DIRECT MEASUREMENT OF STUDENT OUTCOMES WITH A PIPE NETWORK DESIGN PROGRAM

The ABET web site (WWW.ABET.ORG) provides information about accreditation, including the documents entitled "Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs" for specific Accreditation Cycles (school years).A comparison of these criteria reveals that "direct measures" for assessment are not specifically mentioned until 2011-2012.The definition section for the 2010-2011 criteria defines Assessment as follows [1]."Assessment is one or more processes that identify, collect, and prepare data to evaluate the achievement of program outcomes and program educational objectives."However, the 2011-2012 criteria document provides the following definition [2]."Assessment is one or more processes that identify, collect, and prepare data to evaluate the attainment of student outcomes and program educational objectives.Effective assessment uses relevant direct, indirect, quantitative and qualitative measures as appropriate to the objective or outcome being measured.Appropriate sampling methods may be used as part of an assessment process."