Mike Leonard and Joe Turner An Overview to Accreditation for Those New to ABET ABET Symposium St. Louis, Missouri April 2012

Transcription

1 Mike Leonard and Joe Turner An Overview to Accreditation for Those New to ABET ABET Symposium St. Louis, Missouri April 2012

2 Who Are We? Mike Leonard Senior Associate Dean of Engineering, Mercer University ABET Adjunct Training Director Joe Turner Professor Emeritus of Computer Science, Clemson University

3 Session Intended For Academic administrators and faculty Quality assurance managers working in servicedelivery settings Individuals interested in issues relative to assessment and evaluation of technical programs

4 Session Plan Describe why accreditation is important. Review the structure of ABET and the ABET accreditation process. Take a high-level look at the accreditation criteria structure and content. Discuss the visit and decision processes. Discuss special opportunities for learning about accreditation while you are here at the Symposium. Other discussion as desired.

5 Purpose of Accreditation

6 Why Have Accreditation? To identify programs meeting minimum criteria for accreditation For prospective students, parents, government, employers, and the public For programs that are intended to prepare graduates to enter the profession (Assurance of a minimum level of quality) Assurance that a program is what it claims to be

7 Organizational Structure and Roles

8 ABET Organization recognized as responsible for accrediting educational programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology in the United States. Federation of 31 technical and professional societies (ABET member societies), representing more than 1.5 million practicing professionals.

9 ABET History 1932 Engineers Council for Professional Development (ECPD) 1936 Engineering accreditation 1946 Engineering technology accreditation 1976 Related program accreditation

10 ABET History (cont.) 1980 Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) 2000 Computing accreditation 2001 ABET, Inc. Related changed to applied science.

11 ABET Board of Directors Applied Science Accreditation Computing Accreditation Commission Engineering Accreditation Commission Technology Accreditation Commission Commission 70 accredited programs at 53 institutions 365 accredited programs at 291 institutions 2,140 accredited programs at 442 institutions 632 accredited programs at 216 institutions

12 Membership of ABET Board of Directors and Commissions Board of Directors Members appointed by ABET member societies Commissions Nominated by member societies Elected by the commissions

13 Responsibilities of ABET Board of Directors and Commissions Board of Directors Provides Strategic Vision/Mission Approves policy Approves criteria Considers appeals of not-to-accredit decisions Commissions Recommend criteria Conduct the accreditation process Assign team chairs for campus visits Make final accreditation decision by vote of entire membership

14 Responsibilities of Member Societies Develop program criteria Select and mentor program evaluators (for onsite review teams) Nominate commissioners Appoint ABET Board of Directors members Work with commissions

15 Information General information about ABET, its commissions, and its member societies is available on the ABET webpage:

16 The Criteria

17 What ABET Accredits ABET accredits pertinent programs leading to degrees in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology. All paths of study must be accreditable A program is described for purposes of accreditation review by Program Educational Objectives, Student Outcomes, and Curriculum Transcript is primary evidence of degree

18 Emphasis Continuous improvement Process focused Assessments and improvements linked to objectives Knowledge and skills required for entry into professional practice Student, faculty, curriculum, facilities, and institutional support issues linked to program objectives

19 Basis for Accreditation: The Criteria Each ABET commission publishes a set of criteria. Whether a program is accredited is determined by whether the program satisfies each criterion in the applicable set of criteria for the program.

20 Accreditation Criteria Structure Basic Structure for ABET Accreditation Criteria (for each Commission) General Criteria Applies to all programs under the prevue of the commission (ASAC, CAC, EAC, and TAC) Program Criteria Program specific criteria within commission

21 ABET General Criteria Criterion 1. Students Criterion 2. Program Educational Objectives Criterion 3. Student Outcomes Criterion 4. Continuous Improvement Criterion 5. Curriculum

22 ABET General Criteria Criterion 6. Faculty Criterion 7. Facilities Criterion 8. Support

23 Program Criteria Most programs also have an additional set of criteria that must be satisfied for accreditation: Program Criteria. The applicable criteria for a program are determined by the program title (name). Usually General Criteria plus one set of Program Criteria. Can be no Program Criteria. Can be more than one set of Program Criteria or even General Criteria.

24 Questions/comments regarding the criteria?

25 The Accreditation Process

26 The Accreditation Process Types of reviews Timeline (process overview) Pre-Visit Activities Campus Visit Post-Visit Activities

27 Types of Reviews Comprehensive Review of all programs under the purview of a particular commission. Conducted every six years simultaneously for all programs. Addresses all applicable criteria. Initial For programs not currently accredited. Can occur any time. Addresses all applicable criteria.

28 Types of Reviews (Cont.) Interim Occurs when a program was found to have a deficiency or weakness in the prior review. Addresses deficiencies, weaknesses, and concerns from previous visit. Can address other significant changes to the program May involve an on-site visit or may require only a report

29 The Accreditation Timeline for Year 1 January Institution requests accreditation for computing programs. May-August Onsite review team chairs assigned, visit dates set, team members chosen, materials sent to team. Year 1 February - May Institution prepares Self-Study Report, collects examples of student work. September December Institution assembles course/assessment display materials, visits take place, draft statements written and finalized following 7-day response period.

30 The Accreditation Timeline for Year 2 November - January Draft statements edited and sent to Institutions. February March Statement is revised based on Institution s response, if any. August - September Institutions mailed notice of action and final statement. Year 2 December - February Institutions send draft statement response to ABET. July Commission meets to take final action.

