The UI Computer Science Department is going to be visited by a team from ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) this fall. The Department has been preparing in earnest for this visit for over a year, although the process actually is an ongoing one - happening all the time. This talk hopes to answer the question "Why is this important?"
The talk will first describe who ABET is, their history and what their mission is. Next we will discuss the process ABET uses in performing their review, including the timeline of the upcoming accreditation process. ABET looks at several criteria concerning the CS Program and its relationship with the College of Engineering and the University, including its students, the program's educational objectives, student outcomes, curriculum, faculty, facilities and institutional support.
A very important aspect of the review is the department's process for continuous improvement. How the program assesses the effectiveness of each course in meeting the program educational objectives will be discussed. Students play a vital role in this process, even though they may not realize it.