isecon 2001 gorgone & feinstein1 status of information systems accreditation isecon, october...

ISECON 2001 Gorgone & Feinstein

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STATUS OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS ACCREDITATION

ISECON, October 2001

John T.Gorgone, Bentley CollegeDavid L. Feinstein, University of South

Alabama


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IS ACCREDITATION

EXECUTIVE COMMITEE

Dr. David Feinstein, Univ. of South Alabama

Dr. John T. Gorgone, Bentley College

Dr. John C. Henderson, Boston University

Dr Willis K. King, University of Houston

Dr. Benn R. Konsynski, Emory University

Dr. Doris K. Lidtke, Towson University

Dr. Sorel Reisman, California State University

Dr. Jon A. Turner, New York University

Dr. Joe Valacich, Washington State University

Dr. Gayle J. Yaverbaum,Penn State Harrisburg


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Agenda

Overview of U.S. Accreditation Computing Accreditation

Background Status of IS Accreditation Accreditation Process IS Accreditation Criteria Overview Questions


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Three Types of Accreditors1. Regional Accreditors

• Accredit public & private two- & four-year institutions.

• Comprehensive review of all institutional functions

2. National Accreditors• Accredit public & private institutions,

frequently single-purpose institutions

3. Specialized & Professional Accreditors


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Three Types of Accreditors

3. Specialized & Professional Accreditors

1. Accredit specific programs or schools including business schools, accounting programs, computing programs, engineering schools and programs, law schools, medical schools, and health professional programs

2. E.g. AACSB, ABET


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Purposes of Accreditation Assuring Quality

Primary means to assure quality to students & the public

A signal that program meets at least minimal standards for its faculty, curriculum, student services, libraries and fiscal stability.


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Purposes of Accreditation Engendering Employer Confidence

Accreditation status is important to employers when evaluating credentials of job applicants and

when deciding whether to provide tuition support for current employees seeking additional education.

Easing Transfer of Courses Among Colleges


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Who Benefits from Accreditation

Students Employers Public Institution

Reputation Department Program


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Five Key Features of Accreditation Self Study: Summary of performance Peer Review: People in the profession Site Visit: Visit team review of

program Action by Accrediting Organization Ongoing External Review: Cycles up

to 10 years


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Agenda




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Computing Accreditation Background CS accreditation began in USA in 1986 166 accredited programs at 158

institution in USA Programs reviewed by faculty and

qualified industry visitors (volunteers from universities and industry)

Only programs located in regionally accredited institutions are eligible

Process takes nearly 2 years.


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Agenda


Background Status of IS Accreditation Accreditation Process IS Accreditation Criteria Overview Criteria Details


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IS Accreditation – Current Status

Web survey of Draft Criteria (300 responses)

Revision of Draft Criteria CSAB approved Criteria for testing- 7/00 ABET EC approved pilot test for Fall 2001 IS Criteria posted to web: www.abet.org Documents prepared, Evaluators Trained 2001-2002 Program Review Cycle in

progress


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IS Accreditation – Current Status Program Selected, Self-study

completed October 2001- Team Visit Completed July 2002 - Action on visit September 2002 – Final Statement Next Cycle – 2002-2003 Fall 2002 – additional visits


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IS Accreditation – Current Status

Review & Revise materials Review & Revise Proposed IS

Criteria (August 2000 version 5.2) ABET final approval of IS Criteria

11/3/01 Identify IS programs interested in

accreditation


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IS Accreditation – Current Status Identify IS faculty and IS industry

professional interested becoming program evaluators Membership in the ACM, the IEEE/CS,

or the AIS is expected. Good communication skills are necessary.

