Purpose and Advisory Role
The purpose of the AAC is to provide a formal venue for advice to the ABET Board of Directors and interaction with key ABET constituents from the academic sector. It aims to strengthen the ties between ABET and the academic community, providing a channel for collaboration, feedback and guidance.
The AAC’s role is to provide ABET leadership with access to academic viewpoints on issues of accreditation; applied science, computing, engineering, and technology education. Many issues (both current and future) related to ABET’s mission benefit from on-going formal discussion with academic constituents. These are two-way conversations and collaborations focused on accreditation issues, ways to promote innovation in professional technical education and accreditation, ABET policy development and refinement, and current trends / challenges. The AAC provides an opportunity to listen, seek input, receive advice, explain, and collaborate.
Leveraging on Ties to Academe
The AAC is advisory in nature, as members of the community provide external input into ABET’s existing (internal) processes. The AAC is also tasked with developing and implementing mechanisms to stimulate the involvement of diverse elements of the academic community in the work of ABET. The AAC aims to achieve that through increased participation of members of the academic community serving as Board members, members of the Accreditation Commissions, program evaluators, committee members, and attendees of ABET professional development events.
These highly accomplished scholars provide their valuable insight on key issues relating to ABET, including implementation and assessment of ABET criteria, and policy and procedures that may have an impact on institutional compliance. Expertise and experience are reflected in skills, knowledge and professionalism relevant to the particular technical areas evaluated by ABET.
Academic Perspective
High-tech jobs are growing nearly four times faster than the national average, and industries are struggling to shape a workforce with a mix of technical and professional skills. With fact-based assessments and accreditation, academic institutions can articulate to a variety of constituencies how they are responding to the education needs of changing workforce requirements. At the same time, business models for funding higher education are also changing and ABET procedures must provide cost effective ways for the institutions to demonstrate their effectiveness in meeting accreditation requirements.
Membership
The AAC represents all four ABET commissions and currently includes 16 deans, associate deans, and other academic leaders who are selected to represent a range of commissions, institutional types, geographical coverage in the United States, and other demographics. One member of the AAC shall be appointed to serve as the chair by the president of ABET. The president, president-elect, and executive director of ABET also serve as regular members of the AAC.
Joint Meeting with Industry Advisory Council
The AAC regularly holds joint meetings with ABET's Industry Advisory Council (IAC). While the two councils have different perspectives on some issues, they share many common goals in their efforts to help ABET improve its processes and the quality of services it provides for its customers. The opportunities and constraints in both the academy and industry are regularly discussed in an open exchange.
A joint AAC-IAC working group is examining a proposal from NSPE to address additional professional skills in the criteria. In addition, the AAC is identifying program-level industry advisory boards that can engage with ABET's IAC for future discussions and collaboration.
The Road Ahead
Over the course of the calendar year 2013, the AAC will focus on some key objectives related to ABET’s charge. The AAC has identified the following priority areas:
Program Evaluator Consistency
This continues to be a primary concern of academic institutions and several positive steps have been taken by ABET headquarters in consultation with the AAC.
Substantial Effort to Prepare for an ABET Review
The Accreditation Policies and Procedures Manual prescribes a process that taxes both evaluators and institutions. There have been positive improvements such as continuing to clarify terminology as well as creating and refining harmonized self-study templates. However, questions still arise, and it appears that the process can be further streamlined. The AAC has been working with IAC, the Accreditation Council and ABET leadership at headquarters, in developing new recommendations.
The AAC took a primary role in recommending the recent change that separates the consideration of program educational objectives from student outcomes. This change provides new clarity and administrative relief to academic programs seeking compliance with ABET criteria.
2012 - 2013 Academic Advisory Council Membership
Steven Cramer, Chair
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Jane Bray
Dean (Education)
Millersville University
Patrick Breysse
Professor and Director
Johns Hopkins University
Kendall Harris
Dean
Prairie View A&M
Ravi Jain
Dean
University of the Pacific
Debra Larson
Dean
Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo
Jerome Lavelle
Assoc Dean of Academic Affairs
North Carolina State University
Richard Mathieu
Department Head and Professor
James Madison University
Ron McKean
Interim Dean
Ferris State University
Arthur Overholser
Senior Associate Dean
Vanderbilt University
Russell Pinizzotto
Provost
Wentworth Institute of Technology
Jeffrey Ray
Dean
Southern Polytechnic State University
Heikki Topi
Associate Dean of Business
Bentley College
John Williams
Dean
Alfred State College