Use Of A Supplemental Abet Assessment Document To Improve Capstone Design Courses

In an effort to demonstrate attainment of ABET Criteria 3a – 3k 1 in a 2000 ABET accreditation review, the Colorado School of Mines’ Petroleum Engineering (PE) Department developed a supplemental assessment document that provided a “road map” for assessment preparation and demonstration. This supplemental document was not intended to replace the departmental selfstudy in any way but rather provided the ABET reviewers with a very detailed outline of how the department met the various assessment criteria associated with the specific program objectives. The development of this document was the subject of a 2006 ASEE Annual Conference paper. 2 The conclusions from that 2006 paper are: “In an effort to demonstrate attainment of the Criterion 3 assessment criteria outlined in the departmental self-study, the CSM Petroleum Engineering Department has developed a supplemental assessment document that provides a “road map” for the assessment preparation and demonstration. This supplemental document is not intended to replace the self-study in any way but rather provides the ABET reviewers with a very detailed outline of how the department meets the various assessment criteria associated with the specific program objectives. The department’s capstone design class is a critical component that aids in showing the interaction between the program objectives, the various data sources, and the associated outcomes. The supplemental document was well received by the ABET reviewers during the last ABET review in 2000, which has encouraged the PE Department to continue with this practice in future review cycles.” This current paper describes a second iteration of the supplemental document prepared for a 2006 ABET accreditation review and provides a description of improvements to the assessment process between the 2000 and 2006 iterations. A demonstration of how the “loop was closed” between document iterations is provided, such as a better understanding of the statistical significance of various data sources. Specific strengths and weaknesses of the program were identified in the assessment document. These strengths and weaknesses had been noted in the capstone design course, but until this supplemental assessment document, it had been unclear where the gaps were occurring in pre-requisite courses. In addition to documenting the fulfillment of ABET Criteria 3a – 3k, the second document provided some unintended consequences and benefits to the overall PE program. It actually helped to identify disconnects in the current curriculum and was very beneficial in helping the faculty document and correct these gaps, as well as, understand how their courses fed into the senior capstone design. It also generated considerable faculty involvement in the overall assessment process and has become a developmental tool for new faculty. Finally, these supplemental documents have aided in assuring that the pre-requisite courses are meeting the needs of the capstone design course and that all program faculty are involved.