Design of Rubrics for Student Outcomes in 2019-2020 ABET Criteria

ABET is the main accreditation body for engineering programs in the United States and they have recently introduced a new set of Student Outcomes. This set was reduced from 11 to 7 items by combining several outcomes into one and adding some new ones. In our electrical and computer engineering programs we decided to design a set of seven general rubrics, one for each ABET outcome. These rubrics could then be used unaltered if course content fits them, or they can be adjusted to fit a particular course. To use a common description for rubrics, we wanted to keep the Performance Criteria the same but can adjust the Performance Indicators to suit a particular course. Six rubrics are presented in detail. We also share some initial observation in practical implementation of these in course and program assessment. They have helped us identify a problem in our sophomore cornerstone class related to the quality of student designs. Similarly, in our senior capstone-related class we identified a problem with defining and understanding ethical dilemmas.