UTD Telecommunications Program Fall 2006 Industrial Advisory Board Meeting for Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) S. Venkatesan Pete Bernardin UTD Telecommunications Program October 28, 2006

Goal of Today’s Meeting: Report on the ABET Progress Proposed 2006 TE Program Educational Objectives Some Examples where TE Program has formally measured program assessment Provide documentation and some evidence that TE Program is “Closing the Loop” on the assessment processes Show that the TE program has had regular program evaluations and demonstrate that appropriate corrections have been made to improve the program Demonstrate that TE program has published its objectives and Mission Statement http://www.ecs.utdallas.edu/welcome/eemission.html Present the proposed Non-Tenure Track Faculty Development Plan and your plan to addresses “level of scholarship” and “participation in professional societies” issues TE’s plan for Program’s Senior Design Course that will provide the culminating design experience that ABET requires

TE Mission and Program Educational Objectives 2005 Mission and PEOs The focus of the Telecommunications Engineering degrees is to provide excellent education in modern communications networks and systems. Our graduates are uniquely qualified to apply traditional engineering design and problem solving skills in modern telecommunications. Goals (Program Educational Objectives) Build a foundation for successful, long lived, engineering careers Perform, review and assess sophisticated engineering design Further the necessities of innovation, functionality, safety, and economy in engineering Critical thinking, decision making and communicating effectively Ability to contribute to engineering teams Place engineering design and decision making in a market and societal context Additional Aims of the Telecommunications Engineering program are to grow and maintain an outstanding faculty that remains motivated and empowered and to maintain excellent facilities, including teaching laboratories, computing facilities and classrooms.

TE Mission and Program Educational Objectives Proposed 2006 Mission an PEOs The mission of the Telecommunications Engineering BS degree program is to provide education in modern communications networks and systems. The TE BS program provides graduates that have achieved a senior level command of a variety of subfields of telecommunication engineering at the systems level. These graduates are key contributors to a variety of telecommunications fields such as data communications, network architecture, wireless, optical networking, and next generation networks. Goals (Program Educational Objectives) More Measurable than 2005 Graduates will be able to apply knowledge of mathematics and engineering to solve a variety of telecommunications problems ( =Criterion a) Graduates will be able to design and conduct experiments as well as to analyze and interpret data (=Criterion b) Graduates will be able to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs (=Criterion c) Graduates will be able to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems (=Criterion e)

UTD’s Student Satisfaction Survey Data http://uot.windowssharepointservices.com/TeacherEvaluations.aspx

In-Class Assessments By Faculty http://assess.utdallas.edu/ee_abet_forms/index.html

First Senior Design Presentation to IAB Senior Design Presentation Day, Monday, May 1 , 2006 in TI Conference Room Projects Supervisor Project Title Group No. Presentation Time 1 Marco Tacca VoIP management and operation and TCP/IP analysis I 9:00 AM 2 II 9:20 AM 3 Andy Blanchard Antenna measurement and Design 9:40 AM 4 Farokh Bastani Context-Aware Tele-Presence Anywhere Conferencing (CATPAC) System 10:00 AM 5 10:20 AM 6 Andrew Cilia Autonomous Robotic Cat 10:40 AM 7 Wireless keyless entry system 11:00 AM 8 Autonomous Underwater robot 11:20 AM 9 11:40 AM 10 III 12:00 PM 11 Muhammad Kalam Design and Configuration of a SONET ring from a linear setup 12:20 PM 12 Design and Configuration of a 3-node Optical Network with Gigabit Switch Router 12:40 PM

TE Senior Design Course Improvement Plan Senior Design Proposals for Fall 2006 – A list of all proposals have been collected and evaluated Senior Design Presentation Day – A suitable day during the second half of November will be chosen and announced. Industrial Advisory Board Meetings held in October Posting of Senior Design Activities on the Web page – Department heads would initiate this process. Please read your handouts on Senior Design Courses (note: last 2 pages which are for IAB Course Evaluation)

