Implications Of Statistical Process Monitoring For Abet 2000 Program Evaluation: An Example Using Freshman Engineering Attitudes

ABET’s new criteria, “EC 2000,” has brought assessment and evaluation to the forefront of engineering education. Concomitantly, the focus of ABET’s program evaluation has shifted from “what are you [the program] doing?” to “how is what you’re doing achieving the desired outcomes [what are your students doing]? .” In short, accreditation will be concerned as much or more with outcomes rather than inputs or processes. More important, accreditors will be looking at how problems are identified and improvements are made in order to affect the program’s outcomes. Therefore, a comprehensive evaluation system should not only accurately measure student outcomes, through proper instrument development and administration, but also possess a well-designed feedback mechanism that allows for the tracking of these outcomes over time. By appropriately tracking outcomes, engineering educators should be able to identify areas for improvement, as well as monitor the effectiveness of programmatic interventions.