Computing Accreditation A New Criteria Structure and New Flexibility

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Computing Accreditation A New Criteria
Structure and New Flexibility

• Presented, in part, at DSI 2005 by
• John Gorgone - Bentley College
• Gayle Yaverbaum - Penn State Harrisburg
• Barbara Price Georgia Southern University

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The Players in the Computing Accreditation Game

• Who are they and what are their roles?

Reference New Commissioner Training July 2005
by Della Bonnette, University of Louisiana at
Lafayette, and Don Bailes, East Tennessee State
University and CAC Institutional Representatives
Orientation July 2005 by Joe Turner, Clemson
University
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How do these pieces fit?
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ABET Board
Governance
Computing Accreditation Commission 239 accredited
programs at 204 institutions Rapidly Expanding IS
and IT numbers

• Engineering Accreditation Commission
• 1759 accredited programs at 357 institutions

Technology Accreditation Commission 665
accredited programs at 220 institutions
Applied Science Commission 67 accredited programs
at 51 institutions
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ABET

• Provides strategic vision/mission
• Approves policy
• Approves criteria
• Decides appeals of not-to-accredit decisions
• ABET BOD consists of officers and representatives
  of participating bodies

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Computing Accreditation Commission
Chair

• Executive Committee (ExCom)
• 4 Officers, 5 At-Large Members,1 Board Liaison
  (ex-officio)

23 Commissioners (increases to 31 for 2006-2007
cycle) 1 Public Member
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CAC

• ABET Commission responsible for accrediting
  computing programs
• Currently accredits Computer Science, Information
  Systems and Information Technology programs
• Initial (pilot) accreditation visits for
  Information Technology programs in 2004-05
  under Proposed General Criteria. Additional
  visits were made in the 2005-2006 cycle.
• There will be several pilot visits in 2006-2007
  under Proposed General and Program Criteria

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CSAB, Inc. Represents the professional societies
ACM, AIS, IEEE-CS
President

• Executive Committee
• President, Vice President, Treasurer, Past
  President (non-voting, ex-officio)

Executive Director
Representative Directors 4 from ACM, 4 from
IEEE-CS, 1 from AIS Alternate Representative
Directors (non-voting) 2 from ACM, 2 from
IEEE-CS, 1 from AIS
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CSAB Responsibilities

• Develop program-specific accreditation criteria
• Select, train and evaluate program evaluators,
  drawing from professional societies
• Nominate members to the Commissions
• Appoint ABET BOD members
• Consult with Commissions

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Current CAC/ABET Criteria

• Intent
• Standards
• CS and IS criteria structured into categories,
  with many similar or identical standards.

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The Proposed New ABET CAC Accreditation Criteria

• ABET CAC would like to accredit more programs.
• General criteria for computing programs in
  computing, and program-specific ones for specific
  programs in computing.
• Program-specific criteria add to the general
  criteria.
• To be accredited, a program whose title matches
  any one of the specific criteria must meet both
  the general criteria and the specific ones.
• Programs whose title does not match any of the
  specific criteria can be accredited under the
  general criteria.
• ABET wants to encourage innovation
• No longer any distinction between statements of
  intent and standards. The new accreditation
  criteria only have statements of intent.
• Greater emphasis on outcomes, assessment and
  continuous improvement, and inclusion of minimum
  outcomes in the accreditation criteria.

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Proposed Criteria

• Outcomes Based
• General Criteria for all computing programs
• (Presently CS, IS and IT. In the future ???)
• Supplementary program criteria within each
  specific disciplinary area
• CS
• IS
• IT
• Statements of Standards absent from criteria

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General Criteria

• Developed by CAC in consultation with CSAB
• Preliminary approval by ABET Board
• Currently in period of review and comment
  (through June 15, 2007)
• Several IT programs piloted the general criteria
  during review and comment period (04-05 and 05-06
  cycles)
• During remainder of the pilot period some CS and
  IS programs will be evaluated using current
  criteria and standards, while others will be
  reviewed using the proposed criteria.

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General Criteria(Changes are noted in yellow)

• 1. Objectives, Outcomes, and Assessment
• The program has documented measurable educational
  objectives and outcomes for graduating students,
  based on the needs of the programs
  constituencies.
• The program uses a documented process
  incorporating relevant data to regularly assess
  its educational objectives and outcomes and to
  evaluate the extent to which they are being met.
• The results of the evaluations are used to
  develop and implement plans to effect continuous
  improvement of the program.

