Mapping the Future of Engineering Communication: Report on a Research Study of Engineering Faculty and Their Teaching of Writing as a Function of the ABET/EAC Criteria

The ABET/Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs is the set of basic requirements that every engineering program must meet in order to ensure its continued accredited status. According to ABET, Inc., the organization charged with maintaining the criteria, the criteria are "intended to assure quality and to foster the systematic pursuit of improvement in the quality of engineering education that satisfies the needs of constituencies in a dynamic and competitive environment" (http://www.abet.org/). The criteria cover all aspects of an engineering program's operation, from faculty qualifications to laboratory space; they also cover Program Outcomes and Assessment, the statements that "describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of graduation".