VOLUME 11, NO. 1     MAY 1997

WPI among nation's first to be tested under new ABET standards

A team from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) evaluated WPI's civil, chemical, electrical, industrial, manufacturing and mechanical engineering programs in early December. The ABET team utilized Engineering Criteria 2000 standards, which emphasize outcomes (what the students learn and what skills and qualities they gain) rather than process (what courses and labs they take). These standards were used for the first time at WPI and the University of Arkansas as part of a pilot test program. By the year 2001 the criteria will apply to all accredited engineering programs in the nation.

"One of the biggest challenges," says William Durgin, associate provost for academic affairs, "was that the team had to learn a lot about outcomes assessment and use these standards rather than the traditional means of assessment." Members of the team noted that a lot of work was done to prepare for this pilot visit and that faculty members in the engineering programs are very well qualified and strongly dedicated to undergraduate education. "This visit provided impetus for department heads to take a hard look at what they had accomplished," says Durgin.

"The concept behind Engineering Criteria 2000 is to evaluate the abilities and skills college students have gained from their college education," says WPI President Edward Parrish, immediate past-chair of the Engineering Accreditation Commission, which will ultimately determine the accreditation actions resulting from the pilot visit. "We anticipate ABET analyzing the results of the visits to WPI and the University of Arkansas and using these data as guidelines for visits to other colleges in the future. The second phase will begin shortly and involve four additional universities - two private and two public. We should all be proud that WPI was one of the first in the nation to be part of this new accreditation process."

ABET accreditation

is a voluntary system that

• assures that graduates of an accredited program are adequately prepared to enter and continue the practice of engineering.
• stimulates the improvement of engineering education.
• encourages new and innovative approaches to engineering education.
• identifies these programs to the public.

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