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Achievement of Attributes Student
Characteristics for All Programs

• An ability to apply knowledge of computing and
  mathematics appropriate to the discipline
• An ability to analyze a problem, and identify and
  define the computing requirements appropriate to
  its solution
• An ability to design, implement and evaluate a
  computer-based system, process, component, or
  program to meet desired needs
• An ability to function effectively on teams to
  accomplish a common goal
• An understanding of professional, ethical, and
  social responsibilities

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• An ability to communicate effectively with a
  range of audiences
• An ability to analyze the impact of computing on
  individuals, organizations and society, including
  ethical, legal, security and global policy issues
• Recognition of the need for, and an ability to
  engage in, continuing professional development
• An ability to use current techniques, skills, and
  tools necessary for computing practice

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Proposed General Criteria(Major differences from
current CS and IS Intents underlined)

• 2. Student Support
• Students can complete the program in a
  reasonable amount of time. Students have ample
  opportunity to interact with their instructors.
  Students are offered timely advising, by
  qualified individuals, about the programs
  requirements and their career alternatives.
  Students who graduate from the program meet all
  program requirements.

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Current General Criteria(Major differences from
current CS and IS Intents underlined)

• 3. Faculty Qualifications
• Faculty members are current and active in the
  associated computing discipline. They each have
  the educational backgrounds or expertise
  consistent with their expected contributions to
  the program. Each has a level of competence that
  normally would be obtained through graduate work
  in the discipline, relevant experience, or
  relevant scholarship. Collectively, they have
  the technical breadth and depth necessary to
  support the program.

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Current General Criteria(Major differences from
current CS and IS Intents underlined)

• 4. Faculty Size and Workload
• There are enough full-time faculty members to
  provide continuity, oversight and stability, to
  cover the curriculum reasonably, and to allow an
  appropriate mix of teaching, professional
  development, scholarly activities, and service
  for each faculty member. The faculty assigned to
  the program has appropriate authority for the
  creation, delivery, evaluation and modification
  of the program, and the responsibility for the
  consistency and quality of its courses.

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Current General Criteria (contd)

• 5. Curriculum
• The programs requirements are consistent with
  its educational objectives and are designed in
  such a way that each of the program outcomes can
  be achieved.
• The curriculum combines technical and
  professional requirements with general education
  requirements and electives to prepare students
  for a professional career and further study in
  the computing discipline associated with the
  program, and for functioning in modern society.

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Current General Criteria (contd)

• 5. Curriculum (contd)
• The technical and professional requirements
  include at least one year of up-to-date coverage
  of basic and advanced topics in the computing
  discipline associated with the program.
• In addition, the program includes mathematics
  appropriate to the discipline beyond the
  pre-calculus level.
• For each course in the major required of all
  students, its content, expected performance
  criteria, and place in the overall program of
  study are published.

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Current General Criteria (contd)

• 6. Technology Infrastructure
• Computing resources are available, accessible,
  systematically maintained and upgraded, and
  otherwise adequately supported to enable students
  to achieve the programs outcomes and to support
  faculty teaching needs and scholarly activities.
  Students and faculty receive appropriate guidance
  regarding the computing resources and
  laboratories available to the program.

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Current General Criteria (contd)

• 7. Institutional Support and Financial Resources
• The institutions support for the program and
  the financial resources available to the program
  are sufficient to attract and retain qualified
  faculty, administer the program effectively,
  acquire and maintain computing resources and
  laboratories, and otherwise provide an
  environment in which the program can achieve its
  educational objectives and outcomes. Support and
  resources are sufficient to provide assurance
  that the program will retain its strength
  throughout the period of accreditation.

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Current General Criteria (contd)

• 8. Institutional Facilities
• Institutional facilities including the library,
  other electronic information retrieval systems,
  computer networks, classrooms, and offices are
  adequate to support the educational objectives
  and outcomes of the program.

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Each Program Must Satisfy theGeneral Criteria
Program Criteria provide the specificity needed
for interpretation of the General Criteria as
applicable to a given discipline.
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Computer Science Proposed Program Criteria
Additions

• Objectives, Outcomes and Assessment
• Faculty Qualifications
• Curriculum

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Objectives, Outcomes, and Assessment

• The program enables students to achieve, by the
  time of graduation,
• An ability to apply mathematical foundations,
  algorithmic principles, and computer science
  theory in the modeling and design of
  computer-based systems in a way that demonstrates
  comprehension of the tradeoffs involved in design
  choices
• An ability to apply design and development
  principles in the construction of software
  systems of varying complexity.