Ph.D. In a computing discipline At least associate professor rank See www.csab.org for details &

application


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Agenda


Background Status of IS Accreditation Accreditation Process IS Accreditation Criteria Overview Criteria Details


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Process for Initial Accreditation

Study the Criteria Be sure your program meets the

Criteria Be sure all students in the program

meet the Criteria Be certain your infrastructure meets

the Criteria Be sure you have support from the

Administration


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Process - Pre-visit Self-analysis of program

does it meet CAC Criteria? Invitation issued by CAC (November) Prepare self-study and collect course

materials (Fall prior to visit) Submit Request for Evaluation (January

31) Pay fee for evaluation (June 1) Submit Self-Study (July 1)


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Self-Study - 1

One Volume + Appendix Contents

Objectives and Assessment Student Support Faculty Curriculum Laboratory and Computing Facilities Institutional Support and Financial Resources Institutional Facilities


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Self-Study - 2 - Appendices

I. Information Relative to the Entire Institution II. General Information on the Unit

Responsible for the Information Systems Program

III. Finances IV. IS Program Personnel and Policies

Towards Consulting, Professional Development, and Recruiting

V. IS Program Enrollment and Degree Data VI. Admission Requirements


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Process - Visit Schedule visit (July - August)

Work with your Administration to be sure they can meet with visitors

Host 2-3 day visit (Sep.-Nov.) Prepare schedule with Team Chair Prepare course exhibits and space for

visitors Be certain faculty, students, &

administrators are available for scheduled meetings


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Process - Post-visit Receive Preliminary Statement (March) Respond to Preliminary Statement (30

days) Preliminary report finalized Presentation at CAC Annual Meeting (July) Final Statement received (August - Sept.)


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Accreditation Actions Each program reviewed in Fall xx

is voted on at the CAC Annual Meeting in July of xx+1

Programs are informed of Action in August of xx+1


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Accreditation Actions & Durations

GeneralAction Duration (Yrs)

NGR Next General Review 6IR Interim Report 2IV Interim Visit 2SC Show Cause 1


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Agenda




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• Assure graduates of an accredited program are adequately prepared to enter and continue the practice of information systems

• Stimulate the improvement of IS education

• Encourage new & innovative approaches to IS education and its assessment

• Identify accredited programs to the public

IS Accreditation: Objectives


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Philosophy

Institutions and Programs define mission and objectives to meet the needs of their constituents -- enable program differentiation

Programs demonstrate how criteria and educational objectives are being met


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Evaluative Criteria Structure

Two documents

1. Criteria for Accrediting Computing Programs in the United States

eight Categories each category is divided

into Intent Standards


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Evaluative Criteria Structure

2. Guidance for Interpreting the Criteria for Accrediting Programs in Computing in the United States Eight sections

one per criteria category contents mapped to specific

Standards


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Criteria Categories Objectives and Assessments Students Faculty Curriculum Technology Infrastructure Institutional Support/Financial Resources Program Delivery Institutional Facilities


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Agenda




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Criteria Overview

What is an Intent statement? An Intent statement is a high level

description of a program that conforms to a particular Criteria Category.

In order to be accreditable, a program must meet the Intent statement of every Category.


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Criteria Overview Example of an Intent Statement

Category: Faculty Faculty members are current and

active in the discipline and have the necessary technical breadth and depth to support a modern information systems program.


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Criteria Overview The Standards

Standards are a series of enumerated statements of how to minimally meet the Intent of a particular Category.

Standards are both qualitative and quantitative

Standards define minimum essential elements

A program that satisfies all the Standards of a Category meets the Intent of that Category.


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Criteria Overview Examples of Standards

Category: FacultyOne of the five standards in the Category:

III.1 Interests, qualifications, and scholarly contributions must be sufficient to teach the courses, plan & modify the courses &

curriculum, and remain abreast of current

developments in information systems.


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Agenda

Overview of U.S. Accreditation Computing Accreditation Background Status of IS Accreditation Accreditation Process IS Accreditation Criteria Overview Questions Criteria Details available for

discussion


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Questions What questions do you have about

IS Accreditation? Criteria details are available for

discussion as time permits.


