Successful Assessment Strategies for ABET Accreditation of Engineering Programs Offered at Different Campuses

Published in: Engineering Innovations for Global Sustainability: Proceedings of the 14th Latin American and Caribbean Conference for Engineering and Technology
Date of Conference: July 20-22, 2016
Location of Conference: San Jose, Costa Rica
Authors: Hermes E. Calderón
Ramón E. Vásquez
Diego A. Aponte Roa
Maritza Del Valle
Refereed Paper: #226

Abstract:

Administrators of engineering programs across the board have increased their interest to obtain accreditation. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) is one of the organizations more recognized at a global level, not only for quality assurance but also because the accreditation criteria help the programs to set continuous improvement processes. However, there is not useful information or guidelines for programs seeking ABET accreditation for the first time in programs offered at different locations. This paper presents the assessment plan and strategies to prepare programs to a successful accreditation, in programs offered in different campuses, for an eventual on-site visit. Dissemination of results, summary of materials for the display room, and successful practices in order to improve the programs, are included as well. In this document, we highlight the use of educational platforms as low cost assessment tools that many institutions already have.