ABET Computer Science Questions: http://www.abet.org/linked%20documents%2Dupdate/program%20docs/c003%20cs%20self%2Dstudy%20questionnarie%202%2D4%2D05.doc

 

U of D College of Engineering: http://www.ece.udel.edu/accreditation/

 

Arizona State: http://www.eas.asu.edu/%7Ecsedept/about/mission.php

To become a world-class department that excels in all aspects of academic endeavor through:

  • Education and mentorship of top quality students.
  • Development of model programs at undergraduate and graduate levels.
  • Highest caliber research activity, recognized by CSE community, targeting highly impactful and transdisciplinary applications.
  • Significant outreach to our constituencies - including partnerships, executive and online communities.
  • Entrepreneurship culture.

ABET Longitudinal Study: http://www.eas.asu.edu/%7Eassess/full_circle.htm

 

Auburn: http://eng.auburn.edu/programs/comp/about/plan/index.html

The mission of CSSE, consistent with that of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, is to prepare our students, through high quality internationally recognized instructional programs, to practice professionally and ethically in a competitive global environment; to expand scientific and engineering knowledge through innovative research and creative partnerships involving academia, industry, and government; and to provide extension programs to assist individuals and organizations in finding solutions to problems through education, consultation and practical research.

Assessment Rubrics : http://www.eng.auburn.edu/programs/chen/programs/accreditation/assessment-rubrics.html

 

Boston U.: http://cs-www.bu.edu/

Has a BA/MA/or PhD.

 

Brandeis U. : http://www.cs.brandeis.edu/cs/degrees/index.html

 

BYU: http://www.cs.byu.edu/undergraduate/

 

Brown U: http://www.cs.brown.edu/ugrad/

 

http://www.uaf.edu/provost/outcomes/PlansHtmlFormat/ComputerScienceBSNov2003.html

University of Alaska at Fairbanks.

Date: November 25, 2003

Certificate or Degree Program: Computer Science B.S.

Mission Statements:

UA:

The University of Alaska inspires learning, and advances and disseminates knowledge through teaching, research, and public service, emphasizing the North and its diverse peoples.

UAF:

The University of Alaska Fairbanks, as the nation's northernmost Land, Sea, and Space Grant university and international research center, advances and disseminates knowledge through creative teaching, research, and public service with an emphasis on Alaska, the North and their diverse peoples.

CSEM

The College of Science, Engineering and Mathematics prepares students for professional excellence and public service through undergraduate, graduate and continuing education programs to benefit Alaska, the nation and the world.  We advance knowledge of natural and technological systems, including a northern perspective through research and education.

DMS

The Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has an important but simple mission as given by four primary goals:

1.      To educate the students of the university and the public in general in the mathematical, computer science and statistical skills needed in order to function as useful and productive citizens in our nation and the world,

2.      To add to the existing base of knowledge in the mathematical sciences through research and other scholarly activities,

3.      To train new mathematical scientists and teachers of the mathematical sciences and

4.      To provide the tools needed for continued scientific and technological progress.

 

Objectives:

1.      To introduce the student to the fundamentals of computer programming and theory and to the underlying mathematical and scientific principles.

2.      To prepare students for employment in the computing industry or for postgraduate study in computer science.

3.      To provide students with an understanding of professional responsibilities, ethics, and the importance of life-long learning.

4.      To develop skills for teamwork including collaboration and oral and written communications.

 

Expected Outcomes:

1.      Students will achieve proficiency in calculus, discrete math, and statistics.

2.      Students will achieve proficiency in Computer Science skills (fundamentals of programming, computer organization, architecture, operating systems, algorithms, theory, software engineering)

3.      Students will demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

4.      Students will demonstrate the ability to work effectively as part of a team.

5.      Students will understand the need for continuing life-long learning and will continue to educate themselves throughout their careers.

6.      Students will gain a broad background in liberal arts, fine arts, science and ethics.

7.      Students will demonstrate the ability to apply their knowledge to practical problems.

8.      Students will be employed in a computing-related industry or go on to graduate school.

 

To measure the expected outcomes, we will use the following resources:

1.      CSIAC: The Computer Science Industry Advisory Council is composed of employers of our graduates. It will meet yearly to review collected material (see below), and to advise the department on curricular changes and strengths and weaknesses of recent graduates.

2.      Alumni Survey: A survey of all reachable alumni will be distributed in February of even numbered years. The survey will gather information including job placement, graduate school information, salaries, and strengths/weaknesses in the program. Results will be compiled at the end of March and summarized by the CS Assessment committee. The summary will be distributed to all CS Faculty and to the CSIAC.

