2010 ABET Webinars

NOTE: This is a general session; it is not specific to any one ABET accreditation commission.

• What is the status of harmonized accreditation criteria?
• What are some of the suggested substantive changes?
• How will changes be communicated to the programs?
• What are some common observations across commissions?

Stu Zweben is Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Administration at The Ohio State University. He previously was chair of the Computer Science and Engineering Department at Ohio State. With more than 20 years of experience with computing accreditation, Stu is chair of ABET's Accreditation Council, which consists of the leadership of ABET's four commissions and works on matters of common interest to the commissions. Stu himself is a former chair of the Computing Accreditation Commission. He also is a former president of CSAB when that organization was responsible for accrediting computer science programs and helped write several versions of the computing accreditation criteria. He chaired the criteria committee that drafted earlier versions of the general and program criteria now in use. Stu also has consulted about computing accreditation, both domestically and internationally, and has given many presentations about the subject to professional society meetings. Stu is a Fellow of ABET, a Fellow of CSAB, and a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). He also is a former president of ACM. He received the Ph.D. in computer sciences from Purdue University.

NOTE: This is a general session; it is not specific to any one ABET accreditation commission.

• Self-study basics and context
  • Objective
  • Audience
  • Organization
  • Types of responses
  • Time frame for responses
  • Commission differences

• The preparation activity
  • Timetable
  • Following and distributing the template
  • Reporting program changes
  • Questions that arise during the process
  • Review before submitting

• Sample reporting elements
  • Faculty
  • Curriculum

Stu Zweben is Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Administration at The Ohio State University. He previously was chair of the Computer Science and Engineering Department at Ohio State. With more than 20 years of experience with computing accreditation, Stu is chair of ABET's Accreditation Council, which consists of the leadership of ABET's four commissions and works on matters of common interest to the commissions. Stu himself is a former chair of the Computing Accreditation Commission. He also is a former president of CSAB when that organization was responsible for accrediting computer science programs and helped write several versions of the computing accreditation criteria. He chaired the criteria committee that drafted earlier versions of the general and program criteria now in use. Stu also has consulted about computing accreditation, both domestically and internationally, and has given many presentations about the subject to professional society meetings. Stu is a Fellow of ABET, a Fellow of CSAB, and a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). He also is a former president of ACM. He received the Ph.D. in computer sciences from Purdue University.

How to Develop a Survey

• Survey planning
• Developing survey items
• Common formats

• Reliability and validity
• Designing the survey

• Critique of items
• Administering surveys

Gloria Rogers is currently the Managing Director for Professional Services at ABET, Inc. She conducts assessment workshops, seminars, and institutes on the topics of the assessment of student learning outcomes, change management, and group facilitation. She is the co-author of "Stepping Ahead: An Assessment Plan Development Guide," which has been distributed to more than 10,000 faculty members throughout the country, and an interactive CD Rom, "Assessment Planning Flowchart," to aid programs in their assessment plan development.

Rogers has organized 11 national symposia on program assessment that have been attended by more than 1,700 technological educators from 400 institutions around the world. She has authored 28 assessment-related articles, given over 50 invited presentations at national/international conferences and facilitated workshops/seminars at more than 75 campuses. In addition to her local and national involvement in assessment and educational reform, she has given invited presentations and workshops in 23 countries around the world, including a Fulbright Senior Scholar assignment in Lima, Peru. In 2008 she was named a Fellow of the American Society of Engineering Education.

NOTE: This webinar is specific to accreditation by ABET's Applied Science Accreditation Commission.

• Objectives of the visit


• The visit team
  • Members of the team
  • Background and experience
  
  
• Planning for the visit
  • Set the visit dates
  • Confirm the team members
  • Hotel, dining, meeting room, transportation arrangements
  • Detailed schedule of visit

• Conducting the visit
  • Team meetings
  • Evaluation of materials
  • Facilities tours
  • Interviews of/meetings with program and administrative personnel, faculty and students
  • Exit interview
  
  
• Displaying materials
  • Student work
  • Course materials
  • Assessment and evaluation materials
  • Documentation of continuous improvement activities
  
  

• Recommendations for hosting a smooth visit


• Post-visit activities
  • Seven-day response to errors of fact
  • Institutional response
  • Commission action
  • Final report

Charles W. McGlothlin, Jr., is Program Director of the Occupational Safety and Health Program at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. He has work as an engineer, operations manager, and safety educator for more than 40 years. McGlothlin received bachelor's and master's degrees in Mining Engineering from West Virginia University and his Ph.D. in Education and Human Resource Studies from Colorado State University. He is a professional member of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and serves on the ASSE Education Standards Committee. He currently serves as Chair-Elect of the ABET Applied Science Accreditation Commission and conducts ABET/ASAC campus visits as a team chair. In addition to serving as a ABET/ASAC program evaluator, McGlothlin has taken two applied science programs through the initial ABET accreditation process.

