Preparing for ABET EC 2000: Research-Based Assessment Methods and Processes*

On-going research on outcome-based assessment processes conducted by a multidisciplinary team from five major universities is described. The research has been guided, in large part, by ABET’s innovative criteria—EC 2000. The paper provides examples of several by-products of this research that have been applied in the engineering education environment. The reader is exposed to strategies for objective setting, an attribute database for use in defining student learning outcomes, and examples of technology-enabled systems that provide constituents with timely results. Specific assessment methodologies currently embedded in triangulation and validation experiments are described.