting up a web site for ABET-related activities
  in the department.
• Preparing course-level documentations
• Preparing program-level documentations

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Keys to successful implementation ofABET EC 200O

• Well-laid-out process
• Involvement of the entire faculty in the process

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Proposed Plan

• COURSE ASSESSMENT FLOW CHART
• OUTCOME ASSESSMENT FLOW CHART

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Proposed Departmental Plan

• ABET and Senior Project Committee
• Alumni Committee
• Educational Improvement Development Committee
• Students Advising Committee
• Workshops Labs Committee
• Outcome Champions (one for a set of outcomes
  a-k)
• Courses Coordinator (one for each discipline)
• Meetings are to be documented (agendas minutes
  or minutes summaries in English)

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Some Concluding Points

• There is no unique way to satisfy ABET EC2000
  requirements.
• Creativity is essential for such open- ended or
  DESIGN project.
• The project brief is to Conceive, Design,
  Implement, Operate a learning based education
  system to satisfy ABET EC2000.
• Our customers are
• 1. ABET Evaluators 2. Our Students 3.
  Our Society.
• Our design specifications are ABET EC2000.
• Existing similar products A limited number of
  products exists on the market (ABET accredited
  programs), satisfying the requirements in
  different ways and to different extends.
• Constraints include not only time limits (3
  years and 2 cycles) but also new challenging
  competitive products implemented by top ranked
  international universities.

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Some Concluding Points (continued)

• ABET does not accredit colleges or universities,
  it accredits programs. Each program is evaluated
  by a separate ABET body.
• The relation between ABET and a program is a
  direct one.
• The College has to support different programs but
  does not have to do their work.
• Each program could have its unique approach,
  unique solution and even, to some extend, unique
  format.
• Academic Accreditation Unit is the guide at the
  side not the sage on the stage.

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Conclusion

• To get the accreditation we need to demonstrate
  to ABET evaluators that
• WE KNOW WHAT WE DO.
• WE KNOW WHY WE DO IT.
• WE KNOW HOW TO DO IT.
• WE DO IT WELL.
• WE CAN PROVE IT.
• WE RECEIVE INPUT AND FEEDBCAK.
• WE HAVE A PROCESS TO MAKE CONTINUOUS
  IMPROVEMENTS.

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ROAD MAP
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Important Links

• ABET WEB SITE http//abet.org AAU WEB SITE
  http//engg.kau.edu.sa/aau AAU E-MAIL
  aau.eng_at_kaau.edu.sa

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