Developing a supplemental assessment document for ABET certification: How capstone design classes can help

Abstract

Demonstrating successful fulfillment of Program Outcomes and Assessment Criteria 3 a through 3k of ABET 2000 can be a daunting task. The criteria are widespread in their requirements and the "burden of proof" is placed on the shoulders of the subject program and institution. During the accreditation process in 2000, the Petroleum Engineering Department at the Colorado School of Mines prepared a supplement to the ABET Self-Study Report entitled "Petroleum Engineering Program Assessment Report Supplement to ABET Self-Study Report, Colorado School of Mines." This supplemental document was focused entirely on demonstrating the execution of Criteria 3a through 3k. The document was extremely well received by the review committee. In fact, the review committee asked for copies of the supplement for distribution to other institutions and programs. A second iteration of this document is currently being prepared for an upcoming ABET review in 2006. This paper describes the creation and content of this document and how the capstone design class plays an integral part in the fulfillment of the ABET requirements and the construction of the document. Triangulation methods, which use data from a variety of sources, are used to develop the arguments for fulfillment of the criteria. Sources of data include alumni surveys, student surveys, advisory board surveys, student interviews, recruiter interviews, program activities, peer evaluations, course records, videotaped presentations, and scoring rubrics. The hub of all these sources is the program's capstone design course. A review of the data sources and their collection is provided. Additionally, how the assessment supplement is constructed, which data sources are integrated, and how this supplement augments criteria fulfillment are reviewed. Finally, the paper provides a discussion of how the document enhances the program's self-study. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2006.