Comprehensive guidelines for ABET accreditation of a computer science program: the case of the American University of Kuwait

Abstract

ABET accreditation adds a real value to an educational program by meeting the essential requirements that enable it to produce ready graduates for the market. We at the Computer Science and Information Systems Department in the American University of Kuwait (CSIS-AUK) recognise this value after we have gone through restructuring and enhancing our program to meet CAC-ABET standard requirements and completing the self-study report. In this paper, we will present a complete and detailed documentation of our work in establishing our ABET compliant program. Special focus will be given to a case study of three student outcomes SOs A, B and J where, a thorough assessment process is presented including: data collection, reporting and assessment forms, analysis, justification, recommendations and finally data graphical representation for individual performance indicator (PI) trend tracking among different assessment cycles. We believe that our approach to ABET accreditation is unique from different aspects that will be very clear in the body of the paper. The CSIS-AUK department has a great confidence of the deigned, implemented and tested process and strongly believes that it will be a great source for learning, adoption and inspiration for institutions seeking ABET accreditation.