Neeraj Mittal September 29, 2017 ABET Overview Neeraj Mittal September 29, 2017

Review of ABET Requirements and Assessment Processes Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Assessment of Undergraduate Programs ABET Requirements University, School and Department have mission statements A program has educational objectives Broad statements that describe what students of the program are expected to attain within a few years of their graduation A program has student outcomes Describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of their graduation Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Mission Statement, Educational Objectives and Student Outcomes Part of undergraduate catalog: https://catalog.utdallas.edu/2017/undergraduate/programs/ecs/computer-science https://catalog.utdallas.edu/2017/undergraduate/programs/ecs/software-engineering Educational Objectives and Student Outcomes also available on department’s website: http://cs.utdallas.edu/education/undergraduate/

Assessment of Undergraduate Programs Mission Statement The mission of the Department of Computer Science is to prepare undergraduate and graduate students for productive careers in industry, academia, and government by providing an outstanding environment for teaching, learning, and research in the theory and applications of computing. The Department places high priority on establishing and maintaining innovative research programs to enhance its education quality and make it an important regional, national and international resource center for discovering, integrating and applying new knowledge and technologies. Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Bachelors in Computer Science (BSCS) PrograM Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Educational Objectives Graduates should have a successful, long-lived, computer science based career path Graduates should meet the needs of industry or academia Graduates should contribute to, and/or lead, computer science based teams Graduates should actively pursue continuing learning Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Assessment of Undergraduate Programs Student Outcomes An ability to apply knowledge of computing and mathematics appropriate to program’s student outcomes and to the discipline An ability to analyze a problem, and identify and define the computing requirements appropriate to its solution An ability to design, implement and evaluate a computer-based system, process, component, or program to meet desired needs An ability to function effectively on teams to accomplish a common goal Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Student Outcomes (Contd.) An understanding of professional, ethical, legal, security, and social issues and responsibilities An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences An ability to analyze the local and global impact of computing on individuals, organizations and society Recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in, continuing professional development An ability to use current techniques, skills, and tools necessary for computing practices Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Student Outcomes (Contd.) An ability to apply mathematical foundations, algorithmic principles, and computer science theory in the modeling and design of computer-based systems in a way that demonstrates comprehension of the tradeoffs involved in design choices An ability to apply design and development principles in the construction of software systems of varying complexity Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Bachelors in SoftwaRe Engineering (BSSE) PrograM Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Educational Objectives Graduates should have a successful, long-lived, software engineering based career path Graduates should meet the needs of industry or academia Graduates should contribute to, and/or lead, software engineering based teams Graduates should actively pursue continuing learning Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Assessment of Undergraduate Programs Student Outcomes An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability An ability to function on multidisciplinary teams Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Student Outcomes (Contd.) An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility An ability to communicate effectively The broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context A recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Student Outcomes (Contd.) A knowledge of contemporary issues An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Assessment of Undergraduate Programs Program ASSESSMENT Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Assessing Student Outcomes We use two ways to evaluate the level of attainment of student outcomes regularly: Using course learning outcomes (CLOs): Course assessment sheets are filled by instructors every semester Instructor objectively assesses each CLO of the course Senior exit survey: conducted every year by the Office of Assessment Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

