An ACM\IEEE and ABET compliant curriculum and accreditation management framework

Abstract

Following methodological and systemized approaches in creating course syllabi and program curriculums are very crucial for assuring the coherence (correctness, completeness, consistency, and validity) of curriculums. Furthermore, designing coherent curriculums have a direct impact on achieving curriculum outcomes. For institutions seeking accreditation, presenting evidence of curriculum coherence is mandatory. In this paper, a general framework architecture for curriculum and accreditation management is proposed. Furthermore, we propose a detailed design for a knowledge base that comprises of: a) the ACM\IEEE body of knowledge for the Computer Science Department, b) course syllabi, and c) course articulation matrices. We show how to utilize the proposed knowledge base in the quality improvement life cycle, in ABET accreditation, and as a significant step towards curriculum coherence.