Policy and Procedure for Managing Computer Science Course Outcomes (2/16/2007)

The undergraduate Computer Science Program at the University of Idaho is accredited by ABET. As a condition of accreditation, the CS Department is required to identify a set of program outcomes that describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of graduation. These outcomes relate to the skills, knowledge, and behaviors that students acquire in their matriculation through the program. The program outcomes were approved by the CS faculty and are available to anyone who wishes to see them. The program objectives and outcomes are available here.

An appendix to the ABET document defining the criteria for accreditation identifies proposed changes to the criteria. Its requirements state: "The program uses a documented process incorporating relevant data to regularly assess its program educational objectives and program outcomes, and to evaluate the extent to which they are being met. The results of the evaluations are used to effect continuous improvement of the program through a documented plan." In a sense, ABET expects accredited programs to measure the efficacy of courses in the program and provide evidence that they collectively achieve the program outcomes. Through a continuous measurement process, situations in which individual courses do not meet expectations, can be identified and corrected.

Policy

Course outcomes are the principal mechanism by which the department ensures that each course contributes expected content to the program and that program outcomes are achieved. As such, courses and their content are "owned" and "controlled" by the department's faculty as a whole, not by individual faculty members. Each course offered by the Computer Science Department shall have an approved set of course outcomes on file with the department. The course outcomes define what each student who successfully completes the course is expected to know and be able to do. At a minimum, the course instructor is expected to cover the material that will ensure all course outcomes are achieved. At his / her discretion, the course instructor may include material beyond that required to cover the course objectives, provided that inclusion of the additional material is consistent with the number of credits assigned to the course, does not adversely affect coverage of material that supports defined outcomes, and does not result in unreasonable expectations on the amount of time students must devote to the course.

Procedure

The process for approving outcomes for a course is as follows:

1. A faculty member submits to the CS Curriculum Committee a set of proposed course outcomes or a modification to an existing set of course outcomes.

2. The CS Curriculum Committee reviews the outcomes to ensure that the outcomes are:

   a. complete and consistent with respect to the course's catalog description,
   b. linked to and support the CS Program Outcomes,
   c. written at a level consistent with outcomes for other courses,
   d. consistent with the expectations set in other courses for which this course is a prerequisite, and
   e. measurable.
   
   

3. If the CS Curriculum Committee believes a modification to the outcomes is necessary, the committee will return the proposed outcomes to the submitter with the committee's recommendation.

4. If the committee recommended changes, the faculty member will consider the committee's recommendations and will make modification to the outcomes as he / she deems appropriate, then resubmit the outcomes to the CS Curriculum Committee.

5. The CS Curriculum Committee will vote to recommend approval or disapproval of the course outcomes.

6. The course outcomes and the committee's recommendation are forwarded as a seconded motion to the CS faculty for consideration.

7. The CS faculty will act on the course outcomes, possibly making changes through a majority vote of the faculty.

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