On the afternoon of April 28th, 2016, the faculty of IE Department had a teaching workshop on ABET accreditation which was aimed to convey its background, concept and method. The department launched the accreditation preparation procedure formally.

ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology), founded in 1932, accredits college and university undergraduate programs. The Commissions uses the following eight basic criteria to evaluate the programs: students, program educational objectives, student outcomes, continuous improvement, curriculum, faculty, facilities, and institutional support. ABET has accredited over 3,600 programs at more than 700 colleges and universities in 29 countries by now.

Prof. Kaibo Wang firstly introduced the significant meaning and expectations of the department launching ABET accreditation. He pointed out that focusing on the educational plan of the undergraduate programs, the accreditation would help us consistently evaluate, adjust and improve the student outcomes. The essence of ABET accreditation is continuous improvement, an effective way to improve the teaching quality and mechanism, and enhance the quality-assurance system. With the opportunity of the accreditation, the department would standardize the scientific management and build a good operational mechanism, so as to promote further enhance to its cultivation level of undergraduate talents. 

Prof. Kaibo Wang made an opening speech

Then Prof. Zheng Liu, Chair of the Teaching Committee of Tsinghua’s Chemical Engineering Department, was invited to share some experience about the ABET accreditation of his department. As one of the first departments of Tsinghua University to make the ABET accreditation, Chemical Engineering Department had completed many related serious and rigorous work. He specifically introduced their accreditation process and emphasized that ABET accreditation had made real effect to the improvement of their teaching quality. Prof. Liu shared three key words for the accreditation: modesty, action and honesty. 

 Prof. Zheng Liu of Chemical Engineering Department

Later, Prof. Liang Ma of IE Department made a further report from the aspects of objective, concept, meaning and process of the accreditation based on the specific circumstance of the department. He introduced emphatically the detailed plan and schedule of the department’s accreditation work. 

Prof. Liang Ma of IE Department

Before the workshop, the Student Education Committee was founded. In order to take various suggestions on the curriculum, educational objective and concept, and student outcomes of the department’s undergraduate program, many panel discussions were made with the alumni representatives and domain experts. This workshop symbolized that the ABET accreditation preparation was formally started. In the following two years, all the faculty members of the department would fight to put forward the undergraduate education to a new stage by reconstructing the program’s educational plan, improving the educational methods and standardizing the management procedure.  

Focus Group Meeting of alumni and undergraduate students