NOTE: This webinar is specific to accreditation by ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission.

• Objectives of the visit


• The visit team
  • Members of the team
  • Background and experience
  
  
• Planning for the visit
  • Set the visit dates
  • Confirm the team members
  • Hotel, dining, meeting room, transportation arrangements
  • Detailed schedule of visit

• Conducting the visit
  • Team meetings
  • Evaluation of materials
  • Facilities tours
  • Interviews of/meetings with program and administrative personnel, faculty and students
  • Exit interview
  
  
• Displaying materials
  • Student work
  • Course materials
  • Assessment and evaluation materials
  • Documentation of continuous improvement activities
  
  

• Recommendations for hosting a smooth visit


• Post-visit activities
  • Seven-day response to errors of fact
  • Institutional response
  • Commission action
  • Final report

Susan E. Conry is currently the Vice Chair for Operations of the EAC. She is also the Distinguished Service Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY. She has been engaged in accreditation activities since 1985, with experiences as program evaluator and team chair for evaluations of computer science programs and engineering programs extending over many years. In addition, she has served as EAC Training Committee Chair and Chair of the Cross-Commission Training Committee of the Accreditation Council of ABET.

Dr. Conry's research and educational interests cover various areas of computer engineering and software engineering. Her work in multiagent systems has focused on agent negotiation strategies, distributed constraint satisfaction problems, distributed genetic algorithms, and distributed search. Dr. Conry has been designated Fellow of the IEEE, CSAB Fellow, and ABET Fellow. She was also recipient of the 2005 EAB Award for Meritorious Achievement Award in Accreditation Activities.

NOTE: This webinar is specific to accreditation by ABET's Computing Accreditation Commission.

• Objectives of the visit


• The visit team
  • Members of the team
  • Background and experience
  
  
• Planning for the visit
  • Set the visit dates
  • Confirm the team members
  • Hotel, dining, meeting room, transportation arrangements
  • Detailed schedule of visit
  
  

• Conducting the visit
  • Team meetings
  • Evaluation of materials
  • Facilities tours
  • Interviews of/meetings with program and administrative personnel, faculty and students
  • Exit interview
  
  
• Displaying materials
  • Student work
  • Course materials
  • Assessment and evaluation materials
  • Documentation of continuous improvement activities
  
  

• Recommendations for hosting a smooth visit


• Post-visit activities
  • Seven-day response to errors of fact
  • Institutional response
  • Commission action
  • Final report

Art Price is the Adjunct Accreditation Director for Computing at ABET, Inc. He has been involved in computing accreditation for 22 years. He was a member of CSAB's Computer Science Accreditation Commission from 1991 to 2000 and ABET's Computing Accreditation Commission from 2001 to 2007. He is a leader in criteria modernization and volunteer training. He conducted numerous CSAB-sponsored program evaluator training sessions and institutional representative workshops. He also served as a support facilitator for ABET's Cross-Commission Program Evaluator Training. He was recently named a CSAB Fellow and an ABET Fellow. Art has both industry and academic experience. He spent 20 years on the technical staff of Bell Laboratories, where he specialized in software quality management, process management, and business process reengineering. After retiring from Bell Laboratories as a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff in 2001, he spent six year on the faculty of Metropolitan State College of Denver.

Choosing Assessment Methods

• Direct methods
• Indirect methods

• Triangulation
• Validity

• Choosing methods

Gloria Rogers is currently the Managing Director for Professional Services at ABET, Inc. She conducts assessment workshops, seminars, and institutes on the topics of the assessment of student learning outcomes, change management, and group facilitation. She is the co-author of "Stepping Ahead: An Assessment Plan Development Guide," which has been distributed to more than 10,000 faculty members throughout the country, and an interactive CD Rom, "Assessment Planning Flowchart," to aid programs in their assessment plan development.

Rogers has organized 11 national symposia on program assessment that have been attended by more than 1,700 technological educators from 400 institutions around the world. She has authored 28 assessment-related articles, given over 50 invited presentations at national/international conferences and facilitated workshops/seminars at more than 75 campuses. In addition to her local and national involvement in assessment and educational reform, she has given invited presentations and workshops in 23 countries around the world, including a Fulbright Senior Scholar assignment in Lima, Peru. In 2008 she was named a Fellow of the American Society of Engineering Education.