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Criteria Criteria: Details

General introduction Detailed discussion of each Criteria

category will include Intent Standards


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Objectives and Assessments Students Faculty Curriculum Technology Infrastructure Institutional Support/Financial Resources Program Delivery Institutional Facilities

Criteria Categories


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Objectives and Assessments CategoryMotivation - 1

Why include Objectives and Assessments in the criteria? Aligns CSAB/ABET accreditation with

direction of regional accreditation bodies criteria of other program oriented

accreditation bodies

Demonstrates stable program direction in the face of natural program evolution


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Objectives and Assessments

Motivation - 2 Why are documented objectives important?

Ensures alignment with stated mission and goals

Provides program direction to plan appropriate program evolution to form the basis for decisions

Enables effectiveness measurement of program activities

Provides foundation for continuous improvement

Addresses issue of increased accountability


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I. Objectives and Assessments

The program has documented educational objectives that are consistent with the mission of the institution.

The program has in place processes to regularly assess its progress against its objectives and uses the results of the assessments to identify program improvements and to modify the program’s objectives.

Intent:


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The program must have documented, educational objectives.

Objectives must include expected outcomes for graduating students.

Mechanisms must be in place to periodically review the program and courses.

Standards:

I. Objectives and Assessments


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Objectives and Assessments: Standards (Cont’d.)

Program assessment results must be used to help identify and implement program improvement.

Program review and actions

taken must be documented.


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Students can complete the program in a reasonable amount of time.

Students have ample opportunity to interact with their instructors and are offered timely guidance and advice about the program’s requirements and their career alternatives.

Students who graduate the program meet all program requirements.

Intent:II. Students


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Courses offered with sufficient frequency for students to complete the program in a timely manner.

Program must be structured to ensure effective interaction between teaching faculty and students.

Standards:

II. Students


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Students: Standards (Cont’d)

Advising on program completion, course selection and career opportunities must be available to all students.

Standards and procedures are established that ensure that graduates meet program requirements.


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Faculty members are current and active in the discipline and have the necessary technical breadth and depth to support a modern information systems program.

Intent:

III. Faculty


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Interests, qualifications, and scholarly contributions must be sufficient to teach the courses, plan and modify the courses and

curriculum, and remain abreast of current

developments in information systems. Must have a level of competence

normally obtained through graduate work in information systems.

Standards:

III. Faculty


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A majority should hold terminal degrees.

Some full-time faculty members must

have a Ph.D in information systems or a closely related area.

All faculty members must remain current in the discipline.

Faculty: Standards (Cont’d)


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The curriculum combines professional requirements with general education requirements and electives:

to prepare students for a professional career in the information systems field,

for further study in information systems, and

for functioning in modern society.

Intent:IV. Curriculum


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IV. Curriculum: Intent (con’t)

The professional requirements include coverage of basic and advanced topics in information systems as well as an emphasis on an IS environment.

Curricula are consistent with widely recognized models and standards.


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Curriculum standards are specified in terms of semester-hours of study.

(Thirty semester-hours generally constitute one year of full-time study and is equivalent to 45 quarter-hours)

A course or a specific part of a course can only be applied toward one standard.

Standards – Background Information

IV. Curriculum


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Must include at least 30 semester-hours of study in information systems topics.

Most contain at least 15 semester-hours of study in an information systems environment, as specified below.

Standards General:

IV. Curriculum


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Must include at least 9 semester-hours of study in quantitative analysis as specified under quantitative analysis.

Must include at least 30 semester-hours of study in general education to broaden the background of the student.

Curriculum Standards: General (Cont’d)


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Students take a broad-based core of fundamental IS material - at least 12 semester hours.

The core must provide basic coverage of: hardware and software modern programming language data management networking and telecommunications analysis and design and the role of IS in organizations.

Standards IS: 30 hrs

IV. Curriculum


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Theoretical foundations, analysis, and design must be stressed within the program.

Students must be exposed to a variety of information of computing systems.

Students must become proficient in one modern programming language.

