New ABET Information Technology Program Criteria: The 5 W's Questions

Abstract

The release of the ACM/IEEE-Computer Society curriculum guidelines for undergraduate Information Technology (IT) programs in December 2017 has initiated a concerted effort led by ABET to revise the IT program accreditation criteria. Representing SIGITE and with participation from academia and industry, the IT Criteria Subcommittee of the ABET CSAB/CAC Joint Criteria Committee has embarked on a multi-year process of drafting, revising, and seeking feedback on updates to the IT program criteria. This panel will present the new IT program accreditation criteria and engage the audience in a productive conversation guided by five "W" questions: (1) Who made the changes and who's impacted by those changes, (2) Why the changes were made, (3) What changed and what did not, (4) Where changes were made, and (5) When the changes will take effect. The panel's presentations and audience participation will also generate helpful suggestions on implementing the accreditation process that takes into account the new IT program criteria.