Drafting Program Educational Objectives for undergraduate engineering degree programs

Abstract

This paper outlines the process to draft Program Educational Objectives (PEOs) appropriate for undergraduate engineering degree programs at ABET-accredited institutions of higher education. In the ECE department at our University, the existing PEOs were deemed to have language that was very similar to that used in the ABET student outcomes. Therefore, it was imperative to distinguish the PEOs from the ABET student outcomes since the PEOs must quantify the expected attainments of graduates a few years after graduation. First, PEOs must reflect the Mission Statement of the institution and serve as a yardstick of student achievement three to five years following graduation. The objectives represent the expectations of the department from its graduates. Active participation by the faculty in defining the PEOs yield clear and concise objectives and promotes ownership of the goals of the Department and ABET process. However, not all faculty members are necessarily familiar with the assessment language and the process to evaluate the PEOs. In order to ensure a meaningful contribution from all faculty members involved in defining the PEOs, this paper presents a framework to define the PEOs that (1) adhere to the Mission of the University (2) achieve consistent and measurable expectations.