CLOs for CS 3305 (Discrete Mathematics for Computing II) Ability to recognize and construct proofs Ability to recognize and use equivalence relations and partial orderings Ability to use recursive definitions and solve recurrence relations Ability to understand advanced counting methods Ability to understand graph theory and basic graph algorithms Ability to use tree terminology and basic tree algorithms Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Assessing Student Outcome Each student outcome is mapped to a set of performance criteria Student Outcome Performance Criteria An ability to apply knowledge of computing and mathematics appropriate to program’s student outcomes and to the discipline Develop an algorithm to solve a computing problem Demonstrate the correctness of a computer algorithm using fundamental mathematical and computing principles Analyze the complexity of a computer algorithm using fundamental mathematical and computing techniques Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Assessing Performance Criterion Each performance criterion is mapped to a set of course learning outcomes from multiple courses Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Performance Criterion Courses Learning Outcomes Used Courses Used Courses Learning Outcomes Used Analyze the complexity of a computer algorithm using fundamental mathematical and computing techniques CS 2305: Discrete Mathematics for Computing I CLO 3: Ability to understand what an algorithm is, use algorithms, use Big-O notation and algorithmic complexity CLO 4: Ability to use basic counting techniques CS 3305: Discrete Mathematics for Computing II CLO 3: Ability to use recursive definitions and solve recurrence relations CLO 4: Ability to understand and apply advanced counting methods CS 3345: Data Structures and Introduction to Algorithmic Analysis CLO 1: Ability to use/analyze asymptotic notations, recurrences, algorithm analysis CS 4349: Advanced Algorithm Design and Analysis CLO 1: Ability to use asymptotic notations, solve recurrences, perform algorithm analysis Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Assessing Student Outcomes E.g., (a) An ability to apply knowledge of computing and mathematics appropriate to the discipline Performance Criteria E.g., Develop an algorithm to solve a computing problem E.g., Ability to design, analyze, and prove correctness of algorithms based on Divide-and-Conquer techniques Course Learning Outcomes Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Program IMPROVEMENTS in the CURRENT CYCLE Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Assessment of Undergraduate Programs Program Improvements Updated programming sequence courses CS 0 (CS 1336: Programming Fundamentals): Focus on C CS 1 (CS 1337: Computer Science I): Focus on C++ CS 2 (CS 2336: Computer Science II): Focus on Java Added a new section of CS 2 with focus on C/C++ for transfer students Separate sections of CS 0, CS 1 and CS 2 for non-major students Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Assessment of Undergraduate Programs Program Improvements Added a new Honors Programs: CS2: Computer Science Computing Scholars Separate honors sections for many core courses CS 2305: Discrete Mathematics for Computing I CS 3305: Discrete Mathematics for Computing II CS 3345: Data Structures and Introduction to Algorithmic Analysis CS 3340: Computer Architecture CS 4341: Digital Logic and Computer Design CS 4348: Operating Systems Concepts CS 4349: Advanced Algorithm Design and Analysis Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Assessment of Undergraduate Programs Program Improvements Added two required core courses CS/SE 3162 (1 credit hour): Professional Responsibility in Computer Science and Software Engineering CS/SE 4347 (3 credit hours): Database Systems ECS 1200 (Introduction to Engineering and Computer Science) replaced with two courses: ECS 1100 (1 credit hour): Introduction to Engineering and Computer Science CS 1200 (2 credit hours): Introduction to Computer Science and Software Engineering Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Assessment of Undergraduate Programs Program Improvements Significantly expanded tutoring help Computer Science Mentor Center (CSMC) headed by Dr. Linda Morales Provides help for several lower division courses: Walk-in Tutoring Group Study Homework/Project Help Examination Review Examination Rework Diagnostic Examinations Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Assessment of Undergraduate Programs Program Improvements Revised pre-requisite of several courses: CS 2305 (Discrete Mathematics for Computing I): Score of at least 75% in ALEKS, or C or better grade in MATH 2312 (Pre calculus) CS/SE 3340 (Computer Architecture): C or better grade in CS 2305 (Discrete Mathematics for Computing I) Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Assessment of Undergraduate Programs Program Improvements Revised pre-requisite of several courses Need C or better grade in lower division courses to take more advanced courses CS/SE 4348 (Operating Systems Concepts): Must have passed CS/SE 3376 (C/C++ Programming in a UNIX Environment) ECS 3361 (Social Issues and Ethics in Computer Science and Engineering): Junior Standing Required Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Assessment of Undergraduate Programs Program Improvements Re-aligned contents of CS/SE 3376 (C/C++ in a UNIX Environment) and CS/SE 4348 (Operating Systems Concepts) Topics covered in CS/SE 3376: shell scripting, regular expressions, processes, inter-process communication, file system, I/O of binary files, version control system, etc. Topics covered in CS/SE 4348: threads, concurrent programming, CPU scheduling, memory management, file management, disk scheduling, virtualization, etc. Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Assessment of Undergraduate Programs Program Improvements Instituted new attendance policy Started pooling of teaching assistants CS/SE 3345 (Data Structures and Introduction to Algorithmic Analysis) CS 4349 (Advanced Algorithm Design and Analysis) CS 4384 (Automata Theory) Assessment of Undergraduate Programs

Assessment of Undergraduate Programs More Information Assessment details are available in the BSCS and BSSE self study reports: Hard copies in faculty mail room Soft copies at http://www.utdallas.edu/~nxm020100/ABETSACS/ These slides are available at http://www.utdallas.edu/~nxm020100/ABETSACS/ Assessment of Undergraduate Programs