Changes to the EAC Accreditation Criteria – General Criterion 3 Student Outcomes

Many engineering programs have chosen to express their Student Outcomes differently than the (a) through (k) or (a) through (i) listed in the EAC Criterion 3: Student Outcomes. This Accreditation Alert is relevant beginning with the 2011-2012 review cycle and forward. [Read the EAC Accreditation Criteria for the relevant review cycle]

Background

• Each program is expected to use the list of outcomes in criterion 3 to meet the requirements for Criterion 4: Continuous Improvement and Criterion 5: Curriculum.
• However, a program does not have to use the Student Outcomes set in criterion 3. It may come up with its own.

Guidance

• Even though a program may choose to use its own set of Student Outcomes, there are several things to keep in mind:
  • Criterion 4 requires programs to use assessment and evaluation processes that measure how well the outcomes listed in criterion 3 are attained.
  • Criterion 5 requires the program to demonstrate how its curriculum is consistent with the outcomes listed in criterion 3.
• If a program uses a list of outcomes that is different than those listed in criterion 3, the self-study should include a mapping of how these outcomes flow to criteria 4 and 5. In particular, the program should show how their faculty have used the data relative to their outcomes for continuous improvement.