NOTE: This webinar is specific to accreditation by ABET's Technology Accreditation Commission.

• Objectives of the visit


• The visit team
  • Members of the team
  • Background and experience
  
  
• Planning for the visit
  • Set the visit dates
  • Confirm the team members
  • Hotel, dining, meeting room, transportation arrangements
  • Detailed schedule of visit
  
  

• Conducting the visit
  • Team meetings
  • Evaluation of materials
  • Facilities tours
  • Interviews of/meetings with program and administrative personnel, faculty and students
  • Exit interview
  
  
• Displaying materials
  • Student work
  • Course materials
  • Assessment and evaluation materials
  • Documentation of continuous improvement activities
  
  

• Recommendations for hosting a smooth visit


• Post-visit activities
  • Seven-day response to errors of fact
  • Institutional response
  • Commission action
  • Final report

Kevin Taylor is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology at Purdue University - College of Technology at Kokomo. Kevin is Chair of the Executive Committee of the Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET. He is a Professional Engineer (PA), a Senior Member of IEEE, a member of SAE and ASEE, and the Co-Affiliate Director for Project Lead the Way® at Purdue.

NOTE: This is a general session; it is not specific to any one ABET accreditation commission.

• Eligibility
• Documents: What governs the accreditation process?
• Eligibility: When does a program qualify for evaluation?
• Program Naming: Why and how does this affect ABET accreditation?
• The accreditation cycle: When does it start and end?

• Program changes during accreditation: What changes are reported to ABET and when?
• Public release of accreditation information: What can a program say publicly about its accreditation?
• Transcripts: How and why are they important to the accreditation process?

• The "Next General Review" cycle for an institution: What is it, and how does it work?
• Special circumstances: What happens if a program has unresolved deficiencies, and what are the options when accreditation is denied?

David E. Hornbeck is Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering Technology at Southern Polytechnic State University. He holds a bachelor's from West Virginia Tech, a master's from Vanderbilt University, and a Ph.D. from Georgia Tech, all in civil engineering. His 25 years in ABET include service as a program evaluator or team chair for approximately 26 accreditation evaluations. Hornbeck served on the Technology Accreditation Commission (TAC) Executive Committee from 1998- 2003 and chaired the Technology Accreditation Commission for the 2001-2002 accreditation cycle. He served on the committee that developed performance-based criteria for TAC and later chaired the TAC Criteria Committee for two years. Hornbeck has been a facilitator/presenter for numerous assessment workshops and has been a consultant on curriculum and program development. From 2001-2003, he was chair of the ABET Accreditation Council and since 2003 has served as ABET's Adjunct Accreditation Director for Technology. He is an ABET Fellow and has represented ABET in activities to assist accrediting agencies in Russia, Peru, and Korea. A member of ASCE and ASEE, he holds licensure as a professional engineer and professional surveyor.

• Difference between program educational objectives and learning outcomes
• Importance of defining learning outcomes

• Examples of defined outcomes
• Mapping outcomes to curriculum
• Reporting your results
  
  

• Process implementation
  • Embedding assessment
  • Helpful tools
  • Using technology

Gloria Rogers is currently the Managing Director for Professional Services at ABET, Inc. She conducts assessment workshops, seminars, and institutes on the topics of the assessment of student learning outcomes, change management, and group facilitation. She is the co-author of "Stepping Ahead: An Assessment Plan Development Guide," which has been distributed to more than 10,000 faculty members throughout the country, and an interactive CD Rom, "Assessment Planning Flowchart," to aid programs in their assessment plan development.

Rogers has organized 11 national symposia on program assessment that have been attended by more than 1,700 technological educators from 400 institutions around the world. She has authored 28 assessment-related articles, given over 50 invited presentations at national/international conferences and facilitated workshops/seminars at more than 75 campuses. In addition to her local and national involvement in assessment and educational reform, she has given invited presentations and workshops in 23 countries around the world, including a Fulbright Senior Scholar assignment in Lima, Peru. In 2008 she was named a Fellow of the American Society of Engineering Education.

NOTE: This is a general session; it is not specific to any one ABET accreditation commission.