CS
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Faculty Qualifications

• GC Faculty members are current and active in the
  computing discipline associated with the program.
  Collectively, they have the technical breadth
  and depth necessary to support the program.
• Some full-time faculty members have a Ph.D. in
  computer science.

CS
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Curriculum

• Students have the following amounts of course
  work or equivalent educational experience.
• Computer science one and one-third years
• Math, one-half year that includes discrete
  mathematics. The additional mathematics might
  consist of courses in areas such as statistics.
  Calculus, linear algebra, numerical methods,
  number theory, geometry or symbolic logic.
• Math and science combined One year that
  includes a substantial laboratory science
  experience.

CS
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Information Systems Proposed Program Criteria
Additions

• Objectives, Outcomes and Assessment
• Faculty Qualifications
• Curriculum

IS
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Objectives, Outcomes, and Assessment

• The program outcomes are consistent with those
  accepted by the information systems community.
• The program enables students to achieve, by the
  time of graduation, an understanding of processes
  that support the delivery and management of
  information systems within a specific application
  environment.

IS
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Faculty Qualifications

• GC Faculty members are current and active in the
  computing discipline associated with the program.
  Collectively, they have the technical breadth
  and depth necessary to support the program.
• Some full-time faculty, including those
  responsible for IS curriculum development, hold a
  terminal degree in IS.

IS
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Curriculum

• Students have course work or an equivalent
  educational experience that includes
• Information Systems One year of core and
  advanced topics
• Core topics include basic coverage of (1) a
  modern programming language, (2) data management,
  (3) networking and data communications, (4)
  systems analysis and design and (5) role of IS in
  organizations
• Advanced course work in information systems
  provides breadth and builds on the IS core topics
  to provide depth
• The information systems component of the program
  stresses information systems theoretical
  foundations, information systems analysis and
  information systems.

IS
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Curriculum

• Information Systems Environment One half year of
  processes that support the delivery and
  management of IS
• Quantitative analysis or methods including
  statistics and mathematics beyond college level
  algebra.

IS
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(No Transcript)
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Information Technology Proposed Program Criteria
Additions

• Objectives, Outcomes and Assessment

IT
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Objectives, Outcomes and AssessmentIT Specific

• The program enables students to achieve the
  following additional attributes by the time of
  graduation
• (a) An ability to use and apply current technical
  concepts and practices in the core information
  technologies
• (b) An ability to identify and analyze user needs
  and take them into account in the selection,
  creation, evaluation and administration of
  computer-based systems
• (c) An ability to effectively integrate IT-based
  solutions into the user environment
• (d) An understanding of best practices and
  standards and their application
• (e) An ability to assist in the creation of an
  effective project plan.

IT
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Anticipated Timetable

• July 2005
• Revised general and program criteria approved by
  CAC
• Fall 2005
• Revised set of criteria to ABET Board for
  preliminary approval and piloting during 06-07,
  and probably 07-08 cycle for selected CS and IS
  programs and all IT programs
• Fall 2007
• Final approval by ABET Board for use in 08-09
  cycle for all CAC evaluations
• Current CS and IS criteria used for non-pilot
  programs until 08-09 cycle

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ABET Board Position Statement on Harmonization
RECOMMENDATION The ABET Executive Committee
recommends that the Board of Directors approves
the following position statement ABET believes
in the value of the Commissions presenting a
uniform face to ABET institutions, societies and
the public. Any proposal regarding ABET criteria,
policies, reports and statements should be
reviewed with the goal of harmonization across
commissions. The ABET Board of Directors
charges the Accreditation Council and the
Commission Chairs with developing a plan and
milestones for the harmonization of existing
draft and final statements, self-study forms and
criteria documents and materials which would be
completed no later than the fall 2006 Board of
Directors meeting. The first priority should be
harmonization those documents viewed by the
institutions and the public with internal
documents to follow.
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Harmonization Directive

• Recognizing that much of any harmonization
  effort depends on the uniformity of the criteria,
  the Executive Committee has charged the
  Accreditation Director with renumbering the ABET
  criteria for the 2007-08 Accreditation Cycle.
  Leadership and Quality Assurance in Applied
  Science, Computing, Engineering, and Technology
  Education

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New Criteria Section Headings and Mapping
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Questions Discussion

• Thank you