Paper Authors

Abstract

NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract

Main Menu

Session 2793

Criteria and Processes of ABET 2000 in the Recruitment of New Engineering Students

Migri Prucz West Virginia University

Abstract

In response to far-reaching advances in technology and sweeping changes of business practices in the global market environment, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) has initiated in the mid-nineties a gradual transition towards new criteria, guidelines, and approaches for the accreditation of undergraduate engineering programs. Collectively referred to as "ABET 2000", the new accreditation requirements reflect the dynamics of the job market, with the purpose of satisfying emerging personnel needs of the industry, as well as the career goals and interests of engineering students. Although the ABET evaluation process is centered on the education of students who are enrolled already in an undergraduate program, many of its elements can benefit also the process of recruiting new engineering freshmen. The College of Engineering and Mineral Resources (CEMR) at West Virginia University (WVU) has initiated a formal, sustained and comprehensive effort to integrate within its recruitment efforts selected ABET principles, guidelines, and practices. A framework of "Total Quality Management" (TQM) is thus established for engineering recruitment, that encompasses all the three key elements of the ABET 2000 criteria – 1) educational objectives, 2) metrics of quality and effectiveness, 3) formal process for outcome assessments and continuous improvement. A powerful synergy exists between the content of information presented to prospective students and their families through the recruitment process on one hand, and the basic ABET accreditation criteria, on the other hand. It spans over a broad range of issues, concerning the quality of students and faculty, the program objectives, the professional component and outcomes, supporting facilities and institutional resources. Such synergy provides the rationale for systematic, measured transition of appropriate concepts from the process of ABET evaluations to that of recruiting engineering freshmen. Furthermore, a well documented assessment process, in terms of quantitative metrics for continuous improvement, as it is fostered by the ABET guidelines, is likely to provide an effective mechanism for evaluating the effectiveness of various recruiting activities.

I. Introduction

The dynamics of contemporary changes in the global economy, in the government regulations, in the modern technologies, as well as in the demographics of the U. S. population, have triggered a systematic reforming process in engineering education [1]. It entails not only major re-alignments of instructional topics and methods, but also updated strategies for student recruiting, admission, services, and development. Detailed accounts of new programs developed and implemented by CEMR at WVU for effective recruiting of engineering students have been presented at previous annual conferences of the

Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition, Copyright @2002, American Societ y for Engineering Education

Main Menu

• Citation

• Format
  • APA
  • APA - LaTeX bibitem
  • MLA
  • MLA - LaTeX bibitem
  • Bibtex
  • EndNote - RIS

Prucz, M. (2002, June), Criteria And Processes Of Abet 2000 In The Recruitment Of New Engineering Students Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--10651