Non-Tenure Track Faculty Development Plan Goals The goal of this policy is to further the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science’s goals in education and dissemination of knowledge through the following: Fostering the development and continuance of excellence among the faculty. Aiding the administration of the Jonsson School and University in understanding the motivations, strengths, accomplishments, goals, and plans of individual faculty members. Furtherance of communication and understanding between the faculty and the Jonsson School and University administrations. See Handout

Closing the Quality Loop with ABET Program Outcomes: Short-Term Goals Develop Educational Program, including Curriculum and Document Processes to Produce Outcomes Determine Needed to Achieve Objectives Deliver educational program, including curriculum Establish Goals for Outcomes that will lead to Achievement of Determine How Outcomes will be Assessed Evaluate Determine, Update, Publish PEO’s: Long-Term Provide students, faculty, facilities, and resources that are consistent with Objectives Assess Outcomes Demonstrate Graduation

Mapping Mission Statement and IAB Input to PEOs and Assessing Performance UTD MISSION & GOALS PEOs:Program Educational Objectives Constituents assess if objectives met & Documents Constituents take corrective action Input from Industrial Constituents (IAB) If no if yes PEO’s: Long-Term Goals

Pete Bernardin UTD Telecommunications Program APPENDIX Introduction to the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) Pete Bernardin UTD Telecommunications Program

Accreditation: raison d'être In the United States, accreditation is used to ensure quality in educational institutions and programs. Accreditation is a voluntary, non-governmental process of peer review. It requires an educational institution or program to meet certain, defined standards or criteria. Accreditation is sometimes confused with certification. In general, institutions and programs are accredited, and individuals are certified. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) is a professional accrediting organization that accredits engineering programs, not institutions Accreditation serves to notify: Parents and prospective students that a program has met minimum standards Faculty, deans and administrators of a program’s strengths and weaknesses and of ways to improve the program Employers that graduates are prepared to begin professional practice Taxpayers that their funds are spent well The public that graduates are aware of public health and safety considerations A general requirement of most Professional Engineering (PE) licenses is graduation from an ABET accredited school ABET website - http://www.abet.org

Definition of Key ABET Terms Program Educational Objectives -- statements that describe the expected accomplishments of graduates during the first few years after graduation Program Outcomes – statements that describe what students are expected to know and are able to do by the time of graduation Assessment – one or more processes that identify, collect, use and prepare data that can be used to evaluate achievement of program outcomes, educational objectives or for program improvement Evaluation – one or more processes for interpretation of the data and evidence accumulated through assessment practices that a) determine the extent to which program outcomes or educational objectives are being achieved; or b) result in decisions and actions taken to improve the program (e.g. curriculum or methodology)

Accreditation Criteria: Evaluator’s Check List 1. Students -Documented Process for Advising, Monitoring, Evaluation? -Policies for accepting and transferring students equitably? 2. Program Educational Objectives - Are they published and consistent with UTD’s Mission Statement? - Is there a process to determine and update PEO’s? - Are they based on the needs of (Industrial) Constituencies? - Are the results used to Improve the effectiveness of the Program? 3. Program Outcomes - Is there an assessment process with documented measurements? - Are the results used to improve the Program? - Does the Process demonstrate that graduates have “Criteria a-k”? 4. Professional Component - Major Design Experience - One Year of Math and Basic Science - One and one-half years of Engineering Topics - General Education Component that complements technical curricular content

Accreditation Criteria: Evaluator’s Check List (continued) 5. Faculty -Sufficient Number and Competencies to Cover All Curricular Areas -Levels of Student-Faculty Interaction -Student Advising and Counseling -University Service Activities -Professional Development -Interaction with Practitioners and Employers 6. Facilities -Classrooms -Laboratories -Equipment and Tools -Computing and Information Infrastructure 7. Institutional Support and Financial Resources -Sufficient to Assure Quality and Continuity of the Program -Sufficient to Attract and Retain a Well-Qualified Faculty -Sufficient to Acquire, Maintain, and Operate Facilities and Equipment