3.      Employer Survey: A survey of employers of recent UAF CS graduates will be distributed in February of odd numbered years (and in February of 2004). The survey will gather information including strengths/weaknesses of recent graduates and industry trends. Results will be compiled at the end of March and summarized by the CS Assessment committee. The summary will be distributed to all CS Faculty and to the CSIAC.

4.      Exit Survey: A survey of all students in CS 402 (the capstone senior project course) will be administered every spring. The survey will gather information including student employment plans and student opinion of curriculum. The results will be summarized by the CS Assessment committee and distributed to all CS Faculty and the CSIAC.

5.      The University of Alaska's assessment of core classes (performed separately from our department.)

6.      ETS Major Field Test in Computer Science: This test will be administered to all graduating students in CS 402 (capstone course) every spring. (Information on this test is appended to this plan.) Summary results will be reviewed by the CS Assessment committee and the CSIAC.

7.      Individual Course Assessment: Should the Field Test results indicate a weakness in a particular subject area, the course related to that subject area may be individually assessed. Such assessment would be performed by the CS Assessment committee and the teaching professor.

8.      CS 402 Project Portfolio: CS 402 (Senior Project and Professional Practice) students complete a software engineering team project. Deliverables from this project include a written report and an oral presentation. A portfolio consisting of the report, a videotape of the presentation and other supporting documentation (including instructor comments) is prepared for each project. Each year two of these portfolios will be selected to be reviewed by the CS Assessment committee and the CSIAC.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

http://www.oir.uiuc.edu/assessment/plans/computer-science.html

 

II. GOALS:
=========================================================================
The Computer Science Department seeks to provide its B.S., M.S., and M.C.S. graduates with:
• A broad understanding of the science of computing, including knowledge of hardware and software engineering, design, and theoretical principles;
• A strong foundation for graduate study at the doctoral level, for positions of leadership in industry, and for life-long learning in a rapidly evolving field.

In addition, Ph. D. students will:
• acquire a deep understanding of the frontiers of one or more sub-areas, and will be prepared to extend those frontiers via innovative research and/or development.

III. DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES
=========================================================================
For students in the B.S., M.S., M.C.S., and Ph.D. programs, we have identified the following objectives. Upon completion of our program, each student should:
1. Understand fundamental principles of the science and engineering of computation, including those of computer architecture, of software design, and of algorithm analysis.
2. Be able to analyze and compare the relative merits of alternative software designs, algorithmic approaches, and computer system organization, with respect to a variety of criteria relevant to the task (e.g., efficiency, scalability, security, ...)
3. Be able to design and implement high quality computer systems and applications.
4. Be able to work effectively in a team on a large project.
5. Be able to effectively communicate, orally, in writing, and using other media as appropriate.
6. Appreciate responsibilities and ethical issues in the design and application of computer systems.
7. Have knowledge of current and possible future applications of computing science and technology in at least one area outside of Computer Science.
8. Be well prepared for graduate study in Computer Science, and/or for leading technical positions in industry.

In addition, M.S. and Ph.D. students should:
9. Have a deep understanding of one or more sub-areas of computer science. In addition, Ph.D. students should:
10. Be capable of extending the frontiers of knowledge in at least one sub-area via innovative application, development, and research.
11. Be able to function effectively as an educator.

IV. MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTS AND TECHNIQUES
=========================================================================
The Computer Science Department plans to determine the efficacy of its programs with respect to the aforementioned objectives via a variety of methods.

A. Senior Survey (Outcomes 1-8)
--------------------------------
Summary results from The Chancellor’s Senior Survey on the Undergraduate Experience at UIUC, provided by the Center for Teaching Excellence.

B. Alumni Surveys and Recommendations (Outcomes 1-11)
------------------------------------------------------
The Computer Science Department enjoys a strong and active alumni group. In the past few years, the Alumni Board, in conjunction with the department's Coordinator of Alumni Relations, surveyed a broad cross-section of our undergraduate majors. Questions focused on general curricular issues, including current trends in industry, specific skills attained, and general departmental culture. Information obtained from these surveys addresses curricular issues much more specifically than the Chancellor's Survey, and provides a valuable retrospective view of how well prepared the students were for their current positions. The Alumni Board also administered a graduate survey, and provided specific recommendations for department program and policy reform. The CS department plans to adapt the surveys to a web format, allowing for regular and low-cost administration and compilation of data.

C. GRE scores (Outcome 8)
--------------------------
For our undergraduates who intend to pursue graduate studies, we will use data provided by the Educational Testing Service via the Center for Teaching Excellence. Such data provides a comparison of UIUC CS major subject area test scores with students worldwide who took the same subject area test. In addition, comparisons are available for the general exams with all UIUC students, and all students worldwide.