• Institutional summary
• Programs offered
• Degrees awarded
• Support expenditures

• Personnel and students
• Program enrollment and degree data
• Faculty salary data

M. Dayne Aldridge, Ph.D., received the Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from West Virginia University and the Doctor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia. He was a member of the electrical engineering faculty at West Virginia University from 1968 until 1984. While at West Virginia University, he founded the WVU Energy Research Center in 1978 and was Director until 1984. From 1984 to 1999, Aldridge was at Auburn University, serving as Professor of Electrical Engineering and Associate Dean for Research of the College of Engineering. In 1989, he became founding Director of the Thomas Walter Center for Technology Management and was appointed as the Thomas Walter Eminent Scholar in Technology Management in 1994. He served in both capacities until 1999, when he became Dean of the School of Engineering at Mercer University. He served as Dean and Kaolin Chair of Engineering until his retirement in 2008. Aldridge has served ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission in several capacities, including chair, and presently serves as Adjunct Accreditation Director for Engineering.

Developing Rubrics

• What is a rubric?
• Types of rubrics

• Uses of rubrics
• Rubric development

• Application of rubrics

Gloria Rogers is currently the Managing Director for Professional Services at ABET, Inc. She conducts assessment workshops, seminars, and institutes on the topics of the assessment of student learning outcomes, change management, and group facilitation. She is the co-author of "Stepping Ahead: An Assessment Plan Development Guide," which has been distributed to more than 10,000 faculty members throughout the country, and an interactive CD Rom, "Assessment Planning Flowchart," to aid programs in their assessment plan development.

Rogers has organized 11 national symposia on program assessment that have been attended by more than 1,700 technological educators from 400 institutions around the world. She has authored 28 assessment-related articles, given over 50 invited presentations at national/international conferences and facilitated workshops/seminars at more than 75 campuses. In addition to her local and national involvement in assessment and educational reform, she has given invited presentations and workshops in 23 countries around the world, including a Fulbright Senior Scholar assignment in Lima, Peru. In 2008 she was named a Fellow of the American Society of Engineering Education.

NOTE: This is a general session; it is not specific to any one ABET accreditation commission.

• Definition of program educational objectives
• Choosing constiuents
• Role of constituents in the process
  

• Strategies for engaging constiuents
• Writing program educational objectives

• Relevance of program educational objectives to student outcomes
• Assessing achievement of program educational objectives

M. Dayne Aldridge, Ph.D., received the Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from West Virginia University and the Doctor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia. He was a member of the electrical engineering faculty at West Virginia University from 1968 until 1984. While at West Virginia University, he founded the WVU Energy Research Center in 1978 and was Director until 1984. From 1984 to 1999, Aldridge was at Auburn University, serving as Professor of Electrical Engineering and Associate Dean for Research of the College of Engineering. In 1989, he became founding Director of the Thomas Walter Center for Technology Management and was appointed as the Thomas Walter Eminent Scholar in Technology Management in 1994. He served in both capacities until 1999, when he became Dean of the School of Engineering at Mercer University. He served as Dean and Kaolin Chair of Engineering until his retirement in 2008. Aldridge has served ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission in several capacities, including chair, and presently serves as Adjunct Accreditation Director for Engineering.

NOTE: This is a general session; it is not specific to any one ABET accreditation commission.

• What is a program evaluator? How are they selected and assigned?
• Roles and responsibilities of a Program Evaluator

• Program evaluator preparation for the campus visit
• Program evaluator activities while on campus

• Terms that a program evaluator uses to describe program levels of compliance
• Post-visit activities by program evaluator

Susan O. Schall, Ph.D., is President/Owner of SOS Consulting, LLC. Schall has more than 20 years experience delivering improved performance using engineering, statistical, and business process improvement methodologies, including Lean Six Sigma, team-based problem-solving, strategic and operations assessment, and strategic planning. Clients include companies in the chemical, food, automotive, industrial supply, education, and printing industries. Schall also serves as the Adjunct Training Director for ABET, Inc.

Prior to consulting, Schall held a variety of process improvement and leadership roles at RR Donnelley, GE Lighting, DuPont. and Eastman Kodak.

Schall is an ABET Fellow and a Senior Member of the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) and the American Society for Quality (ASQ). She represented IIE on the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) from 1997-2003 and the ABET Board of Directors from 2005-2008. As a member of the Board, Susan served as the Board Liaison to the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) and as a member of the Partnership to Advance Volunteer Excellence (PAVE) Implementation Steering Team and led the Educational Delivery Strategic Task Team. She served on the design team for the new program evaluator training and serves as a Lead Facilitator.

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