Accreditation Evaluation of the BS-CSE Program

Neelam SoundarajanChair, Undergrad Studies Comm.

CSE Department

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Background• Undergrad programs in CoE:

Accredited by the EngineeringAccreditation Comm. (EAC);

• BS-CSE: Also accredited by the Computing Accreditation Comm. (CAC);

• EAC & CAC: part of the AccreditationBoard of Engineering Tech. (ABET).

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Background (contd.)

• Standard term of accreditation: 6 yrs

• Last evaluation: Au 2005

• Hence: Due for re-evaluation in Au 2011

• Rest of college also up for re-evaluation

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To Be Accredited a BS-CSE Program Must:

• Meet a set of criteria specified by EAC;• Meet a set of criteria specified by CAC;• Submit a detailed self-study that shows this

(done);• Host evaluation team for a three-day site

visit (Oct. 9--11);• Enable team to evaluate various aspects of

the program/ dept./ college/ university.4

Warning!• It is NOT what you think it is!• It is NOT about your ranking or how good

your program is or even how good your curriculum is

• It is all about whether you meet the letter and intent of the EAC and CAC Criteria

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Our Goal• Our goal: Get an "NGR" with no

deficiencies, weaknesses, or even concerns

• And do this during the initial evaluation following the site-visit (rather than in the "due process" as happened last time)

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The "Problem" CriteriaAre related to:• Program Objectives• Program Outcomes; and, especially:• Assessments• Continuous improvement

Other criteria are about curriculum, advising and other support for students, facilities, etc.

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Criteria Requirements

• Program Objectives (ABET definition): Expected short-term career

accomplishments of graduates.

("short-term": ~3 years)

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Our Program Objectives

• Graduates will be successfully employed in the computing profession

• Some will be pursuing/have completed graduate studies in computing

• Will be informed/responsible engineering and computing professionals

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Criteria Requirements (contd)Program must have:• Documented, measurable objectives;• A process involving various constituents in

which the objectives are determined &periodically evaluated;

• A process of ongoing evaluation of the extent of achievement of the objectives & use theresults to improve the program.

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Our Process• Alumni Survey to get input on appropriateness of

objectives; (mostly positive)• Alumni Survey also asks respondents how well they

have met the objectives; (mostly positive)• Obtain input from IAB about appropriateness of

objectives; (mostly positive) Recent suggestion: omit "computing" from "graduate studies in computing"

• These are discussed by UGSC and at the annual undergrad forum

• Changes are recommended to faculty for approval11

Criteria Requirements (contd)Program Outcomes (ABET definition):

statements that describe what students should know/be able to do by graduation.

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Some of our outcomes• Technical group of outcomes: Students will acquire an– ability to apply knowledge of computing, mathematics, ...;– an ability to apply design and development principles in the

construction of software systems of varying complexity;– ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools

necessary for practice as a CSE professional;

• Professional group: Students will acquire an– ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams; – an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences; – an ability to analyze the local and global impact of computing on

individuals, organizations, and society;

These are based directly on the EAC/CAC-specified outcomes.

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Criteria Requirements (contd)Program must have:• Outcomes that foster attainment of objectives• Assessment process to measure the degree to

which outcomes are being achieved• Use of assessment results to improve program• Faculty involvement in assessment of outcomes,

and use of results to effect improvements

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Our process• For technical outcomes: – POCAT: Multiple-choice Exit exam for assessing

technical group of outcomes– Offered each quarter – BS-CSE students take the exam close to their graduation– But their performance on the test does not affect

individual students in any way nor is this recorded

• Questions on POCAT are from a range of required courses and several popular electives

• POCAT questions are designed to assess student understanding of key concepts and identify common misconceptions/problems 15

Process (for tech. outcomes) (contd.)• POCAT details: – Faculty responsible for relevant courses suggest

questions for POCAT; these are maintained in a question bank

– Each quarter, UGSC chair creates the test– Students must sign up for the test– It is administered by the Advising Office on a weekday

evening; pizza and pop are served after the test– Students complete the exit survey during the same

session

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POCAT Details (contd.)– Test results are processed by a script and reported in a

web page– For each question, information about which answer

was chosen by which student (by code known only to the student)

– Summary of average achievement of each (technical) outcome (based on the technical outcomes that each question corresponds to)

– Recent: information about the discrimination of the various answers to each question

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POCAT Details (contd.)

– Test results discussed by UGSC – Focus on any unusual results– Typical actions:• Refine the question to get better information• Discuss possible changes in relevant courses• Etc.• For all such actions, involve relevant faculty

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Process (for professional outcomes)• CSE 601: – Students write a paper on a topic related to social/

professional/ ethical issues– Make a presentation on a similar topic– Assessed by suitable rubrics

• Capstone design courses:– Students engage in quarter-long team project– Students explore a technology/product/process and write a

paper or make presentation about it– Assessed by suitable rubrics

• Results used by instructors/course coordinators to make changes as needed.

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**IMPORTANT**http://www.cse.ohio-state.edu/ugrad/BSCSE_Continuous_Improvement/contains full details.

**Please Read It Carefully**

Id/password: assessment/evaluation

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Details of Site Visit (Oct. 9-11)• Team:

Bill Dixon, CAC Team Chair (Ernst & Young)Bill Shoaff, CAC Evaluator (Florida Inst. of Tech)Doug Williams, EAC Evaluator (GA Tech)

• Schedule:Oct. 9 (Sunday): <course materials>Oct. 10: Presentation by dean; interviews with

dean, Xiaodong, faculty, students, ...lunch, team meetings (at dinner), ...

Oct. 11: May be more interviews, team meetings, exit interview (at 2?)

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In the next few days ...

• Look for mail from Neelam about schedule etc.• For faculty who are meeting with the team: It is

especially important to go through the assessment/improvements page

• For new/recent faculty: Look for mail from Neelam about an "advising workshop"

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***Really, Really Important***

Please do NOT argue with the evaluation team!

The team members are volunteers.Please treat them with respect!

If you have comments about the accreditation criteria etc., send them to Neelam. Do not challenge the team to defend the criteria.

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End of presentation

I am done for now!

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