ABET Assessment Program for a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology Degree – Strategies and Best Practices

Abstract Background: This is a full paper on the implementation of an ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) assessment program for a new Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology degree offered at a large midwestern university. The degree program is offered by the College of Engineering at the university's regional campuses. The program was launched in response to a high demand for manufacturing occupations that require strong technical and management skills. The degree's curriculum was developed rigorously based on the needs of the industry to build the manufacturing workforce. An effective ABET assessment process will help build a curriculum that meets the standards necessary to prepare graduates to enter industrial manufacturing fields in the global workforce. A curriculum development and assessment committee was formed in the first year the program was launched. The committee was charged with preparing a plan for measuring student learning outcomes and implementing a robust framework utilizing the university's learning management system (LMS). The data and results collected from this learning management tool will help in decision-making for curriculum revisions and continuous improvement. Two papers have been presented in the previous years that introduced the framework developed for this program; this is the third paper in the sequence. With this paper, the authors hope to share the implementation of the assessment process and assessment results from all three years of the program. The authors also hope to share the best practices for the assessment of learning outcomes in capstone courses. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to: a) continue the previous work of communicating the implementation of an effective assessment program for ABET ETAC accreditation; b) share the results of the assessment from the first three years of the cohort and b) share the best practices with peers planning to offer a new degree program in Engineering Technology or similar degrees. Methods: The assessment of student learning outcomes is described as an intense process that is implemented as a team. According to ABET, the institution's assessment leader works with faculty and administrators to develop a plan of action and timeline to ensure assessment goals and deadlines are met. Every program implements the assessment process differently but still follows the same guiding principles offered by ABET. The paper will discuss the implementation of this assessment process at this institution as it prepares to graduate the first cohort of students in the upcoming spring semester. This paper will discuss the challenges and successes experienced and share the best practices with the Engineering Technology community. Some of the tasks implemented in this process are listed below: • Mapping performance indicators to final year courses especially capstone courses and their respective assignments • Establishing a cohesive plan for assessment at multiple campus locations to ensure alignment with the ABET guidelines • Maintaining task structures and expectations for the assessment team and faculty to allocate time and resources efficiently through regular meetings • Incorporating manufacturing certificates into the program as supplemental training and experience • Gathering data on curriculum, teaching modality, facilities, and pertinent information for the Request for Evaluation (RFE) and maintaining a repository of all courses • Analyzing assessment results along with the instructor feedback to guide curriculum revisions • Effectively utilizing the cloud data management system supported by the university to maintain and organize a repository for assessment data collection • Identifying strengths and weaknesses of the assessment approach for continuous improvement • Gathering feedback from the students, advisors, faculty, and administrators for decision-making • Scaffolding the faculty as they become more competent with the use of a learning management system for assessment of outcomes • Incorporating feedback from industry partners and coordinating regular advisory council meetings • Reviewing program educational objectives with the stakeholders