Dean Ettema

A Perspective on ABET

By Rob Ettema, Dean, the College of Engineering and Applied Science

September 8, 2009 -The College of Engineering and Applied Science recently submitted its most recent set of self-study reports for its ABET accreditation review. The College now has turned its attention to the upcoming site visit this November. For those of you not familiar with ABET, it is the voluntary accreditation process that applies to the engineering and computer science programs within the College.

Unlike the regional accreditation process that currently engages UW, ABET does not accredit the institution or the college, but rather individual programs; seven of our programs are due for reaccreditation. Three engineering programs have been accredited by ABET since 1941, with the others following later. Computer Engineering, for example, received accreditation in 2004 and Petroleum Engineering is currently seeking reaccreditation after reestablishment in 2006. Similarly to regional accreditation, ABET is a rather lengthy group process that involves being able to demonstrate adherence to a set of defined criteria. The College’s preparation process has involved many participants including faculty, advisory committees, students, and alumni.

The College has been engaged in the assessment of its educational objectives and outcomes since 1999, in order to comply with the accreditation criteria established by ABET. The term “assessment” here means using processes that identify, collect, use and prepare data that can be used to evaluate achievement of program outcomes and program educational objectives. Our first assessment review was in 2003. A decade of experience in assessment has certainly allowed for this current self-study process to unfold smoothly. The College’s Academic Programs Committee has been providing oversight and guidance to each of the academic programs within the College to be sure that the continuous improvement cycle is active and preparations are on schedule. The 2008–09 academic year was “crunch time” for the College in terms of assembling the materials required for the self-studies, though the essential procedures to do this successfully have been in place for some time. Let’s face it; while we have become accustomed to assessing student performance in an outcomes-based manner in the College, this does not negate the fact that considerable time is required to conduct a thorough and thoughtful accreditation process.

Faculty see the critical importance of maintaining accreditation of our programs, so they invest the time necessary. One helpful aspect of the ABET approach to accreditation is that it offers detailed guidelines and procedures for establishing an assessment process, yet still allows for each academic program to design the process according to its individual mission. Each program is unique and has the freedom to express that uniqueness.

ABET is not without its challenges, however. Over time, some evaluation criteria have changed, forcing curricular changes that might not be supported by the available resources. Not unlike other departments at the university, the culture of assessment within the programs must be continually fostered. A steady drumbeat is needed to assure that everyone regards assessment as a vital part of our academic mission.

While no single revelation has emerged from the accreditation process, each program has been able to identify its own set of successes and challenges. We know we have a few issues here and there, but overall, the College’s programs are healthy and sound.

The evaluation team leader will provide the College with a list of shortcomings that the team identifies from the report in advance of the visit. We are then given an opportunity to respond prior to the visit. As such, the visit itself should not yield any surprises. Instead, it is a chance for the evaluation team to meet with faculty, visit with students to learn more about our programs, and confirm the elements of the self-study. It is also an opportunity to use the evaluation team as a resource to develop strategies to address any identified weaknesses. Thanks to the hard work of the faculty and staff within the College, I expect a favorable outcome for all of our programs.