Student Proficiency Profiles through the Computing Professional Skills Assessment

The professional skills are the non-technical learning outcomes put forth by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as part of the larger set of student learning outcomes that are required of all ABET accredited programs. The Computing Professional Skills Assessment (CPSA) is the only tool and method that is able to simultaneously assess all six of the computing professional skills at both undergraduate and graduate levels. This paper presents the results from the first comprehensive investigation of student attainment of the professional skills using the CPSA across a UAE-based computing program's 3
^rd
year, 4
^th
year, and masters level students. The results show that the students overall are weakest in learning outcomes related to the local and global impact of computing, and the ability to recognise when they need to seek additional knowledge. The proficiency results for each year provide useful insights into what and where weaknesses exist. With this information one can devise interventions in a program so as to improve student learning.