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Norfolk State University Bachelors Engineering Programs are fully ABET accredited.
Accreditation Overview
In accordance with the requirements of ABET, the sole accrediting agency for engineering programs in the U.S., Norfolk State University’s undergraduate Electronics Engineering and Optical Engineering programs are seeking full ABET Accreditation at the first opportunity following the date of the first Department of Engineering graduating classes in May 2007. NSU submitted its application for ABET accreditation in July 2007. The two programs that are applying for accreditation are:
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For more information on the ABET Accrediation process please review the following information:
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Accreditation Requirements
ABET has identified 8 critical areas that support the success of an undergraduate academic unit. At a minimum, all accredited programs must demonstrate that
their graduates meet the required achievement in each of the defined areas.
Criteria |
Description |
Students |
Programs must demonstrate an acceptable level of performance and quality
in its students and graduates |
Program Objectives |
Programs must provide broad statements of expected early career accomplishments
of its graduates. |
Program Outcomes and Assessment |
Programs must describe what students are expected to know and be able
to do by graduation. Programs must further implement an on-going program
of assessment and evaluation to support continuous improvement in its
ability to achieve the intended outcomes in its graduates. |
Professional Component |
Programs must provide adequate exposure to basic sciences and engineering
topics, as well as core requirements that complement the technical requirements. |
Faculty |
The program faculty should be sufficient in number and appropriately
credentialed to successfully design and implement the curriculum and to
adequately advise and mentor its students. |
Facilities |
Classrooms, laboratories, and other educational equipment should be
adequate to accomplish the program objectives and to support learning. |
Institutional Support/Finicial Resources |
Institutional support, financial resources, and program leadership must
be adequate to assure the quality and continuity of the engineering program. |
Program Criteria |
The program curriculum should provide the breadth and depth needed for
success within the desired engineering discipline. |
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NSU Engineering Accreditation Plan
Norfolk State University Engineering Faculty has developed an assessment and
evaluation process (AEP) based on the goal of enhanced student learning, application of diverse assessment
strategies, and continuous improvement. Accordingly, the NSU AEP builds upon advanced learning models and
contemporary ideas related to reform in engineering education. At the core of the NSU AEP is the
alignment of the engineering curriculum to the intended
learning outcomes for the Electronics Engineering and Optical Engineering programs,
and to six levels of understanding described in the Bloom’s Learning Taxonomy (Bloom, 1956).
The assessment and evaluation model also builds upon a general framework that has been developed
by Besterfield-Sacre et al (2000) at the University of Pittsburg. The comprehensive AEP activities
include formative and summative assessment, using a triangulation strategy. NSU has also established
alliances with other engineering programs to benchmark the performance of NSU engineering students
against students at other leading universities in the U.S. NSU gave a presentation on its
comprehensive assessment activities at the Fall 2006 Frontiers in Education Annual Meeting (
Mead et al, 2006). The full assessment and evaluation cycle is presented in the table below.
For more information about the NSU assessment plan, contact Dr. Patricia Mead, pmead@nsu.edu.
Category |
Function |
Constituency |
Assessment and Evaluation Cycle |
Academic Functions |
Course Evaluations |
Students, Faculty |
Annual |
| Engineering Program Outcomes (a-l) |
Students, Faculty, Employers |
Two years |
| Engineering Program Mission and Objectives |
Employers, Faculty, Advisory Board, Alumni |
Three years |
| NSU Core Competencies |
Students, Faculty |
Annual |
| Student achievement (portfolios) |
Students |
Annual |
Physical Infrastructure |
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Students, Faculty, Advisory Board, Alumni |
Two years
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Administration and Organizational Structures |
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Faculty, Advisory Board |
Two years |
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References
Besterfield-Sacre, M, Shuman, L., Wolfe, H., Atman, C., McGourty, J.,
Miller, R., Olds, B., and Rogers, G. “Defining the Outcomes: A Framework for EC2000,” IEEE
Transactions on Engineering Education, Vol. 43, No. 2, April 2000, pp.
100-110.
Bloom, B.S., Engelhart, M.D., Furst, E.J., Hill,
W.H., & Krathwohl, D.R. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Book 1, Cognitive
Domain. New York: McKay.Burnet, G., Greisch, and Rohler, J. (1994). The Ten Most
Outstanding Engineering Education and Engineering Technology Achievements of the
Part Century, Journal of Engineering Education, January 1994, pp. 3 – 5.
Mead, P., Maclin, A., Morsi, R., Turnquest, S., Wallace,
S. “Practical Framework for Engineering Outcomes Based Teaching and Assessment -- A Catalyst
for the Creation of Faculty Learning Communities”, To be presented at
2006 Frontiers in Education Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, October 28,
2006.
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