Lessons Learnt ABET 2000

1
Lessons Learnt ABET 2000

• Pradeep K. Khosla
• Dowd Professor of Engg and SCS
• Department Head, Elec and Comp Engg
• Carnegie Mellon University

2
ECE UG Curriculum Background

• Created in 1991 as part of a process to rethink
  UG Education
• Implemented in 1992 and in subsequent years in a
  phased manner
• First class graduated in 1995
• ECE Dept was recognized by NEEDHA with an award
  for Innovation in Curriculum in 1998 (given only
  twice in its history)
• ECE degree accredited under Innovative Programs
  criteria in 1995
• The new curriculum influenced ABET 2000

3
Philosophy of ECE UG Curriculum

• A single ECE degree (not EE and/or CE degrees)
  based on the recognition of
• The intellectual continuum between EE, CE, and CS
  and the interaction of these in building systems
• A UG curriculum that provides the opportunity to
  go broad and/or deep
• Allows students to tailor a curriculum based on
  their preferences career choices
• Liberal Education of ECE
• You dont have to know X to be a ECE (put your
  favorite X)

4
ECE Breadth/Depth/Design Areas
EE Topics
CE Topics
Fields Electromech. Solid State Magnetics Optics
.
Signals Linear Sys. Control Commun. DSP .
Analog Digital IC Design IC Manuf .
Logic Design Architecture Networks R-T
Systems CAD ..
Programming Data Struct. Software
Engr. Compilers Op. Systems .
Applied Physics
Signals and Systems
Circuits
Computer Hardware
Computer Software (CS)
5
ECE Curriculum Structure
18-100 Intro to ECE
Math Co-req
18-220 Fundamentals of EE
18-240 Fundamentals of CE
Math Co-req
Math Co-req
Breadth, Depth , Coverage, Design, Electives
6
ECE Degree
7
Objectives of the ECE Curriculum

• What you know
• (A-1) Fundamentals
• (A-2) Depth and Breadth
• How you think
• (B-1) Flexibility
• (B-2) Broadly
• (B-3) Strategically
• What you do
• (C-1) System builders
• (C-2) Leadership

8
Lessons Learnt

• Takes a lot of time and commitment from the
  faculty
• Preparations started nearly 2 years before the
  visit
• ABET 2000 was supposed to get away from Bean
  counting
• But. Depending on the visitor this may not be
  the case

9
Lessons Learnt

• Make sure that the Process is well documented and
  substantiated
• Have process flow diagrams that explain the
  Objective Setting/Assessment and Outcome
  Evaluation

10
Overview of Process Flow for Objective
Setting/Assessment and Constant Improvement the
bubble chart that failed to communicate!
Objectives Setting/assmt
Technology developments
Students Graduates (short term)
Curriculum Courses
Individual Faculty Faculty Groups(including
faculty outside ECE)
FCEs/Mid-term SAC Eval Course reports Enrollment
tracking
SAC Monthly meetings Town meetings
Dept Head UG Office Faculty Meetings
(monthly) UG Studies Comm (monthly) Faculty
Retreat (yearly) Courses/Curriculum Assmnt/Setting

• Surveys (ECE/CIT)
• Alumni inf fdbk
• Employer inf fdbk
• Advisory board

11
Objective Setting/Evaluation and Outcome
Assessment Process the informationally
isomorphic bubble chart that communicated!
1 year cycle - inc course mod. 3 year cycle
add/delete courses 5 year cycle course seq.
assmt/mod 7 year cycle Objectives/curr.
assmt/mod.
Curriculum
Course Sequence
Course
SAC FCE Qual
Town Meeting Students Faculty Enrollment Tracking
Faculty Faculty Retreat
Faculty
DH/ADH
USC
Entire Faculty
Dept. Head Assoc. Dept. Head
Advisory Board Surveys (ECE/CIT) Informal
Employer Fdbk Informal Alumni Fdbk Enrollment
Tracking
USC
Faculty groups
Program Objective Assessment/Setting
Dept. Head Assoc. Dept. Head
Faculty
Shaded areas represent data collection
12
Lessons Learnt

• Be prepared to be challenged on the validity of
  statistical analysis of surveys (depends on the
  visitor)
• If there is flexibility in your curriculum be
  prepared to answer the following
  impossible-to-solve combinatorial problem
• Show that under all possible combinations of
  courses that a student may take (a)-(k) is always
  satisfied
• Show that ALL students are guaranteed to learn
  about ethics, social issues, etc. and that they
  remember they learnt it!

13
Macro Analysis Course Elections

• Pies show average elected courses per area

91Cohort
93Cohort
14
Macro Analysis ECE Distribution

• Plots show histograms of ECE courses elected

18 students elected to take 11 ECE courses in the
91 cohort
(only 3 years)
15
Positive Outcomes

• The preparation for the visit forces the
  department to honestly look at what is it trying
  to accomplish and how, and is it working?