National Electrical Engineering Department Heads Association

Special Committee on Criteria 2000

Suggested Modifications for ABET Volume II

Reply-To: messenge@acc.fau.edu
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 09:34:16 +0500
To: penfield@MIT.EDU, sek@vuse.vanderbilt.edu
From: Roger Messenger <messenge@acc.fau.edu>
Subject: ABET 2000

Dear Paul and Sherra,

Zvi Roth asked me to forward our collective thoughts on ABET 2000 and Vol II.  
We are happy to share these thoughts with the membership of NEEDHA.

If we come up with any other revelations within the next few days, we will
send them along also.  Our feeling is that ABET 2000 can provide an
excellent framework for quality programs.  It has already significantly
helped us (Florida Atlantic University) to work out articulation agreements
which will eliminate discrepancies in credit requirements between transfer
students and native students and we can see several other areas where it
will enable us to improve our program.

We look forward to continued participation in the process.

Roger Messenger

Following is the summary of our discussion of how to modify ABET Vol II to
best enable the reviewer to determine how well a program meets the
guidelines. As you forward these comments, it is important that the reader
of the comments realize that we agree with the suggested means of affirming
compliance which emanated from the NEEDHA brainstorming session, as
OPTIONAL.  Different suggestions will be more or less applicable to
different programs.  

What is important about ABET 2000 is that it encourages local creativity in
creating programs which meet the guidelines without the need for
standardization.  The key is that the program goals must be acceptable and
the means of measuring the outcomes must also be acceptable.  But individual
departments need to have the freedom to adopt their own goals and measures.
Yet, it makes good sense for departments to share the results of their
choices, especially through NEEDHA.  Many heads are clearly better than few
in this instance.

So, with that caveat, here are the recommendations from FAU EE regarding
possible revisions of ABET Vol II to better accommodate ABET 2000.

Cover Page             no change needed
Instructions           no change needed
Table of contents      change as needed
XI.   A.    OK
      B.    Engineering programs must demonstrate that their graduates have
            a.  an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, . . .
            b., c., d., e., f., g., h., I., j., k.
      In each case, state how your program is designed to meet the 
requirement and show how you measure the results.
      C.    Eliminate--covered in B.
      D.    OK
      E.    OK
      F.    OK
      G.    OK, but maybe not needed now, although is is probably good to be 
able to state strength.
      H.    OK
      I.    OK

XII.  A.    OK
      B.    OK
      C.    OK
      D.    Eliminate first paragraph.  Covered in XI.B.
            2nd paragraph OK
            3rd paragraph OK
            4th paragraph OK
            Eliminate fifth paragraph.  Covered in XI.B.
            6th paragraph OK, but modify course description format to be 
consistent with XI.B. (See sample.)
            7th paragraph OK
      E.    OK
      F.    OK
      G.    OK
      H.    OK
      I.    OK
      J.    OK
      K.    Eliminate.  Covered in XI.B.
      L.    Eliminate.  Covered in XI.B.
      M.    Eliminate.  Covered in XI.B.
      N.    Eliminate.  Covered in XI.B.
      O.    OK
      P.    Eliminate.  Covered in XI.B.
      Q.    Eliminate.  Covered in XI.B.
      R.    Change to "Show how any ABET program criteria are satisfied by 
the curriculum."
       
XIII. A.    OK
      B.    OK
      C.    OK
      D.    OK
      E.    OK
      F.    OK
       
XIV.  Eliminate entire section.  It is covered in XI.B.

XV.   OK

Following is suggested format change for course descriptions.

SAMPLE COURSE DESCRIPTION
Course #--Course Title
________ Term, 20 _____

20xx Catalog Data:

Textbook:

Reference:

Coordinator:

Prerequisites by topic:

Engineering Design Goals:

Engineering Science Goals:

Other Goals:

How are the goals measured?

Topics covered:

TABLES ALL OF THEM ARE OK and useful AS IS

Related pages: 1996-97 Archives | ABET 2000 Committee
URL of this page:

Author: Roger Messenger | Created: Apr 8, 1997 | Modified: Dec 30, 1998
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