D. Qualifying Examinations (Outcome 9)
---------------------------------------
A Ph.D. students must pass a qualifying examination, administered by faculty in various research subareas, and testing deep knowledge in a specialized area of Computer Science. The Head of the Graduate Program collects statistics on student performance, and will make this available to the relevant committees (see next section).

E. Ph. D. placement statistics (Outcome 10)
-------------------------------------------
The Head of the Graduate Program will collect placement information for our graduating Ph.D. students.

F. TA evaluation forms (Outcome 11)
-----------------------------------
Our Graduate office will collect faculty reviews of Teaching Assistant performance. We will make use of ICES forms for those TAs responsible for lecture sections.

V. PROCESS FOR USING THE RESULTS
=========================================================================
The Computer Science Department already has in place committees charged with overview of our programs and curricula. The Courses and Curriculum Committee (CCC) reviews particular course offerings, as well as general program requirements. The Undergraduate and Graduate Study Committees are responsible for setting the overall direction of these programs, and the Directors of the Undergraduate and Graduate Programs are responsible for maintaining the integrity of these programs and for addressing specific student concerns. There is significant overlap among these three committees, and they have collectively been effective in realizing the department's goals and suggesting program reform. Consequently, rather than create another committee layer, we propose the following mechanism for Outcomes Assessment: Annual review of new data collected from the sources described in Section IV will be undertaken by CCC, which will then communicate specific findings and concerns to the undergraduate and graduate study committees. After obtaining feedback, CCC will report to the faculty at a regular faculty meeting, offering recommendations for programmatic change.

VI. TIMETABLE FOR IMPLEMENTATION
=========================================================================
Some instruments are already in place (A, D, E, F). All that is required is that they be forwarded appropriately and tagged “Outcomes Assessment”. GRE scores (C) are available for 1995-1996. The department will request yearly data from CTE. During the 1999-2000 academic year, the web-survey will be developed from the existing Alumni Board Surveys. We plan to begin collecting survey data on a regular basis beginning in the year 2000.

VII. SUPPORT NEEDS
=========================================================================
Besides nominal costs for development of the web survey, little additional expenses should be incurred.


 

INTENDED OUTCOMES/
OBJECTIVES

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

IMPLEMENTATION PROCEDURES
(what, when, who)

1.        Students will achieve proficiency in calculus, discrete math, and statistics.

a)        Completed Math 307 (Discrete Math) and Math 200 and 201 (Calculus sequence), Stat 300 (Statistics) and a 300 or 400 level Math elective with a C or better.

b)       Question(s) on alumni survey.

c)        Question(s) on employer survey.

d)       Review by CSIAC

a)        Checked automatically by graduation office. These classes are offered by other units in our department and are separately assessed.

b)       See above.

c)        See above.

d)       See above.

 

2.        Students will achieve proficiency in? Computer Science skills (fundamentals of programming, computer organization, architecture, operating systems, algorithms, theory, software engineering)

 

a)        ETS Major Field Test in Computer Science scores.

b)       Question(s) on alumni survey.

c)        Question(s) on employer survey.

d)       Completion of CS portion of curriculum

e)        Review by CSIAC

a)        See above.

b)       See above.

c)        See above.

d)       Checked automatically by graduation office.

e)        See above.

 

3.        Students will demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

 

a)        CS 402 Project Portfolios.

b)       Completion of English core, Communications core, and ENGL 314 (technical writing.)

 

a)        See above.

b)       Checked automatically by graduation office. These classes are separately assessed at the University level.

4.        Students will demonstrate the ability to work effectively as part of a team.

 

a)        CS 402 Portfolios.

a)        See above.

 

5.        Students will understand the need for continuing life-long learning and will continue to educate themselves throughout their careers.

 

a)        Question(s) on alumni survey.

b)       Question(s) on employer survey.

c)        Question(s) on exit survey.

a)        See above.

b)       See above.

c)        See above.

6.        Students will gain a broad background in liberal arts, fine arts, science and ethics.

 

a)        University core requirement fulfilled.

a)        Checked automatically by graduation office. These classes are separately assessed at the University level.

7.        Students will demonstrate the ability to apply their knowledge to practical problems.

 

a)        The CS 402 Project portfolio provides evidence these skills.

 

a)        See above.

 

8.        Students will be employed in a computing-related industry or go on to graduate school.

 

a)        Question(s) on alumni survey.

b)       Question(s) on exit survey

 

a)        See above.

b)       See above.