ABET E-News is an e-mail newsletter that brings the latest ABET happenings right to your inbox. Distributed during the first week of each month, this publication features briefs about new web content, upcoming deadlines and events, professional development opportunities, organizational news, and more. ABET E-News is a free service available to anyone who is interested in ABET!
Volume 8, Issue 5
May 2013
Help ABET recognize its most distinguished and dedicated volunteers by nominating your colleagues for these awards:
- Linton E. Grinter Distinguished Service Award – This is ABET’s highest award recognizing individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the technical disciplines through their work with ABET.
- Fellow of ABET Award – This award identifies individuals who have provided sustained, exemplary service to technical education or their respective professions through the work of ABET.
Do you know of individuals, organizations, or programs that has demonstrated extraordinary success in achieving or facilitating diversity and inclusiveness in the technological segments of our society? Nominate them for the Claire L. Felbinger Award for Diversity.
Nominations for all three awards must reach ABET headquarters electronically by May 31. For more information, visit the ABET awards Web page.
If your program submitted a Request for Evaluation (RFE) back in January, then you should be well on your way to finishing your Self-Study Report. Or if your program was required to submit an Interim Report after a recent review, this should also be well underway. Both reports are due to ABET headquarters by July 1. If you have any other questions about Self-Study Reports or Interim Reports, just refer to this Web page.
The four-day Institute for the Development of Excellence in Assessment Leadership (IDEAL) will provide you with the essential skills and knowledge to effectively lead your team through program assessment. At IDEAL, you will learn the basic assessment principles, variations in management skills, and facilitation tools to optimize your accreditation process. Take another step toward being an effective leader! The August 6-9 session will take place in Baltimore. IDEAL is limited to only 40 participants, so submit your application today. To learn more, visit the IDEAL Web page.
For the first time, ABET is offering the opportunity to experience audio and slideshows from more than 40 Symposium sessions with a new feature called Conference Capture. Access to Conference Capture was included in participant registration fees.
However, even if you didn't attend the Symposium, you can still purchase online access to Conference Capture and catch up on current and relevant information you need to continuously improve your programs at your convenience. The costs are: $350 for complete access and $25 per individual session.
For login information, refer to the Conference Capture Web page. Having difficulties logging into your classroom? Contact Peach New Media at 866.702.3278.
Next year's accreditation fee schedules for U.S. and non-U.S. programs have been posted on the ABET website. These documents will bring you up to date about the accreditation fee timeline. Important points to note include:
- Visit fees are the same as they were in 2009, making it six years without an increase for on-campus reviews.
- Maintenance fees, which accredited programs pay annually, have increased by only 2 percent, on par with the mean inflation rate over the past six years.
- The new Readiness Review fees, for any program seeking initial accreditation if its institution does not already have ABET-accredited programs from that same commission, come into effect during the 2013-14 cycle.
For more information, visit our Accreditation Costs Web page.
If you are attending the ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition in Atlanta June 23-26, make sure to catch these ABET-sponsored events:
- ABET Program Assessment Workshop: A hands-on workshop that takes your raw accreditation knowledge and applies it to real, practical situations – Sunday, June 23 (Note that this event has a separate fee and is open to ASEE Conference registrants only.)
- What's New in ABET Accreditation?: Receive updates on changes made to Criterion 2: Program Educational Objectives and Criterion 4: Continuous Improvement, and learn how the four ABET Accreditation Commissions are implementing the new changes to the harmonized General Criteria. A question-and-answer session will follow – Monday, June 24
- Educational Innovation and ABET-Accredited Programs: Explore the groundbreaking initiatives that are changing the face of ABET-accredited programs in the 21st century – Monday, June 24
- How to Become a Program Evaluator: See what goes into being an ABET evaluator and understand what it takes to ensure quality in more than 3,200 technical programs worldwide – Tuesday, June 25
- Dispelling Myths: Common Misconceptions about ABET and Accreditation: Discover what accreditation is really about and what goes into ensuring quality and stimulating innovation – Tuesday, June 25
Come to these events to find out more about ABET, and how ABET accreditation can help invigorate your program's quality.
Get the most out of your 2013 ASEE Conference experience, and sign up for this workshop at a special rate! The ABET Program Assessment Workshop, on Sunday, June 23, in Atlanta, will have participants break into small groups and work together during hands-on exercises to achieve a more intimate understanding of the assessment in an ABET context. In the one-day workshop you will gain a firmer grasp of the design of assessment procedures, the development of measurable learning outcomes, and data analysis. Spaces are limited, so register today on the ASEE website.
Harold C. Grossman, Ph.D., has seen many changes in computer science and higher education over the span of his 40-year career, 35 of which he spent at Clemson University. On the first day of his retirement, the Past Chair of ABET’s Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) shares some of his views and memories with our readers.
Two of ABET's Own Receive Honors
Barry Shoop, ABET's Board Director for the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE), was honored last month with 2013 SPIE Educator Award.
Also, Frank Hart, ABET's Adjunct Accreditation Director for Engineering Technology, received the prestigious James H. McGraw Award.
ABET is proud to see these individuals honored for their accomplishments and dedication to technical program accreditation.
Last fall, the ABET Board of Directors approved a number of changes to the accreditation and criteria policies, and now, we'd like your feedback. These revisions will affect the general criteria for computing, engineering, and engineering technology, as well as the program criteria for engineering and engineering technology. If these changes will affect you or your department, or even if you just have a personal interest in the matter, we encourage you to visit this page and send an e-mail through the appropriate link.
Diversity is of crucial importance to any engineering organization, and to highlight that importance Airbus and the Global Engineering Deans Council (GEDC) have created the Airbus and GEDC Diversity Award. This prize recognizes individuals who have made notable efforts in adding diversity to the engineering classroom. It provides honorees with $10,000 to continue the work of encouraging students from diverse backgrounds to engage in engineering education. The ultimate goal of this award is to foster greater diversity in the global community of engineers. Deans can nominate anyone working as or with engineering faculty.