Curriculum Standards: IS (Cont’d)


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All students must take at least 12 semester hours of advanced course work in information systems that provides breadth and builds on the core to provide depth.

Curriculum Standards: IS (Cont’d)


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IV. Curriculum

The 15 semester hours must be a cohesive body of knowledge to prepare the student to function effectively as an IS professional in the IS environment.

Standards IS Environment: 15 hrs


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The curriculum must include at least 9 hours of quantitative analysis beyond pre-calculus

Statistics must be included Calculus and discrete

mathematics must be included

Standards Quantitative Analysis: 9 hrs

IV. Curriculum


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Oral and written communication skills of the student must be developed and applied in the program.

There must be sufficient coverage of global, economic, social and ethical implications of computing to give students an understanding of a broad range of issues in this area.

Collaborative skills must be developed and applied in the program.

Standards - Additional Areas of Study:

IV. Curriculum


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Computer resources are available, accessible, and adequately supported to enable students to complete course work and to support faculty teaching needs and scholarly activity

Intent:

V. Technology Infrastructure


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Each student must have adequate and reasonable access to the systems needed for each course.

Documentation for hardware and software must be readily accessible to faculty and students.

All faculty members must have access to adequate computing resources for class preparation and for scholarly activities.

V. Technology Infrastructure: Standards


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There must be adequate support personnel to install and maintain computing resources.

Instructional assistance must be provided for the computing resources.

V. Technology Infrastructure: Standards (Cont’d)


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The institution’s support for the program and the financial resources available to the program are sufficient to provide an environment in which the program can achieve its objectives.

Support and resources are sufficient to provide assurance that an accredited program will retain its strength throughout the period of accreditation.

Intent:

VI. Institutional Support and Financial Resources:


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Support for faculty must be sufficient to enable the program to attract and retain high-quality faculty capable of supporting the program objectives.

There must be sufficient support and financial resources to allow faculty members to attend national technical meetings with sufficient frequency to maintain competence as teachers and scholars.

VI. Institutional Support and Financial Resources

Standards:


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There must be support and recognition of scholarly activities.

There must be office support consistent with the type of program, level of scholarly activity, and needs of the faculty members.

Adequate time must be assigned for the administration of the program.

Institutional Support and Financial Resources: Standards (Con’t)


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Upper levels of administration must provide the program with the resources and atmosphere to function effectively with the rest of the institution.

Resources must be provided to acquire and maintain laboratory facilities that meet the needs of the program.



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Resources must be provided to support library and related information retrieval facilities that meet the needs of the program.

There must be evidence of continuity of institutional support and financial resources.



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There are enough faculty members to cover the curriculum reasonably and to allow an appropriate mix of teaching and scholarly activity.

Intent:

VII. Program Delivery


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There must be enough full-time faculty members with primary commitment to the program to provide continuity and stability.

Full-time faculty members must oversee all course work.

Full-time faculty members must cover most of the total classroom instruction.

VII. Program DeliveryStandards:


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Faculty members must remain current in the discipline.

All full-time faculty members must have sufficient time for scholarly activities and professional development.

Advising duties must be a recognized part of faculty members’ workloads.

Program Delivery: Standards (Con’t)


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Institutional facilities including the library, other electronic information retrieval systems, computer networks, classrooms, and offices are adequate to support the objectives of the program.

Intent:

VIII. Institutional Facilities


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The library that serves the information systems program must be adequately staffed with professional librarians and support personnel.

The library’s technical collection must include up-to-date textbooks, reference works, and publications of professional and research organizations.

Standards:

VIII. Institutional Facilities


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Systems for locating and obtaining electronic information must be available.

Classrooms must be adequately equipped for the courses taught in them.

Faculty offices must be adequate to enable faculty members to meet their responsibilities to students and for their professional needs.

VIII. Institutional Facilities: Standards (Con’t)

isecon 2001 gorgone & feinstein1 status of information systems accreditation isecon, october...

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accredited programs

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