Closing the Quality Loop with ABET Program Outcomes: Short-Term Goals Develop Educational Program, including Curriculum and Document Processes to Produce Outcomes Determine Needed to Achieve Objectives Deliver educational program, including curriculum Establish Goals for Outcomes that will lead to Achievement of Determine How Outcomes will be Assessed Evaluate Determine, Update, Publish PEO’s: Long-Term Provide students, faculty, facilities, and resources that are consistent with Objectives Assess Outcomes Demonstrate Graduation

Program Educational Objectives (PEO’s) The PEOs are statements that describe the expected accomplishments of graduates during the first few years after graduation Two types of PEO’s: 1) those for all graduates 2) those for top graduates The audiences for PEO statements are external constituents: Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) prospective students, employers transfer institutions student sponsors Programs may choose to have objective statements that would be much broader or longer-term indicators of program success than the definition used here would imply PEOs are long-term post graduation goals.

Mapping Mission Statement and IAB Input to PEOs and Assessing Performance UTD MISSION & GOALS PEOs:Program Educational Objectives Constituents assess if objectives met & Documents Constituents take corrective action Input from Industrial Constituents (IAB) If no if yes

Provide Proof PEO’s are Created and Updated Describe the processes used to establish and review the PEOs and the extent to which the program’s various constituencies are involved in these processes. Provide documentation that demonstrates that the processes are working. Describe how the program curriculum and your processes ensure achievement of the PEOs. Provide documentation that describes the ongoing evaluation of the level of achievement of these objectives, the results obtained by this periodic evaluation and evidence that the results are being used to improve the effectiveness of the program.

Program Outcomes Program Outcomes are statements that describe what students are expected to know and are able to do by the time of graduation Program Outcomes relate to the skills, knowledge and behaviors that students acquire in their matriculation through the program Achievement of all of the program outcomes should indicate that the graduate is equipped to achieve the program educational objectives Achievement of program outcomes by each student should be verified before certification for graduation The program outcomes of ABET accredited programs must embrace the eleven (a) through (k) requirements Program Outcomes are Short-Term Pre-Graduation Goals, potentially measured annually

ABET 11-Key Quality Criteria a-k a) An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science and engineering b) An ability to design and construct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data c) An ability to design a system, component or process to meet desired needs d) An ability to function on interdisciplinary teams e) An ability to identify, formulate and solve engineering problems f) An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility g) An ability to communicate effectively h) The broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering in a global and societal context i) A recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning j) A knowledge of contemporary issues k) An ability to use the techniques, skills and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice

Mapping ABET Quality Criteria to Program Outcomes and Assessing Performance 11 ABET Engineering Quality Criteria (a-k) Curricular Constituents: TE Governing Committee Program Outcomes Constituents assess if objectives met & Documents Constituents take corrective action if yes If no

Provide Proof Outcomes Assessment is working Describe the assessment process, documented assessment results, evidence that results are applied to further development and improvement, and a demonstration of the achievement of each program outcome important to the mission of the institution and the objectives of the program, as required by Criterion 3 (= Program Outcomes) List the Program Outcomes that have been established based on the Program Educational Objectives and describe how these Program Outcomes relate to the Program Educational Objectives. Describe how the Program Outcomes chosen by the program encompass and relate to the outcome requirements of Criterion 3. Describe the processes used to produce and assess each of the program outcomes. Provide metric goals for each outcome that illustrate the level of quality of outcomes achievement felt necessary to produce graduates that will ultimately achieve the Educational Objectives following their graduation

Provide Proof Outcomes Assessment is working (continued) Provide qualitative and quantitative data gathered on a regular basis that are used to assess the quality of achievement of the outcomes and your analysis of those assessment results. Describe the process by which the assessment results are applied to further develop and improve the program. Document changes that have been implemented to further develop and improve the program. Provide qualitative and quantitative data used to support these changes. Describe the materials, including student work and other tangible materials, that will be available for review during the visit to demonstrate achievement of the Program Outcomes and Assessment. The programs are encouraged to organize these materials on the basis of outcomes, rather than on a course-by-course basis.