31 Pre-Visit Activities Institutional Perspective Apply to ABET for accreditation (due January). Prepare self-study reports (due July). A template (Word) is available on the ABET website. Explain and document how the program meets the intent of each criterion. Provide basic data (enrollment, graduates, etc.) about the program and its administration. A substantial amount of work. Careful planning is needed in allocating resources for completing the report. Collect examples of graded student work. For each course in the major component of the program. May need to be done over more than one semester. Examples of student work use in program outcomes assessment.

32 Pre-Visit Activities Institutional Perspective (cont.) Approve onsite review team members. Work with team chair to set visit date, create visit schedule, and make visit arrangements. Appointments with CEO, CAO, and Dean need to be established as early as possible. (Can be the main constraint for possible dates.) Send self-study, transcripts, catalogs, brochures, checklists, etc., to review team members. Provide pointers to web pages. Electronic (e.g., CD) version of self-study is appreciated.

33 Pre-Visit Activities Institutional Perspective (cont.) Assemble course displays. One set of materials for each course in major. Syllabus, textbook Assignments, tests, exams Examples of graded student work Provide access to online material. Give special consideration to distance learning. Assemble assessment data. Provide in course display area.

34 Pre-Visit Activities Institutional Perspective (cont.) Arrange team meeting room. Assist with appropriate logistics.

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36 Campus Visit

37 Objectives of the Campus Visit Assess factors that cannot be documented easily in a self-study. Examine materials compiled by the institution. Observe the validity of the self-study. Provide a preliminary assessment of program strengths and shortcomings.

38 Sample Sunday Schedule 1 p.m. Initial team meeting (closed) 2 p.m. Onsite review team reviews course display and assessment data, visits labs and other facilities. 6 p.m. Team dinner and discussion (closed) 8 p.m. Team planning meeting (closed)

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41 Sample Monday AM Schedule 8:00 9:00 11:00 Opening Meeting (Visiting Team, Dean, Program Head, Guests) Team Chair meets with President, Provost, Dean, Program Head, etc. Program Evaluators meet one-on-one with program head and faculty members. 11:00 Team meets with students (class or invited group). 12 noon Lunch (Institution can sponsor luncheon for team and guests, if desired.)

42 Sample Monday PM Schedule 1:30 4:30 Team Chair meets with office of assessment, placement, registrar, etc. 1:30 2:30 Program Evaluators continue faculty meetings. 2:30 4:30 Program Evaluators meet with faculty, staff, members of supporting departments, tour library, etc. 4:30 Team meeting (closed) 5:00 Program Evaluators meet with program head(s). 6:00 Team dinner and meeting (closed)

43 Sample Tuesday AM Schedule 8:00 Program evaluators meet with program head(s). 8:30 10:00 Reserved for additional meetings 10:00 11:00 Team meeting (closed) 11:00 11:30 Program Evaluators present findings to program head(s) and guests. 11:30 12 noon Team Chair presents findings to Dean.

44 Sample Tuesday PM Schedule 12:00 2:00 Working lunch and team meeting (closed) 2:00 3:00 Exit meeting (team, president, guests) 3:00 Visiting team leaves campus

45 Post-Visit Activities

46 Post-Visit Activities Institution s 7-Day Response (optional) Errors of observation only Draft Statement of Findings Prepared by team, edited at two levels, then sent to the institution. Institution s Due Process Response Due within 30 days of receipt of draft statement. Programs are encouraged to solve problems quickly. Describe and document changes made since the visit.

47 Post-Visit Activities (Cont.) Final Statement Incorporates Due Process Response. Commissions take action on accreditation at July meeting. Institution may submit supplemental material up to the time of annual Commission meetings. Final Statement and accreditation letter sent by ABET to the institution. Only Not to Accredit can be appealed.

48 Post-Visit Activities

49 Levels of Criteria Compliance To be accredited, a program must meet the intent of each criterion. A primary purpose of the self-study and the visit are to provide the program an opportunity to demonstrate how each criterion is met. If a program does not meet the intent of a criterion, it has a deficiency.

50 Levels of Criteria Compliance (cont.) If a program meets the intent of a criterion but lacks the strength of compliance to assure that the quality of the program relative to the criterion will not be compromised prior to next general review, the program has a weakness with respect to the criterion. A weakness requires an interim review to evaluate the status of the weakness.

51 Levels of Criteria Compliance (cont.) If a criterion is met but observations indicate that a potential exists for non-satisfaction in the future, there can be a concern with respect to the criterion. Concerns do not impact the length of the term of accreditation.

52 Confidentiality Information supplied by the institution and derived from the visit is for confidential use by ABET and the Computing Accreditation Commission. ABET has specifically authorized professional societies to participate in the accreditation process.

53 Additional Information

54 Designation of Program Accreditation Status Institutions are required to represent the accreditation status of each program accurately and without ambiguity. Programs are either accredited or not accredited. Accreditation Policy and Procedures Manual II.A.1 Institution catalogs and similar publications must clearly indicate the programs accredited by the commissions of ABET as separate and distinct from any other programs or kinds of accreditation. Accreditation Policy and Procedures Manual II.A.6

55 Symposium Offerings of Special Interest Roundtable meetings with Accreditation Commission Leaders Sessions on Preparing for On-Site Review (by Commission) Sessions on Preparing the Self-Study Report (by Commission) Symposium Self-Study (Resource) Room (examples of self studies)

56 Website

57 Questions/Comments?

58 Thank you! Please complete session evaluation.