MEETING OF ABET COORDINATORS

April 30, 2001

10:30 AM, 355 Loew Hall

Attendees:

Frank Ashby (SCORE), Cindy Atman (IndE), Gaetano Borriello (CSE), Rich Christie (EE), Mary Cook (Course Coord.), Karen Freisem (CIDR), Janice Henderson (Dean's Office), Kevin Hodgson (Forestry), Michael Jenkins (ME), Craig Lewis (CELT), Chen-Ching Liu (Assoc. Dean), Lorena McLaren (Co-op), Greg Miller (C&EE), Carolyn Plumb (TC), Dan Schwartz (ChemE), Uri Shumlak (AA), Tom Stoebe (MS&E), and William Wilson (ME).

Discussion:

1. Some of the methods that departments are using to inform faculty and students about ABET are:

• At the beginning of the quarter, base the first assignment on ABET; then give a quiz during the second week. Give faculty and students a one- or two-page information sheet.
• Educate faculty about ABET at the Fall quarter staff meeting.

Some suggestions to inform faculty and students about ABET:

• They should be made aware of the list of a-k questions on the student course evaluation forms.
• Inform the student societies.
• Inform students at orientations for new students.
• Since students usually are not interested in ABET, discussions with them should be about their education and assessment.
• Rich Christie said that ABET wants to know how our students are presently involved in the educational process. It was suggested that this can be accomplished by having students on curriculum committees, etc.
• The ABET visitors need to be informed that engineering students normally begin after their sophomore year.

2. The coordinators reported the status of their department's self-study.

Action Items:

• Sherra Kerns has been appointed to be the Team Chair for the accreditation visit this fall. Dr. Kerns is Vice President of Innovation and Research at the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. If there is any potential conflict of interest for this selection, Chen-Ching Liu is to be notified. Rich Christie has met Dr. Kerns. He feels that she is very assistance-oriented. Cindy Atman will try to get some background about Dr. Kerns from her contacts.
• The following are some of the ABET evaluators on campus: Jim Fridley (Forestry), J.E. Colcord (Civil emeritus), Mani Soma (EE), Ashley Emery (ME), Dale Carlson (C&EE), and Yongmin Kim (BioE). Chen-Ching Liu will ask them if they are willing to help with rehearsals or trial visits in the fall (prior to the real visit) to the departments that want to participate. The following departments would like to have a trial visit: PSE, FEE, AA, CSE (visit by an EE person), IndE, ME, ChemE, EE, and MS&E. For the rehearsal, the evaluator probably won't be in the same field as the department. The main advantage for the trial visits would be to talk to faculty and students about ABET. Departments will be able to invite the students they want to talk to ABET; but, ABET can also pick student
• CELT will send the questions that evaluators usually ask (provided by Ron Miller) to the ABET Coordinators.
• Chen-Ching will send the coordinators electronic copies of Ron Miller's Colorado School of Mines chemical engineering self-study report; and their actions since the last review.
• Janice Henderson will have Appendix II ready to give to the coordinators on May 4th.
• Chen-Ching gave Michael Jenkins some information about Engineers in Training (EIT) and Fundamentals of Engineering (FE). Chen-Ching is expecting to receive two more copies.
• Department self-studies are to be sent to Chen-Ching or Janice in pdf or Word form as well as a hard copy.
• Statistics course syllabi and a list of equivalent community college courses need to be included in Appendix II.
• Janice will send the group a reminder about the ABET deadlines.

Meeting Adjourned.

Minutes prepared by Janice Henderson