Work in Progress - Streamlining Assessment Process in Response to a Successful ABET Visit

Abstract

In 1997, we embarked on a journey to develop an assessment plan to improve the quality of our educational programs. The driving force behind our efforts was the new ABET engineering criteria. The plan that resulted from this effort provides our school with a roadmap to continually improve the quality of our programs. Implementation of this plan resulted in a successful ABET visit in 2003. Following the ABET visit, we recognized the need for improving our assessment process. One important area of improvement was the appropriate mix of direct and indirect assessment methods used to assess program outcomes. In this paper, we presented our work to date in selection and implementation of direct and indirect assessment tools. We also presented our approach to utilizing a mix of assessment tools to prepare annual documentation of program improvements. And finally a sample of changes implemented based on assessment were presented